VJCPatriot

The Patriots have not won a Superbowl championship since 2004. What have they been doing since then?

2005 10-6 Division Title, Lost to Broncos in Divisional Playoff round, Bailey returns Brady INT for touchdown
2006 12-4 Division Title, Lost to Colts in AFC Championship game, Peyton Manning's 1st Title, Defensive meltdown in 2nd half
2007 16-0 Division Title, Perfect Season, Superbowl loss to Giants, Eli Manning's 1st Title, Tyree's miracle catch extends gamewinning drive
2008 11-5 Missed Playoffs, Brady out for season, Cassel steps up

All in all, the results are not bad. Most teams would kill to make the playoffs in 3 of the last 4 seasons and to win their Division titles in 3 straight seasons. However compared to the Dynasty years, 2001-2004, the level of success is not as high as is expected in Foxboro.

Which brings me to my point. The 2009 offseason is likely the most critical year for this team to return to where it wants to be, a football dynasty to be remembered for the ages. The other team that threatens to become a dynasty are the Pittsburgh Steelers who have now won Championships in 2005 and 2008 respectively.

With Cassel as a trading chip, the Patriots may have the most draft points in the history of their dynasty this year. There are also some impact free agents available on the market that may improve this team's fortune.

It has become clear that the Pats defense waned this year. A defensive unit that was previously ridden to 3 superbowl titles is missing some key ingredients - #1 shutdown corner (no Law or Asante here), outstanding passrusher/OLB (McGinest is long gone), smashmouth safety (no milloy, no harrison).

BB will have the draft picks, and after Cassel is traded, he will have the cap space to make a splash in the free agent market. The key is to do the proper grocery shopping. The Patriots dynasty CAN be revived. But the pieces they pick up in 2009 will be CRUCIAL in determining whether or not that happens.

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PittPatriot

I agree on the need for better pocket collapsing players...and hopefully schemes that will result in those players being put in a position to make plays.

However, I have only seen 2 'shutdown' type corners in my 23 years as a Pats fan: Raymond Clayborn and Ty Law.
Hopefully, they don't come around once every 15-20years!

Joker

you must have missed Mike Haynes then...

fgssand

I like this post......

The drive to be the greatest dynasty of all time is still well within reach. Had we won last year, we would have achieved that already.

It is very likely at this point that NE will have 2 #'1, 2 #2's and 2 #3's to bring new talent to an already talent loaded team. These choices along with a little help from free agency should go a long way to fill the holes in the "D" you indicated.

As an original Patriots fan from the very start, the Brady / BB/ Kraft era has been absolutely incredible. But, as they do, I still really want one or two more. Just want to be the all time best franchise ever.......4 in 9 will take care of that, 5 in 10 with two back to backs woudl be even sweeter, but let's take it one at a time!!

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Season ticket holder since 1971, first in section 209 and now in 134.

LOVE New England sports....10 years SEVEN championships!!!

mosi

Man, that is impressive. 49-15 in the last 4 years (82% winning percentage!!!). How did teams like Dallas and the 49er' do in their last 4 years after they won their last super bowl? I am looking for a trend to see if we are bucking the trend.

Clonamery

I think it (49-15/82% winning percentage) = the definition of teambuilding in the salary cap era NFL.

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Paul Brown: A winner never whines.

BradyManny

Interesting post - from a certain standpoint, I don't think the dynasty is dead. The fluke Tyree catch was the difference between another Super Bowl or not, and the 16-0 regular season is about as great an achievement as you can have. But given that the media - who is largely responsible for shaping "legacies" - hates the Pats, I'm sure that will go unnoticed.

The bad news: as I said recently in the draft thread: the 2009 draft will not provide any immediate upgrades for the Pats on the defensive side of the ball. Part of this is just that the Pats have good personnel and good depth, good prospects in the pipeline.

Unless we had one of the top 3 picks in the draft and could nab Curry, and even then, with the way his stock is rising, #3 might not be high enough.

The good news is 2009 draft does offer the team the prospect of becoming stacked for the long term at a number of positions.

The defense may be just fine by moving some parts around (AD to SILB, Bruschi to bench/depth), having the young guys improve (Wheatley/Wilhite, maybe Crable). And that would allow them to think long term as they move towards the draft.

If they believe they need more immediate impact, it will have to come via trade or free agency.

fgssand

I think any "D" pick in the first round should either start or be in the mix and contribute nicely. I understand your point about depth from last year hopefully making the "leap".......but I still think with all the draft picks we have (and may be getting for Casell), we should be able to mine some immediate help, this in addition to what you mentioned about free agent help as well. Look for a quality corner & starting LB to come our way.

I totally agree with your point about media hatred / jealousy / vindictiveness, over this team causing their accomplishments to be overlooked or made light of. Can you imagine what would be said if the Colts had the kind of run and success we have had??

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Season ticket holder since 1971, first in section 209 and now in 134.

LOVE New England sports....10 years SEVEN championships!!!

PATSYLICIOUS

Agreed mostly. Our best team during the SB years IMO was the 2004 team which just so happened to not have a shutdown corner. Asante was in his 2nd year, a couple seasons before he became an elite CB. And opposite him was Randall Gay. So although it would be a luxury to have a guy like Law or the 06-08 Asante, I feel it's a couple slots lower on the list. I think Merriweather can fill Rodney's void although he's not the same type of safety, but would love to have a smashmouth guy to go along with him. Eugene Wilson and Tebucky Jones weren't exactly studs out there but again we were able to get it done. Pass rush you are absolutely right, I do see Vrabel here at least one more season but I feel OLB for the future should be our priority. With the pieces we have in place and the draft picks we are about to recieve, this team (on paper) can be better than the dynasty over the next 5 years.

OLB
SS
CB

JSn

Whenever someone mentions moving AD inside I think of this and say "no, man":

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