End of a dynasty?

[CaptainHook]

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- This had the feeling of something more pronounced than the loss of a single playoff game. After a while, your senses told you that you weren't watching football so much as attending a funeral.

 

You knew, sooner or later, that this day was going to come. Through various parts of the past four months, the New England Patriots weren't functioning with the consistent excellence that once defined them. They seemed to be something that they hadn't been in a very long time.

 

Suddenly, the sort of words that accurately described what the Patriots had become were horrendous ... awful ... non-competitive.

Ravens 33, Patriots 14

 

Three Super Bowl victories in four years? Four Super Bowl appearances in seven seasons? 16-0? Twenty-two consecutive regular-season wins? One of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history? One of the smartest coaches to ever prowl a sideline?

 

Clearly, none of that mattered to a significant portion of the 68,756 brave souls who occupied seats for Sunday's wild-card game at Gillette Stadium. Before the end of the first quarter, they would serenade the quarterback, the coach, and everyone else who would have a role in a 33-14 loss to the Baltimore Ravens with multiple choruses of boos.

 

After greeting the Ravens' 14-0 lead in the game's first 4:31 with mostly stunned silence, the crowd began letting the home team feel its wrath. The tipping point was Brady's first interception of the day, which set up Baltimore's third touchdown.

 

After Brady's second interception, which set up a field goal to give the Ravens a 24-0 advantage with 1:19 remaining in the first quarter, the booing became louder. Then, after a pathetic Brady screen pass to Kevin Faulk lost five yards on second-and-15 as the quarter came to a close, the crowd made its disgust known in no uncertain terms.

 

"I'd have been booing us, too," Brady said.

 

But this wasn't the sort of thing that could be dismissed with a self-deprecating one-liner. The booing hurt, and other players, such as Faulk and nose tackle Vince Wilfork, acknowledged as much. Wilfork said he felt as if he were playing on the road.

 

Still, the fans had it right. There was a palpable sense that the day wasn't going to get any better for the Patriots, and that feeling didn't just exist in the stands or the press box.

 

"Never had a chance from the first play to the last play," Wilfork said. "They came in and they wanted it more than us. What can you do about it?"

 

If you're the Patriots that have been the NFL's gold standard of the decade, you're not supposed to surrender so quickly or easily. You're supposed to be able to come roaring back. You're supposed to find a spark -- something, anything.

 

You're supposed to be too good to look this bad.

 

But these aren't the gold-standard Patriots anymore. Not after missing the playoffs in 2008 and going one-and-done a year later. When this team comes up against an elite opponent such as the New Orleans Saints, it doesn't have any answers. Now, when it enters the playoffs as a third seed up against the sixth seed -- a team to which it has never lost and in a stadium where it always wins in the postseason -- it has even fewer answers.

 

The Patriots weren't just careless with the ball Sunday; they showed no ability to stop the run. They couldn't cover kicks. They couldn't make field goals.

 

"They outcoached us, they outplayed us, they did everything better than we did," Bill Belichick said.

 

He said it the way he says a lot of things: Matter-of-factly. Belichick said he wasn't shocked by the way the game began or ended, leading to the assumption (because he never said so specifically) that he saw this coming just as the rest of us did.

 

When the Patriots struggled early in the year, it was widely dismissed as resulting from Brady shaking off the cobwebs of missing most of the '08 season because of a serious knee injury and from the aftermath of trading defensive end Richard Seymour to Oakland right before the first game of 2009. When they showed improvement, the prevailing theory was that Brady was regaining his dominant form of 2007 and he was seen as a legitimate candidate for NFL MVP, as well as Comeback Player of the Year (which he would win).

 

But when they demonstrated an inability to win on the road and Brady started to lose his sharpness, reports surfaced about his playing with broken ribs and a damaged index finger on his throwing hand.

