There was Tom Brady, addressing the media, nearly biting his upper lip off in anger but giving civil and polite answers to painful questions.
There was Bill Belichick, who looked so devastated at the podium that at that moment it might have finally hit him that his beloved father has passed away.
There was Larry Izzo and Willie McGinest, going jaw to jaw on the sidelines, and there really isn't any reason why that should be happening.
There was Troy Brown, who probably ought to be on suicide watch for his fumble which he claims lost the game for his team.
No, these aren't the Patriots you all know and love. These are a different kind of Patriots. You saw a bunch of different qualities in your team Saturday night in Denver.
Sorrow. Humility. Anger. And the one quality most overlooked by everyone who follows them, that being fallibility.
It would be sour grapes to not congratulate Denver and acknowledge that they played a better game and deserve the right to move on to the AFC Championship Game next weekend. True, the Broncos are the rightful owners of one spot in that game, a game they will now host with Pittsburgh upsetting Indianapolis on the road. But the Patriots literally handed the game over to them, in the form of five turnovers which led to 24 of the 27 Bronco points. The Patriots did so much to win the game, but in the end did far too much to lose the game.
And in Denver, where the Patriots have a terrible history of playing badly, five turnovers were as lethal as Romeo's dram of poison from the apothecary. This is why many of you scorned Cincinnati's loss last weekend to Pittsburgh, which sent the Patriots to Invesco Field. Some of you could see this coming. And it cannot do anything but frustrate you.
You can't fault the game plan. The Patriots lined up and stopped the Denver run attack. Despite a furious pass rush all game long, Brady was never sacked (and that was remarkable given that Nick Kaczur was a scratch, which was not listed on the injury report). Brady was hurried at times, but did find open receivers for the most part during the game.
But this is Denver. Brady overthrew two wide-open players in the left flat, one of which would have been a sure touchdown. Brady threw to a covered receiver in the end zone which was intercepted and returned 100 yards. When you produce a game plan, you don't take into account three fumbles. Other than the sight of Corey Dillon using an oxygen mask, the Patriots didn't look winded in the high altitude.
The Patriots simply played badly. They made mistakes. Lots of them. It just so happens that they usually play badly when they come here. The Patriots are now 3-15 in the city of Denver since 1967. This is why you should have been pulling like crazy for Cincinnati to win last weekend, and why you would much prefer the Patriots to be playing Sunday in Indianapolis rather than cutting still another stinker in Denver. Since 1995, the Patriots have played the Broncos every year but 2004, and it could be said that Denver is to the Patriots what the Patriots are to the Colts.
Oh, and Mike Shanahan is now 8-3 lifetime against Belichick. Chew on that one for a while.
Enough grumpy talk. It's over. When this is all fully reconciled, we have the perfect panacea for everyone.
All the Patriots have to do is to have a better regular season next year. Enough of this 10-6 garbage, and that includes kooky losses to "improve" playoff seeding. The Patriots need to think 14-2 or better next year and get back to the first round bye stuff, as well as more home playoff games. A Super Bowl win next year will instantly bring back the dynasty talk, since then it will have been four Super Bowls in six years, exactly what the Pittsburgh Steelers of the 1970s were able to do.
The Patriots will regain Rodney Harrison, Matt Light and Dan Koppen. The Patriots will have the 21st pick in the draft, and although fans may predict what position has the most need (linebacker and perhaps tackle), Belichick will still confound you the fan and draft value over need. Offseason workouts will be hellacious in Foxborough, as these lads will be totally bent on regaining their crown.
That right there is the most important element in the 2006 season. It strikes at the heart of why winning three Super Bowls in a row may be too difficult for any team to achieve. You can play at a high level only so long before either you hit a mental brick wall or the opposition is so sick of you winning that you simply cannot deal with them no matter what you muster. Brady and company will outwork everybody in the NFL this summer, and you should see the results rather clearly come September.
There is one element which could come into play that the Patriots will have to make a major adjustment. Defensive coordinator Eric Mangini is the top candidate for the head-coaching job of the Jets. It is not clear if the Jets will really offer him the job nor if he will take it if offered. But if Mangini leaves, it puts Belichick in the precarious position of once again going into an offseason with no coordinators. At least Belichick has time this year to fill those positions.
The Patriots will also have to make some tough decisions on some players, including Adam Vinatieri, David Givens, Tom Ashworth, Stephen Neal and Troy Brown, among others. The Patriots may franchise Vinatieri again, but Givens bears a great deal of watching as his situation may dictate how others coming up next year will be handled (such as Richard Seymour, Daniel Graham and Willie McGinest).
But 2005 can be put to bed now. Good season, not a great one. Lots of turnover and injuries, and in the end the Patriots simply didn't have enough material to pull off a miracle.
This year, Belichick has time to retool, and the players will dedicate themselves to getting back up to the mountaintop in 2006. Hopefully Belichick will retool himself, as this has been a terribly difficult year for himself personally. He will continue to be the most Spartan of all head coaches, but it wouldn't kill him to take a few days off and go home and hang out with mom.
And then get back, ready to bring the Vince back to Foxborough.
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