OT: Could the Pats be on the decline?

[NinerSickness]

The Pats have been the opposite of the Niners the last couple of years. They lost a SB & then lost a conference championship game the next year. With Gronk banged up, I don't really see a whole lot of talent on the Pats' roster. Brady is still gonna make 'em win more games than they lose, but who else do they have?

Everyone is talking about how Baltimore is done (foolishly; they're as good as or better than last year IMO). But the Pats lost Welker & gained Amendola. A guy the Cowboys cut. Gronk is banged up. They have nothing at RB. And outside of Wilfork & Mayo, their defense is pretty lackluster.

Brady isn't getting any yonger, and they haven't really been adding a lot of young talent the last few years. I liked the move to draft Aaron Dobson, but that's about it. I could see the Pats steadily declining into mediocrity if Mallett doesn't prove to be an amazing QB & stick around (which he won't and he won't IMO).

Or...

....Nah. I won't go there.

 

[JDM]

I see improvement this year, personally. With an exception of adding Tebow I am more excited for this year than I was in 07.

 

[brandonk989]

They still can't play defense. They lost a huge part of their passing game in Welker. Gronk may never be healthy again and let's face it Danny Amendola is a decent WR but he's no #1. Tom Brady is still Tom Brady. But who do you throw the ball to? Running game is still average at best. They're still the Pats and will probably make the playoffs but they won't be anywhere near as dominant.

 

[Yoshi]

The Pats have been the opposite of the Niners the last couple of years. They lost a SB & then lost a conference championship game the next year. With Gronk banged up, I don't really see a whole lot of talent on the Pats' roster. Brady is still gonna make 'em win more games than they lose, but who else do they have?

Everyone is talking about how Baltimore is done (foolishly; they're as good as or better than last year IMO). But the Pats lost Welker & gained Amendola. A guy the Cowboys cut. Gronk is banged up. They have nothing at RB. And outside of Wilfork & Mayo, their defense is pretty lackluster.

Brady isn't getting any yonger, and they haven't really been adding a lot of young talent the last few years. I liked the move to draft Aaron Dobson, but that's about it. I could see the Pats steadily declining into mediocrity if Mallett doesn't prove to be an amazing QB & stick around (which he won't and he won't IMO).

Or...

....Nah. I won't go there.

I've seen Mallett quite a bit due to my constant viewing of Bama games in the SEC (btw, I know he's a former Razorback). With that said, the dude relies on that heavy arm of his that he tends to throw off the wrong foot which is what led to poor form and some untimely interceptions. He's also slow whereas Brady has some mobility. Ridley did run for more than 1000 yards last year, and they do benefit from playing in one of the worst divisions in all of the NFL, so the Pats vying for the AFC home field this coming season is very possible.

However, their drafting as what others here have said has taken a hit and some of their players over the past few years have not quite panned out as projected.

 

[NinerSickness]

I see improvement this year, personally. With an exception of adding Tebow I am more excited for this year than I was in 07.

Please elaborate. What about 'em excites you? The rookie class?

 

[HammerDown]

They'll be a total non-factor by 2014. Belichick will be on the street and Brady's contract will be perceived as a bigger millstone than A-Rod's.

 

[Gatorchip]

Huge upgrade at QB to secure their future.

 

[HammerDown]

Huge upgrade at QB to secure their future.

Tough not to argue with that.

 

[JDM]

Please elaborate. What about 'em excites you? The rookie class?

The defense has been bad, especially against the pass, but it has primarily been awful safety play (I'm not sure any team has been worse at any position has been as bad as the patriots at safety from the start of two season ago until McCourty was moved back). The corners have been pretty solid given no help over the top, although they certainly were still made to look silly. They do not excel in man coverage, but I think they are better than lack of safety help made them appear. They added Adrian Wilson at strong safety and I McCourty did a very respectable job at free. Legitimate safety help makes it much easier for the corners to do what they are intended to do, which is relatively frequently either play zone or play press coverage, which with help over the top, gives narrow spaces to throw to. Also, with an exception of talib, the corners are all extremely young, and should continue to grow into the defense.

On offense, Welker is gone, but I wanted him gone. I don't think some claims I have seen that Amendola is an upgrade are near supported enough to treat as legitimate, but I think he will be a legitimate target. I absolutely love the Dobson addition. The patriots haven't had an outside receiver since moss. Dobson's not quite a burner, but be has legitimate speed, a decent frame, and very good hands. If he learns the offense well enough he probably starts game one. He is an upgrade over everyone but Welker. Gronk is in bad shape, but we will win the division regardless. If he even makes it back for the playoffs, we're in good shape there.

