FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- When it comes to the oldest rosters in the NFL, the New England Patriots' opponent in the 2014 AFC title game -- the Colts -- are near the top of the list.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Colts had the second-oldest roster in the NFL in Week 17 of the 2014 regular season -- an average age of 27 years and 266 days. The numbers should be similar this year, as the Colts have 12 players on their current roster who are at least 30 years old.
With this in mind, I was curious how the Patriots compare.
As of Tuesday morning, the team has just six players in the 30-year-old club.
QB Tom Brady -- 37
DE Rob Ninkovich -- 31
K Stephen Gostkowski --31
OT Sebastian Vollmer -- 30
DL Antonio Johnson -- 30
DT Alan Branch -- 30
Of the group, Johnson is a longshot for a roster spot, which would lower the number of 30-year-old players to five. But it's also notable that the Patriots have a seven-player core of 29-year-olds knocking on the door, a group including receivers Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola; linebacker Jerod Mayo; tight end Scott Chandler; special teams captain Matthew Slater; and center/guard Ryan Wendell.
Teams are always balancing a mix of seasoned veterans and an infusion of youth, and the idea was to lead off the day by documenting the differences between the Patriots and Colts in this area.
