Patriots in decline? Not so fast.
It has become a habit each off-season for Patriots fans to defend the team as jealous onlookers label us as overrated and in-decline. Despite being a model of efficiency during the Bill Belichick era and reeling off an unprecedented number of playoff appearances and division titles; the Patriots are lambasted each and every year for their shortcomings.
That being said; with each gut-wrenching playoff loss it is getting harder to defend the Patriots. There is no bigger homer than myself when it comes to the Pats, but I am going to write this article objectively. While my natural inclination is to be more biased in favor of that Patriots than Tommy is for the C's; I am going to take a step back and respond to Jeffri Chadiha's recent ESPN.com article in a civilized fashion. If you have not read the article, Chadiha's main points are:
That being said; with each gut-wrenching playoff loss it is getting harder to defend the Patriots. There is no bigger homer than myself when it comes to the Pats, but I am going to write this article objectively. While my natural inclination is to be more biased in favor of that Patriots than Tommy is for the C's; I am going to take a step back and respond to Jeffri Chadiha's recent ESPN.com article in a civilized fashion. If you have not read the article, Chadiha's main points are:
- The Patriots are a team in decline
- Brady's contract restructuring is an indication of this decline
- They are losing because they don't have a balanced approach (too focused on the offense)
- Much of their success is a result of playing in the weak AFC East
- Brady, Belichick and the team have 1-2 good years left
- This off-season is critical to the team's future
I first want to go on record as saying that I do not believe the Patriots can be considered a dynasty. While they have been a dominant force in the league for over a decade now; to be a dynasty you need to win Super Bowls. They haven't done that in nine years. I've never heard of a dynasty that goes nine years without a championship, have you? Championships define dynasties. To argue the Patriots are still a dynasty is just illogical. That statement hasn't been true since 2004.
That being said, I disagree with most of Chadiha's points. I do not think the Patriots are a team in decline. I believe with a few key moves they could be one of, if not the, best teams of the Brady/Belichick era. Their offense is still the best in the league, and Brady has a number of good years left, not just one or two. Several years where he will be better than most every other QB in the league. He is surrounded by weapons and an offensive genius on the sideline in Josh McDaniels and the offense is not going to slow down, especially with Gronk and Hernandez healthy and the infusion of young talent in the backfield.
The defense is obviously a concern, and that is one area where I reluctantly must agree with the article. I think the Patriots have gotten away from the balanced approach that won them their three Super Bowls. Those teams were characterized by tough defenses that won games, and offenses that did enough to get the job though. That balance has shifted too far in the opposite direction, with the team's success in the big games often falling squarely on TB's right shoulder.
And that needs to change if the Patriots are going to win another Super Bowl. That being said, I think the defense has talent, and is a very young unit capable of improving drastically. An infusion of veteran talent this off-season could go a long way (Ed Reed, PLEASE). The money freed up by Brady's restructured contact must be used mostly on the defensive side of the ball.
Chahidha states that this off-season is crucial to the team's future, and I am forced to agree with that as well. The organization has some money to spend, and they need to make some clutch decisions in the coming months. Decisions that will enable the team to become a dynasty again. Brady just did his part, it's time for Belichick and his squad to do theirs.
I think Chahidha stating Brady's restructuring is an admittance of the team being in decline is also wrong. I think Brady sees that the team is a few pieces away from another Super Bowl. What he did enables them to go get those pieces. He understands that needs to happen if he wants to cement his legacy as the G.O.A.T.
Team in decline? Not so fast Jeff.
@LiamPCunningham
That being said, I disagree with most of Chadiha's points. I do not think the Patriots are a team in decline. I believe with a few key moves they could be one of, if not the, best teams of the Brady/Belichick era. Their offense is still the best in the league, and Brady has a number of good years left, not just one or two. Several years where he will be better than most every other QB in the league. He is surrounded by weapons and an offensive genius on the sideline in Josh McDaniels and the offense is not going to slow down, especially with Gronk and Hernandez healthy and the infusion of young talent in the backfield.
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| Chadiha insists these days are over |
The defense is obviously a concern, and that is one area where I reluctantly must agree with the article. I think the Patriots have gotten away from the balanced approach that won them their three Super Bowls. Those teams were characterized by tough defenses that won games, and offenses that did enough to get the job though. That balance has shifted too far in the opposite direction, with the team's success in the big games often falling squarely on TB's right shoulder.
And that needs to change if the Patriots are going to win another Super Bowl. That being said, I think the defense has talent, and is a very young unit capable of improving drastically. An infusion of veteran talent this off-season could go a long way (Ed Reed, PLEASE). The money freed up by Brady's restructured contact must be used mostly on the defensive side of the ball.
Chahidha states that this off-season is crucial to the team's future, and I am forced to agree with that as well. The organization has some money to spend, and they need to make some clutch decisions in the coming months. Decisions that will enable the team to become a dynasty again. Brady just did his part, it's time for Belichick and his squad to do theirs.
I think Chahidha stating Brady's restructuring is an admittance of the team being in decline is also wrong. I think Brady sees that the team is a few pieces away from another Super Bowl. What he did enables them to go get those pieces. He understands that needs to happen if he wants to cement his legacy as the G.O.A.T.
Team in decline? Not so fast Jeff.
@LiamPCunningham