If you address specific positions I will be happy to as well, but overall I like how this team is looking. I have been extremely pessimistic about our odds in the postseason for a few years, but I think we're in good shape.

 

[dredinis21]

I think you are giving name recognition points to Adrian Wilson and not looking at his play in recent years. He is an upgrade only because your S position was so poor but he isn't exactly the answer either.

 

[JDM]

I don't expect him to be the answer. I do believe he is a significant upgrade based on how bad our safety play was.

 

[dblakejr7]

I think you are giving name recognition points to Adrian Wilson and not looking at his play in recent years. He is an upgrade only because your S position was so poor but he isn't exactly the answer either.

But it's a step in the right direction.. If he helps McMurtry be a better safety then that helps.. We are loaded at tight end.. Grok Hernandez Ballard, and who's your momma.

The rookie wr are solid at first glance..

The lines are both solid.. Could use. Some back up help..

Lb.. To me this is a weak spot that's normally full of injuries..

Rb.. We added Blount and if he returns even some of his former self he will be a great short yardage powe back to compliment Ridley ..

Sure Brady is older but he's arguably the best qb playing..


San Fran has had a nice past couple of years but the pats have been consistently in the mix since 2000... I like those odds even though we might have a down year or two.. Think about it.. A bad year for the pats is getting beat in the afc championship game... How sad.

 

[DoobieKeebler]

I'd bet my bippy the Pats are still gonna run that quick no huddle offense a lot next year that tires out defenses lining up against upwards of 90 offensive plays. That New England offense, even without Gronk, (a good) Randy Moss, and Welker is gonna be tough to keep up with when their offense plays at a freight train like pace.


That being said, year in and year out Bill Beeeeeeeeeeelichick [/Cartman voice] does a pretty amazing job of adjusting for the various flaws the team always seems to have, so I'd bet the Pats will AT LEAST make the divisional round of the playoffs.

In '14? Nobody can really say.

 

[erckm510]

I don't see how you can say the Pats don't have nothing at RB. Their running game last year was very good. Ridley was awesome. If Amendola stays healthy I think he can be better then Welker. I don't see any decline in their offense for the next couple years. Question is the defense. Where's the pass rush coming from.

 

[Flyingiguana]

pats out of the playoffs

there i said it

 

[4lifer9er]

HOW CAN I REEECH THEEESEE KEEEEEDDS?!?!?!?!

 

[MilkSpiller22]

The patriots are definitely on there way down... its just a good thing that they may be in the worst division in football... they will still win 10+ games... but once again when playoffs come their mediocrity will come through...

 

[NinerSickness]

Especially now that it looks like Hernandez won't be playing, this looks like the worst Patriots' team in a decade. I think the window for Tom Brady to win another Super Bowl in New England has closed. If Jamie Collins & Aaron Dobson both hit really, really big that could change things, but that's a long shot.

If the Pats are smart, it might be time to start thinking about trading Tom Brady for a king's ransom & totally re-building. And if they're smart, they'd do it before it starts to look like his play will begin to drop off. That would be enough to give 'em the ammo' to seriously re-build for the next 10 years if the front office has the foresight to look 3 years into the future. This would especially be easier if they think Mallett can be the next great NE QB.

 

[JDM]

Brady retires a patriot. He has an extremely team friendly contract and they are instant Super Bowl threats with him on the field. They are young at WR, and tight end turned from dominant to merely a strength (given Gronk is back for the playoffs; don't care about the regular season), but with Brady on the field they are a very tough out. The defense has the pieces they need to win now as well, and places that have the potential for upgrade can be done without giving up Brady.

 

[NinerSickness]

If Montana & Peyton can finish their careers in another uniform, it's not impossible that Brady could too.

Here's how I see it: I think it's extremely unlikely the Patriots will win a SB in the next few years. Like I said, that could change if Dobson & Collins both hit huge, but I'm going with the odds here. I don't see 'em competing with the other teams in the AFC over the next 3 years (much less the NFC). If I were a team on the decline with a future HOF QB who probably won't win another SB, I'd take the king's ransom and get a super power boost for rebuilding. I think my odds of winning another Super Bowl in the long run would be better if I did.

The Patriots were close last year, but it seems to me that they haven't really upgraded at any starting position and have downgraded 2 huge spots with Hernandez good as gone & Welker gone. And with Brady at QB, they're not going to get any extremely high draft picks any time soon. I think the odds are better going with a total re-build. JMHO.