OK. So maybe it isn’t all that mysterious.

The bottom line is that the Giants simply played better. That’s right, and the good news is that this was actually a good game. It wasn’t decided by horrific penalties. Or flukes. Nobody was injured. And the decision wasn’t really certain until the very end. It was a really good game to watch.

Well, unless you were a Patriots fan. Not so much because they lost, but because of how they played. Well, that isn’t completely accurate either. The defense held the Giants to only 17 points. Against this Patriots offense, that should have been more than enough. With Brady, Moss, Welker, Stallworth, Faulk, and Maroney … surely they should be able to score more than 17 points. Right?

Right?

No.

But before we dissect where the biggest guns to come from Boston since they stopped making battleships up in New Bedford went wrong, lets just take a gander at the defense.

Harrison was everywhere. Merriweather did a pretty decent job for a rookie in his first Super Bowl. Hobbs will catch heat for getting beat a couple of times, but what defensive coordinator leaves 5′9″ Hobbs one-on-one with Plaxico Burress in crucial situations? Or was it a blown coverage? Hobbs did have an interception and laid some pretty solid hits on people. I really have a tough time blaming the kid. I’m sure there are those who disagree. (As it turns out, he played injured the last part of the season and the playoffs, and is going in for surgery.)

The front seven did a great job against the run and getting to Manning (no, the other one). But Eli proved as elusive a target as Saddam did for so many years and, to be fair, he worked some magic that was quite frankly beyond what his brother could manage. Anyway, the defensive front was strong.

Bottom line is the defense did their job, despite giving up a late touchdown.

The offense, however … the line was beaten like a gong. All season long the Patriots offensive line more or less controlled things. If they couldn’t break open the lanes for Maroney, at least they protected Brady so he could pick defenses apart.

Not Sunday night. Brady was pressured, hit, and sacked from the get go. And it clearly affected his game. Maybe they had so many blow-outs that he wasn’t used to it anymore, or maybe his ankle was worse off than they let on. Who knows for sure. Brady kept over-throwing his receivers. More so later in the game than earlier, but he was not the pin-point accurate quarterback we’d watched for almost the entire season.

Most of the offensive skill players you’d expect to shine did so. Kevin Faulk put in his usual gutsy performance. Lawrence Maroney did his best and ran hard, but never got the blocking he really needed. Wes Welker was dazzling and seemed like the only receiver who was really trying.

The rest of the offense … maybe they were out golfing in Scottsdale - or stayed up too late at the strip club the night before. Moss barely was visible until the fourth quarter. Stallworth was likewise quiet. Same with Gaffney. Same with the tight ends. Same with the fullbacks. Where was everyone?

One has to ask, though, was it really the fault of the players? How could this many of the skill players be silent? Sure, you kind of expect Moss to be doubled - but shouldn’t that leave someone open?

Yeah, you’d think so. Unless the game plan is so predictable - to the point of arrogance - that it was easy for the Giants to deal with. With so much talent, maybe McDaniels figured they could just overpower the Giants with it. But that didn’t work, and McDaniels has demonstrated over the last two seasons that, while he’s great at managing blow-outs, when things do not go well he runs out of answers.

They ran only a few screens. There were no fancy plays - no reverses - nothing. Nothing to throw the Giants off. They didn’t go with three tight ends to play power ball. They did nothing to free up Moss. They just kept hoping Faulk and Welker could keep moving the chains.

The offense lacked creativity. And it lacked fire. The Giants are a good team which almost beat the Patriots the last week of the regular season, but the offense came out almost as if they were playing the present-day Dolphins or Jets.

There is just no way that an offensive coordinator like Charlie Weiss would have let the offense go out for four quarters playing that poorly and predictably. Josh McDaniels is no Charlie Weiss, and it showed on Sunday. Maybe some day he will become that good, but right now he is not.

As for the New York Giants. They played one hell of a great game. Their defense came out on fire and the offense played tough. As much as I dislike seeing a Manning win - especially since it means more horrific television commercials from that family - you have to feel good for Manning The Younger coming out of the shadow of both his older brother and his father - and out from under the guns of the New York media. Eli Manning is at least more deserving of accolades that Tony Romo. Lord.

And Tom Coughlin, he’s a product of New England who switched to The Dark Side. But there’s Yankee blood in him so, hey, it’s not so bad. At least it wasn’t The Tuna who won.

Why We Really Lost

As I said before, the defense did its job. Not as well as last year, but still well enough to win the game.