 

Belichick shot down the reports. Brady played coy with the media, hinting there might be some truth there, but not wanting to sound as if he were making any excuses. That was his stance after the wild-card game, but if Brady ever could have used an explanation for a very un-Brady like day, this was the time.

 

Brady also refused to play the "Wes Welker card." Naturally, the Patriots offense missed the NFL's leader in receptions and their runaway MVP for 2009. Had he not suffered a season-ending knee injury a week ago, perhaps he would have provided the spark or two that the Patriots were missing.

 

But given how poorly they played in other areas, it didn't seem likely.

 

A loss like this makes one wonder exactly where the Patriots are headed. Wilfork, their best defensive player, is a free agent. Could he follow Seymour out the door?

 

What about Belichick? There have been rumblings that he and Pats owner Robert Kraft haven't exactly been on the greatest of terms since the whole "Spygate" mess of '07. There was even some speculation that Belichick was prepared to leave the Patriots at the end of that season and the only reason he chose to stick around was the fact the team fell short of perfection by losing to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl.

 

If fan interest is any gauge, there could be some troubled times ahead for the Patriots. They struggled to sell tickets for a wild-card game, as many fans generally saw no point in investing in what ultimately would be a lost cause, with a Patriots' victory sending them to San Diego in the divisional round. There were plenty of empty seats, a rarity for any game, let alone a playoff contest, at Gillette Stadium.

 

After Willis McGahee ran for a touchdown to make it 33-14 with 10:32 left, a mass exodus began. If this was, indeed, the end of a dynasty, there was nothing sentimental about its departure. This crowd showed no desire to offer any special thanks for all of the great achievements of the past.

 

When someone asked Brady to identify the Patriots' biggest problem this season, he said, "I don't think there is one sweeping statement. We had a lot of problems over the course of the year. Consistency in practice, consistency in games -- those were all something we were looking for, something we talked about and (were) a point of emphasis for our coach. Overcoming adversities and overcoming injuries or calls or bad bounces, I mean, that's just the way football is. I'd say, at times we did it, and at other times, we didn't."

 

Not exactly the description of a dynasty.

 

Putting Patriots' defeat in perspective

How bad was the Patriots' wild-card loss to the Ravens? Consider these numbers:

 

» This was the Patriots' first home playoff loss since a 1978 divisional playoff game against the Houston Oilers.

 

» The 19-point loss was the Patriots' largest margin of defeat in the playoffs since losing 46-10 to the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XX, and the worst home playoff loss in franchise history.

 

» This was the worst margin of defeat in the playoffs for the Patriots under Belichick. The previous worst was a 27-13 defeat against the Denver Broncos in the 2005 divisional playoffs.

 

from nfl.com

Edited January 11, 2010 by CaptainHook

[gilthorp]

Waterhook

[CaptainHook]

Whatever. This is a relevant question.

 

Plus, this is the first I've ever heard of any discontent between Belichick and Kraft.

 

As good as the Patriots were, and as much crap as their fans heaped on Manning, it's interesting that Tom Brady and the Patriots have been quite the "chokers" themselves since the 2006 AFC Championship game.

 

And I noticed empty seats at the beginning of the game yesterday. I was shocked to see they had trouble selling tickets.

Edited January 11, 2010 by CaptainHook

[justin]

End of a dynasty, huh?

The Ravens are still in tact and have a bright future.........oh, you mean the Patriots.......

[Patriots]

I have to agree that this is the end of the dynasty. Yesterday was embarrsing to watch. This team is not one or two players from being contenders again. They have no pass rush, they can't stop the run. you can pass all over them. The offense couldn't move the ball when they needed to all season and they were horrible in the redzone.

 

It should be an interesting off season, but the Jets look like the team to beat in the AFC East next year.

[rattsass]

I really thought the beginning of the end was the loss in the Superbowl. From that moment to this point has been a steady slide. Definitely at a crossroads, but the dynasty ended a couple of years ago in my mind..

