Loading ...Until the playoffs when they defeated the Denver Broncos, they had NOT beaten a team with a record better than .500 and the Broncos were 9-8 thanks to a wild card playoff win. So, in reality, the only legitimate winning team they beat was the Ravens in the Conference Championship and that win was dubious at best.
Let's face it, the Patriots window of opportunity has been dropping for a while now and like a roll of toilet paper, the closer you get to the end, the faster it goes. There are some facts, the Patriots and their faithful have to face and internally, you'd like to think the team already has.
A football career is finite. It won't last forever. Tom Brady has played 12 years and is 34-years old. He says he wants to play until age 40, but the truth is, immobile quarterbacks don't last until 40. They are usually carried out on their shield long before the big 4-0. Brady is a lock for the Hall of Fame, but that's primarily based on past accomplishments. For a frame of reference I give you Manning, P. of the Indianapolis, Indiana Mannings. Sure, the doctors have pronounced him fit from neck injuries, but really? That's a question he's going to be asking himself should he decide to return to the NFL wars.
The best player on the Patriots defense this past year was nose tackle Vince Wilfork. He's 30-years old and for eight years he's been hit and hit hard on every play by beasts as large and strong as he is. He's not that near the end right now, but there are many more seasons in the rear view mirror than can be seen through the windshield.
In case you haven't noticed, NFL wide receivers have been getting bigger, taller and stronger. In many of the better pass defenses, so have defensive backs. Let's just say the Patriots pass defense wasn't sparkling in 2011. James Ihedigbo and Antwaun Molden stretched to 6'1" then there's a collection of players claiming to be 5'10".
The Patriots pass rush was somewhat better then the 2010 version, but it was predicated on a front wall comprised of, ahem, older bricks. They're not going to get better.
When the Patriots running game is brought up in polite conversation, the first response is usually "the what?" Maybe they have a legitimate running attack, but they've kept it a state secret in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
This dissertation may read like the Book of Gloom and Doom, but it's not—yet. Brady has the experience, smarts and certainly the competitive fire to lead this team for the immediate future. Wilfork may have crested, but his demise is a future concern rather than immediate. However his fellow linemates aren't going to be drinking cocktails from the Fountain of Youth anytime soon, but maybe they should.
The Patriots pick 27th and 31st in the first round of the draft, have a pair of second round choices and one each in the third and fourth rounds. They don't have to look for a quarterback yet having selected Ryan Mallett last year, so there are six replacement parts sitting on the shelf in serviceable rounds. This could be an extremely critical draft for the foreseeable future.
One thing the Patriots and their loyal fandom can look forward to is the annual rite of winter—the playoffs. The Patriots may be slipping, but take a look at that division. They are shining examples of what happens to teams that take success for granted.
Tags: Football, New England, New England Patriots, NFLRelated Videos
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