When the Patriots lost the AFC Championship game last season there was a decision to be made. Either stick with an offensive coaching staff which favored the passing game, or bring in someone new who could orchestrate a balanced attack. Some combination of Kraft, Belichick, and Pioli opted for the former.

So they stocked up on wide receivers. An amazing array of talent.

But they did not do much to replace Sammy Morris when he went down and the running game started to sputter. They didn’t bring Corey Dillon back - or find some veteran running back who was sitting around eating Cheezy-Poofs and would kill for a chance to play. They went for Kyle Eckel instead. A solid but far from game-breaking fullback.

David Thomas went down and they hardly made a move to reinforce the tight end position until the end of the season, further weakening the ground attack.

As as the ground attack weakened, teams started to figure out how to contain what was becoming a one-dimensional offense.

Compounding this was sticking with an offensive coordinator who had demonstrated that he would abandon the running game at the first signs of trouble.

The seeds for this loss were planted in the off-season. They were able to run up an 18-0 record, but couldn’t seal the deal for pretty much the same reason they didn’t go to the Big Game last season.

Sure, Brady played less than well. The offensive line was outplayed. There were any number of individual and positional failures. But sometimes one needs to step back and wonder why so many pieces of a well-oiled machine could fail on their own. The answer is they couldn’t. Responsibility for what happened falls higher up in the food chain.

The Horror

I’m out in California, but from what I read most of the Boston area is living under a thick shit-cloud right now.

Somehow this loss does not feel as bad as the loss last year in the AFC Championship to the Colts. In that game the Patriots had won a tough game against the Chargers, flown back cross-country, and then faced the Colts at home after a short week. Oh, and a third of the team mysteriously came down with the flu just before the game.

And they were playing against Bill Polian’s team and a Manning. That game felt so rigged, so doomed from the outset, that it was almost a miracle they hung as tough as they did. Only to be robbed at the end.

This Super Bowl was different. The Giants played better, pure and simple. The Patriots could have won, and maybe should have won, but did not win. Not because of a bad call, or a certain NFL owner orally gratifying NFL management, or all the other things that went wrong last year.

No, this year two good teams played and the Patriots just plain were beaten. Do I wish they’d won? Sure. Then we could be done with Shula and Morris and all those ‘72 Dolphins. And we wouldn’t be seeing Mannings on TV commercials so often that they’re burned into the displays.

Maybe its the distance back to The Homeland, but I just can’t mourn the loss.

Where Do The Patriots Go From Here?

Well, this will be an interesting off-season. Some of the veterans are facing a tough decision. Troy Brown almost certainly will leave. There are simply too many receivers on this team now and Wes Welker does everything Troy can do. Hopefully they keep Troy around as a coach.

Junior Seau may or may not come back for one more try. Maybe getting this close to a championship was enough, or maybe he figures it’s worth one more year as long as he’s having fun - and he is having fun. Lots of it. Rodney Harrison has battled injuries the last couple of years and one could easily see where he could decide to call it quits - especially if Junior does.

Tedi Bruschi still has some gas in the tank, but age is catching up with him as well. It is hard to say how much longer he intends to play. Asante Samuel is as good as gone, but since he didn’t have much of a season by comparison to last year he may be more amenable to a deal.

Either way, some rebuilding of the linebacking and secondary is going to be needed. The coaching is solid, while there were a few breakdowns during the season, and the defense wasn’t as good as the year before, there really wasn’t much to fault overall.

There will be some decisions to be made about which wide receivers to keep. I can’t see them letting Moss go. Welker is a lock. But Stallworth, Gaffney, Washington, and Jackson are all in play. I tend to think Gaffney will stick - he comes at a bargain price and Does His Job. Stallworth has shown flashes of brilliance, but has not been consistent. And he will be expensive. Kelley Washington turned into a standout on Special Teams and that always has a special place in Belichick’s heart. I can see them letting Stallworth go and promoting Washington.

Chad Jackson - who knows? Two seasons and he hasn’t produced. Of course, this year he didn’t get much of a chance to. And there’s still Bam Childress sitting on the practice squad. Who they may need to make a decision on this season one way or another.

Maroney came on strong late in the season, but he hasn’t shown himself to be a real power running back. Assuming Sammy Morris comes back next season from injury, the running game should be alright - but it may still be worth looking for either an under-appreciated free agent, or a gem in the draft.

Tight End is suddenly a concern. Ben Watson under-performed this year - probably in some part due to Moss and Welker doing so well. But he still drops too many balls. Hopefully David Thomas comes back from injury. Kyle Brady … uh … just how old is he anyway? The tight end position is pretty important to the Patriots style of offense, so look for some moves to be made.