[CaptainHook]

What do the Patriots do with Randy Moss? He's got one year left on his deal. Does he come back? Do they release him? His performance yesterday was . . . atrocious.

[Caveman_Nick]

I was very surprised when people started booing yesterday. It mainly came from the side of the stadium that the home team is on, but it was prominent.

 

The Pats are a good team. They'll be a good team next year IMO. Is the dynasty at an end? Well, if they don't win another championship over (whatever time period), I think an argument can be made that it was over after their last SB.

 

At the same time, I think that it should be taken into consideration that this team has not had a losing season since Belichick's first year, with their worst record over that time being 9-7. Some fans are only satisfied with championships, and I understand that. I think what this team has done over the last 10 years is remarkable, and I am not sure that an end is imminent at this point.

[detlef]

They certainly have the look of one. But what the hell, you just can't keep plugging guys in over and over. I saw it happen with my Niners and everyone else have seen it happen to their team.

 

Berman mentioned how this reminded him of seeing the Steelers playing the Bills in 1980. They just looked old.

 

Even if this is the case, kudos for staying on top as long as they have.

[Cunning Runt]

What do the Patriots do with Randy Moss? He's got one year left on his deal. Does he come back? Do they release him? His performance yesterday was . . . atrocious.

 

I was listening to the game on Sirius NFL Radio and they were commenting that the Ravens' game plan was clearly to take Moss completely out of the game, so his stat line was atrocious, but it sounds like it could have been caused by a well-schemed and executed game plan.

 

I'm no Moss apologist. Just going off what they were saying on the radio.

Edited January 11, 2010 by Cunning Runt

[isleseeya]

They are still a good team and a winning team ...they certainly are not the juggernaut and powerhouse they were a few years back

 

if Belichick stays and they re tool a bit , they likely will remain a very solid , winning team

 

A SB contender 2011 ? probably not but i believe a playoff team for sure

[WaterMan]

Yeah Randy Moss dropped so many balls in that game. I guess it didn't help his stats that Brady now has tunnel vision on Faulk.

 

What really made the Patriots was their defense. Without a Bruschi or Harrison, they are sunk. It's pretty much the end of that dynasty unless they fix their defense.

Edited January 11, 2010 by WaterMan

[detlef]

They are still a good team and a winning team ...they certainly are not the juggernaut and powerhouse they were a few years back

 

if Belichick stays and they re tool a bit , they likely will remain a very solid , winning team

 

A SB contender 2011 ? probably not but i believe a playoff team for sure

Which is a pretty close description of the status of every former dynasty I can remember, post dynasty years. They can cobble together 10 or so wins on savvy and pride alone but lack what it takes to do so 3-4 times in a row against the best teams in the league. That appears to be the Pats now.

[Bring Back Pat!!!]

Yeah Randy Moss dropped so many balls in that game. I guess it didn't help his stats that Brady now has tunnel vision on Faulk.

 

What really made the Patriots was their defense. Without a Bruschi or Harrison, they are sunk. It's pretty much the end of that dynasty unless they fix their defense.

 

 

I can run routes faster than Moss. Brady didn't have time enough to wait 5 seconds for Moss to get open. He's a front-running punk who has ZERO heart. He doesn't have the ability to dig deep and raise his game up when things are not going his way. He ran routes yesterday like a little girl, tippy-toeing and making round cuts. I hope the Pats cut him this off-season and move on. I'll take Brandon Marshall over Moss right now, even with all his off-field issues. That guy plays hard and runs with a purpose.

 

The only players on offense that gave a damn yesterday were Edelman and Faulk.

[Grits and Shins]

It looked to me like the Patriots were not prepared for the game. Like they thought they were on their home field and haven't lost a playoff game on home turf in longer than any of them could remember ... so they only needed to show up to defeat an unstart and unsexy Baltimore team.

