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| Randolph Charlotin. 20th December, 2009 - 8:01 pm
 Like beach erosion, no one saw it coming. But when high tide reached the back door, it was apparent. For this decade, every NFL team was chasing the New England Patriots. They tried everything to catch the model franchise. It took a while, but the league and time has worn down the Team of the Decade.
What was thought of as a Super Bowl contender is now in a dogfight to win the AFC East. A lot of the traits that became synonymous with past Patriot teams are now problems. The drop from elite to good was bound to happen, but how quickly it has come caught many off-guard. But there were signs over the years that led to the Patriots? fall:
Coaching: The quality of the coaching is way down from the teams that won three Lombardi Trophies. After the third championship, offensive coordinator Charlie Weis (Notre Dame) and defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel (Cleveland Browns) left for head coaching jobs. To fill the holes, defensive backs coach Eric Mangini was promoted to defensive coordinator while Josh McDaniels took on more responsibilities, but remained the quarterbacks coach. The offensive coordinator position remained vacant.
It took only one year as the defensive coordinator before Mangini was hired away to be the head coach of the New York Jets, an AFC East rival. McDaniels took a different approach and was patient. After a season apprenticeship, McDaniels was named offensive coordinator and held the job for three years. He accepted Denver?s head coach offer this year.
Again head coach Bill Belichick promoted from within to fill the voids. Linebackers coach Dean Pees took over after Mangini?s departure in 2006. And quarterbacks coach Bill O?Brien began his apprenticeship this season.
Keeping the continuity is important for Belichick, but losing coordinators is taking a toll. New England was one of the best coaching staffs at making halftime adjustments. Now they struggle to score or keep opponents from scoring after two quarters. The unstoppable offense is predictable and has difficulty in the red zone. The intimidating defense scares no one and confuses the players more than the opponent.
O?Brien and Pees look like they are in over their heads as coordinators. It?s like an advanced student overwhelmed by the classroom they were placed in. They were very capable as coaches but right now can?t match wits with opposing coordinators. The instincts to make the right calls are lacking. The adjustments rarely yield results. They had success in college, but that knowledge doesn?t always equal success at the pro level.
A fair argument is they don?t have the talent needed to be successful. Having more talent would help, but it?s not guaranteed to solve the problem of game planning and adjustments.
Draft: There isn?t a better example of New England?s declining record in the draft recently than the 2007 draft. Out of nine selections, only one made the active roster. LB Justin Rogers was signed off the practice squad by Dallas and CB Mike Richardson was placed on injured reserve. Richardson and Rogers currently play for Kansas City.
The first few years under head coach Bill Belichick and vice president of player personnel Scott Pioli yielded a lot of players that became starters or regular contributors for the 2003 and 2004 championship teams: DT Richard Seymour and Matt Light in 2001; TE Daniel Graham, DT Jarvis Green, WRs Deion Branch and David Givens in 2002; DT Ty Warren, S Eugene Wilson, and CB Asante Samuel in 2003, NT Vince Wilfork and TE Ben Watson in 2004.
The last solid draft was ?05 as OT Logan Mankins, CB Ellis Hobbs, G Nick Kaczur, and S James Sanders became starters. Since then the number of impact players has dropped.
RB Laurence Maroney and K Stephen Gostkowski are the only players from the 2006 draft still with the team. WR Chad Jackson teased but fell far from expectations. TE David Thomas couldn?t stay healthy in three years with the Pats. DE LeKevin Smith signed with Denver in the off-season.
The jury is still out on the ?08 and ?09 drafts, though a handful of players are promising. LB Jerod Mayo started from day one. CB Jonathan Wilhite began this season as a starter. WR Matt Slater plays special teams. OT Sebastian Vollmer, S Pat Chung, CB Darius Butler and WR Julian Edelman are regulars while DT Myron Pryor has active for eleven games.
Hope is on the horizon following two disappointing draft classes. If a few players emerge from either the ?08 or ?09 class, the hard part will be keeping them.
Free Agency: The Patriots Way demands sacrifice from the players, on and off the field. Those who aren?t willing to give New England the home town discount typically find new homes, lured away by a lucrative payday.
And when these players leave, it?s not easy to replace them. Branch and Givens, starters for the ?03 and ?04 Championship teams, left under different terms (Givens free agent to Tennessee, Branch traded to Seattle). Reche Caldwell and Jabar Gaffney couldn?t replace them. Samuel became an All-Pro before leaving for Philadelphia. Hobbs failed miserably filling Samuel?s shoes. TE Daniel Graham was a tough blocker and a receiving threat until he went home to Denver. Ben Watson isn?t Graham?s equal as a blocker, but it?s the depth that?s hurting. New England barely gets anything from the position after Watson.
Money might be why they traded Seymour to Oakland (for a 2011 first round pick) before the season started. He is in the final year of his contract, as is NT Wilfork. It looked like New England decided they could only afford one of the two. But 15 weeks into the season, Wilfork and the Patriots still haven?t reached an agreement on an extension.
The decision to send OLB Mike Vrabel to Kansas City as part of the Matt Cassel trade saved the Pats a few million dollars. Now the defense can?t consistently pressure the quarterback.
The effect of these losses is two-fold. Besides a quality player leaving the team, a lot of them were leaders that kept the team focused, understood assignments for themselves and teammates, made the right adjustments, and made few mistakes. The retirements of S Rodney Harrison and Tedy Bruschi were invaluable in those regards.
Between all the departures, that?s 10 Pro Bowl selections while with the Patriots either on other teams or out of the league (Samuel selected a second time with Philadelphia). It?s hard enough replacing starters. But replacing an elite player doesn?t happen overnight.
The 2009 season has become a reloading year for the Patriots, as they remain a playoff team, but don?t look to have a realistic chance at reaching Super Bowl XLIII. They made decisions with an eye towards the future. By doing so, the Patriots had to sacrifice the present.
Read more by Randolph Charlotin at his New England Patriots blog atRandolphC.com. He can be reached at talktome@randolphc.com. |