The offensive line needs some patching up after their showing against the Giants, and lets leave it at that.

The coaching staff for the offense needs to be looked at. As mentioned before, McDaniels - while probably a fine QB’s coach and a favorite of Tom Brady - simply has not been up to the task. Last year’s AFCC showed almost no ground game in the second half. And this year’s Super Bowl showed no creativity in getting the star players involved in the offense. Something needs to change. Bottom line is that when McDaniels gets into trouble he tries to dump the ball off to a 3rd down back or a slot receiver and everything else goes out the window. That’s a dangerous tendency for a Super Bowl contender.

Postscript

In thinking things over for another day, it occurred to me that there is a man from New York who bares some blame for Sunday’s horrible, unthinkable outcome.

A man who turned his back on The Family and then had the unmitigated gall to not only bite the hand that fed it, but then take a big steamy dump in it to make the point.

I speak of Eric “Mangina” Mangini. The “head coach” who started the whole SpyGate fiasco, rather than just accept that he sucks as a head coach and got beat in the season opener.

Were it not for this rapacious scum-waffle, the Patriots wouldn’t have been nearly so dead-set on going 16-0. Wouldn’t have been so hooked on setting records. And wouldn’t have had nearly the pressure to win put on them by the media and the league sycophants who also hate losing to Belichick and the Patriots.

Sure, the team set all kinds of records. And it will be a while before a team goes from opening day to the Super Bowl without losing a game. But the real prize was pissed away because the team was, at some level, too deep into Bunker Mode to see what was going on.

The starters weren’t well rested enough. The offense started to believe its own hype. The coaching staff just gave up on things like planning and creativity. The defense got lazy because they could count on the offense to blow the other team out if need be (yes, Asante, you should have caught that Manning pass and secured the win, instead of doing your Reche Caldwell impression).

Had they just decided to cruise through the last few weeks, they might have only gone 14-2 - certainly enough to maintain home-field advantage. They probably would have still set their records for Moss and Brady. But the veterans would have only played half the game. The back-ups and rookies would have gotten some valuable playing time. There would have been some chances to see what the other running backs and receivers could really do against the first string.

But no. Mangini stomped his feet and ratted out the man who made him. And his boss as well, by proxy. And by doing so he changed the Natural Course of Events for the 2007 season forever.

That the league actually listened to and acted upon Mangini’s ravings - knowing full well that such espionage always has been part of the game - shows just how low things have sunk up there in Greed Central. Goodell thinks himself the George W. Bush of sports, but he seems more like Dan Quayle when viewed from a historical perspective.

Regardless, Patriots fans - being the fair-minded sort that we are - will have a tough time being upset with the New York Giants. They played well. They’re coached by a New Englander. Their Manning isn’t nearly the crybaby that the “other Manning” is. And they fought their way to the Super Bowl the same way the Patriots had done so many times.

But all that angst needs to be vented on someone from the Big Apple, and if you tilt your head just right and squint your eyes, its not hard to see that Mangini was - in some way - responsible for the Patriots losing Super Bowl 42.

So feel free to burn the rotund, no-talent, little back-stabber in effigy at any and all opportunities.

• WTF is wrong with Gostkowski? Lets hope he snaps out of this funk before the season starts.
• Rogers and Lua will likely be visible contributors by mid-season. Its good to see some more depth at LB from younger players.
• WTF is wrong with Cassel? He just doesn’t look sharp at all. At this point, if it came down to a choice between keeping him or keeping someone like Childress it may not go well for Cassel. On the other hand, Brady looked sharp as a tack.
• Heath Evans and Sammy Morris are going to really help Maroney get through the season. They’re not like Dillon, but they play hard, can catch well, and will do the dirty work. And as Evans showed last night, if either of these guys gets past the LB’s, they can cover a lot of ground. Add in Kevin Faulk and we have a pretty solid running game that can show a lot of different looks.
• In general the WR’s look good - Stallworth and Washington are visibly better than Caldwell, but Reche still keeps making catches. Until I see Moss actually play (i.e. see “something better”) I’m happy with the WR’s we have.
• Welker is going to be The Guy for Brady. The way the Pats offense works, he’s the most likely to get 1000 yards, though Washington says he doesn’t mind playing slot so there’s another option.
• McDaniels did a good job with playcalling. I didn’t see many obviously stupid calls and he was using players like Evans and Morris in several roles.
• I loved BB’s call to go for it on 4th and short - sure its pre-season, but still.
• Merriweather looks pretty decent - hard-hitting. He has a lot to learn but he has Rodey there to teach him. Still some missed tackles and blown assignments in the secondary, but that should shore up pretty quick.
• Wilfork should have a pro-bowl season if he keeps playing like he did last night.