 

Baltimore punched them in the face immediately and the Pats lacked the fortitude to answer the challenge. The Baltimore D-Line was blowing through New England's O-Line like they weren't even there ... and the New England D-Line was man-handled by the Baltimore O-Line. It looked to me like New England was just going through the motions ... the first punch in the face took them entirely out of the game. The Pats simply couldn't get past their dis-belief that they were losing, and in a big way.

 

I was anticipating a different New England team after the half and that didn't happen either.

 

Having said all that ... New England had a great run over the last decade and should be proud of their accomplishments during that time.

Edited January 11, 2010 by Grits and Shins

[TimC]

Which is a pretty close description of the status of every former dynasty I can remember, post dynasty years. They can cobble together 10 or so wins on savvy and pride alone but lack what it takes to do so 3-4 times in a row against the best teams in the league. That appears to be the Pats now.

 

Unless you are the Cowboys and they completely change the rules of the game with a salary cap to keep Aikman/Irvin/Emmit from winning 10 more champeenships.

[detlef]

Unless you are the Cowboys and they completely change the rules of the game with a salary cap to keep Aikman/Irvin/Emmit from winning 10 more champeenships.

Like the cap didn't effect my Niners?

[Pope Flick]

If fan interest is any gauge, there could be some troubled times ahead for the Patriots. They struggled to sell tickets for a wild-card game, as many fans generally saw no point in investing in what ultimately would be a lost cause, with a Patriots' victory sending them to San Diego in the divisional round. There were plenty of empty seats, a rarity for any game, let alone a playoff contest, at Gillette Stadium.

 

 

I'm not too sure about this and see it as an oversimplification: tickets are pricey and I'd submit that the "Atlanta Braves Effect" might have something to do with it. They're so used to the playoffs they can't even sell out divisional games anymore when they make them.

[Sunday Couch Potatoe]

Like the cap didn't effect my Niners?

+1,000,000 (that's 1 million by the way)

[TimC]

Like the cap didn't effect my Niners?

 

Yer Niners would've lost to the Cowboys in the NFC Championship for the next 10 years straight. How awkward.

[detlef]

Yer Niners would've lost to the Cowboys in the NFC Championship for the next 10 years straight. How awkward.

Odd. The last time we played you in the NFC Championship Game, we beat you. Further, in 98 when TO caught that last second TD vs the Pack, it was official that the Niners were the "last standing" among the 3 elite NFC teams of the 90s (as the Cowboys won their last play-off game for what would prove to be a long time in 96).

[Patriots]

I don't think it was the loss that stung yesterday it was just the way they lost. If they had lost a close game and been comptetive then I would say yes re-tool for next year. But yesterday was as ugly as it gets.

[CaptainHook]

I'm not too sure about this and see it as an oversimplification: tickets are pricey and I'd submit that the "Atlanta Braves Effect" might have something to do with it. They're so used to the playoffs they can't even sell out divisional games anymore when they make them.

Wasn't this because there were more playoff home games ahead? In the NFL, you're pretty much only gonna get one home game unless you're a #1 or #2 seed.

[CaptainHook]

I was listening to the game on Sirius NFL Radio and they were commenting that the Ravens' game plan was clearly to take Moss completely out of the game, so his stat line was atrocious, but it sounds like it could have been caused by a well-schemed and executed game plan.

 

I'm no Moss apologist. Just going off what they were saying on the radio.

No. That was not the case. Randy was running half speed all day. If by "take him out of the game" they meant "assign a cornerback to guard him", well, then, maybe.

[CaptainHook]

Yeah Randy Moss dropped so many balls in that game. I guess it didn't help his stats that Brady now has tunnel vision on Faulk.

riiiiiiiight. It's Brady's fault. It couldn't be that Moss was NEVER open.

 

and since when did him not being open ever mean you still don't try to go to Moss? I think it was obvious to everyone, including Brady, that Moss was mailing it in yesterday.

Edited January 11, 2010 by CaptainHook