Should the Patriots have won their 4th Super Bowl? (1 Viewer)

[Kit Fisto]

Yet they still almost won, so they haven't fallen all that much.

I'd bet alot of teams and fans of those teams would take a Patriots down year.Do we really expect the Patriots to win the SB every year? C'mon! Being a perennial contender is good enough for me.

 

[Boston]

If they kept Branch would they have gotten Caldwell and Gaffney? I don't think so. I think Branch would have contributed about the same as those guys as well. Can't blame the lack of Super Bowl on the Branch thing. You can blame it on the lack of quality LBs and BB's breaking of his golden rule (getting rid of a guy one year too early as opposed to one year too late) with regards to Bruschi and Harrison.

Caldwell was already on the team...Gaffney :idontknow: but in regards to Bruschi and Harrison while they may be getting older, they are still decent players...Teddy may see his role reduced this season a la Seau as he is seemingly losing a step or two but Harrison, in my eyes, has proven that he can still play provided he is on the field and not rehabbing injury. As regards to former fan: Try sitting on the comfy cold steel seats of Schafer Stadium through the awesome seasons of 90 and 91 when I had season tickets...the bandwagon doesn't even need you.

Oops, sorry I forgot Caldwell was on the team. Bruschi and Harrison: I guess the future will tell the truth, if they continue the slide they are on, 2006 will be looked on as the season that they started to "lose it". Maybe, maybe not.

I agree with both side of the Pats are starting to slip argument. IMO in 2005, they self destructed against the Broncos but were only 1 or 2 plays away from still winning that game and hosting the Steelers for the right to go to the Super Bowl. This year, they were essentially a first down away from reaching the Super Bowl again. So on the surface if they slipped from season's past it wasn't by much in terms of how far they got in the post season. If you think about it, there are plently of other teams that would be overjoyed to get as far as the Pats did the past two seasons.However, IMO they are noticably weaker in several areas compared to the 03/04 seasons, most noticably at LB, in the secondary, at WR, and overall depth. I also think that coaching losses also have had an impact on the team but that is a hard one to really evaluate. However, I do think that the loss of Weis and this year's crop of WRs led to a less effective passing game, at times an unhappy Brady, and more inconsistency in the offense overall.I also think while the loss of Branch in the Colts game was minimal, the whole ordeal overall took its toll and will have a negative imact on player relations in that current and potential players can now see the management's tactics for valuating and negotiating with players. It appears on the surface that the Pats philosophy will continue involve making low ball offers and trying to sign players to below market contracts.Now we can debate what that means. IMO Branch was not worth what he got for a contract but the market was such that he was able to get it. And in today's NFL with a ton of teams with plenty of cap room, I suspect that for many players in the league there will be another team willing to pay more than New England would. How that impacts who they roster will be an interesting thing to monitor over the next few years, as I suspect that they will be outbid on people they would otherwise want to sign--whether it be their own players or free agents.

How is the O slipping? They have their entire O line signed long term. Maroney gives them their potential RB of the future. Brady is Brady and Cassell now has another year under his belt. Graham maybe gone but Thomas is in the fold. WR needs help but to say they're slipping basically means you don't see them upgrading in that one area this offseason. One point I do agree on is losing Weis. I'm not a fan of Josh McDaniel and really feel this is the biggest exposure on offense. There are just far too many times when the playcalling seems rudderless.On D this offseason will determine if they're slipping. At D line they're in great shape. With Wright's deveopment they now have quality depth as well. LB is a major issue and needs to be addressed. The secondary needs help but this is an area that has been decimated by injuries three years running so adding a few quality players as well as not having three or four guys on IR would solve a few problems. Overall what they do (or don't do) at LB will determine what direction the D heads in.Overall I do think this is an important offseason for the Pats. They have some exposure that needs to be addressed if they are to win a championship and I do think the depth needs to be reinforced. Yet, they are very deep and signed long term in the trenches as well as having a franchise QB and probably the best coach in the NFL. Add in 26-30 million in cap space as well as two #1's and they still control their own destiny and are a very healthy championship caliber franchise.

I never said the offense was slipping, only that this year at times it was inconsistent (some weeks had trouble moving the ball in the air, some weeks had trouble moving the ball on the ground). N.E. had roughly 800 fewer passing yards in 06 vs 05 (but 05 was an inflated total due to a lot of things). As I said, IMO the team had games where they could run but not pass and vice versa and when they needed to run they had troubles and when the opposition knew they had to pass they had troubles.Bottom line, comparing the 2006 team to the 2004 team, I would suspect that many facets of the 04 team were stronger than this year. Yet they still almost one, so they haven't fallen all that much.

Reading your thoughts this way I'm in complete agreement. We're right on the same page.IMO the bottomline is this offseason. What BB and Pioli do this offseason will determine the next few years. They have 26-30 mill to spend, two #1's and probably 3-4 comp picks. They have a very healthy core of young players and their only core free agents this year and next are Samuel, Graham and Bruschi. They also have some definite needs which right now are very obvious. If they address them (and they have the resources to do so which is key to the whole equation) they can win a championship. If not, they will still be good but probably slide back into the back.I subscribe (like a lot of Pats fans) to the "in Bill and Scott we trust" motto and I'm really hoping that faith pays off this offseason (and deep down I'm confident it will). Brady will be 30 soon and he's in his prime. Once he's gone all bets are off. Therefore I'd like to see them really take a hard run at winning more titles over the next five years because with the core they have in place they have that opportunity with a few shrewd moves and another solid draft.Should be interesting because with the Pats you never, ever know what they'll do. Even if you follow them 24/7 they still consistently surprise you.