Well, the Pats’ have been like Patton’s Third Army the last two weeks. In a matter of days they not only brought in some new talent, but also brought in replacements for players who would later leave as free agents themselves, before those players could even get on a plane to talk to other teams. Clearly they came in with a plan and executed with the kind of precision we’ve come to expect from this organization.

So, lets start with who they lost this year.

Tully Banta-Cain (LB) signed with the 49′ers. That’s a good move for him as the 49′ers are a team on the rise and it’s a nice place to live. He had his best season for us last year, but even with that he was mainly an edge-rusher. He came up with some big plays, but just wasn’t a consistent force.

Daniel Graham (TE) signed with Denver - where he’s from originally. This is a good move for Graham who grew frustrated by being more of a blocker than a pass-catcher. He landed a $30M contract, which seems pretty high given that Graham rarely played more than 12 games per season due to injury. They made him a team captain last season, which would make one think they wanted to keep him around. But the way it sounds, it doesn’t seem like there was much effort put into that. So I have to wonder if making him a captain wasn’t intended to raise his stock.

Corey Dillon (RB) has left the building. This is one went down squirrelly. Dillon first said he wanted to retire. That he’d had enough football. Then he and his agent say they want the Patriots to release him instead, so he can look at other offers. Then in a radio interview Scott Pioli says that Dillon was cut. It’s hard to say what’s really going on here, Dillon looked pretty pissed off a lot of the time last year. But the team granted him the release and the latest rumor is he’s talking to Buffalo.

There are still a few question-marks left. Troy Brown (WR) may retire. It’s unclear if Vinny Testaverde (QB) will be back. There’s been no word about Junior Seau (LB) coming back.

They did re-sign Special Teams captain Larry Izzo (LB), and they franchised Asante Samuel (CB). Rodney Harrison (SS) and Tedy Bruschi (LB) are both coming back for next year. They also signed Heath Evans (FB) to a new contract - this was a great signing as Evans said he “didn’t care about the money,” he just wanted to be a Patriot. With Dillon going, Evans should become the go-to guy on short yardage.

On the plus side of free agency, the Patriots made some really bold moves. And they made them lightning fast.

Adalius Thomas (LB) was one of the prized pick-ups this off-season. He’s a little long on years (29), but he’s fast, smart, and very versatile. He’s a LB who can rush the passer and also play Safety if need be. He’s a perfect Belichick kind of player and injects some speed into the LB corps. One really cool thing about his signing was he didn’t dick around. He came to Boston, liked what he heard, closed the deal - with no media spectacle or spin. Some “experts” said Thomas wouldn’t do well on his next team because no other coach would leverage his flexibility. I don’t think these experts counted on Belichick being that coach. This is a great move for the Patriots.

Kyle Brady (TE) was a pre-emptive strike for Graham leaving. Brady is up there in years (35) but only missed games in 2 of 13 seasons. He’s one of the best blocking TE’s in the game - something the Pats make a lot of use of in their offensive scheme. And why shouldn’t he be a good blocker at 6-foot-6 and 280 pounds? It’s like having an extra lineman. Given the other TE’s we have (Thomas, Watson, and Mills) are better at catching than blocking (and damn good at catching), this is a solid move to provide some more beef for the rushing attack, and some more security for Tom Brady.

Sammy Morris (RB) is a good back-up RB who is also strong on Special Teams and has good hands as an outlet receiver. He’s a veteran player who looks to be a “bigger Kevin Faulk” - not that that’s a bad thing. We can use all the Kevin Faulks we can get. He’ll be a good backup to Maroney and adds depth to the kick return game. This was a sound tactical move. With Dillon leaving and the new FieldTurf, having more speed in the backfield is almost an upgrade. Morris won’t have Dillon’s brutal running style, but he’s a solid player.

Wes Welker (WR) is the most interesting addition. He’s only 5-foot-9 and only had one really memorable season in Miami. But he was nick-named “The Natural” in college for his playmaking. He has a very different running style, I’ve read that he played soccer and that’s evident from the way he moves and uses his free hand to regain his balance. The net result is a very quick and shifty WR who can gain a lot of yards after the catch. He has a great work ethic and is fearless when catching the ball. He looks to be in the Steve Smith mold of player, so he could end up being the “next Troy Brown” for us. And he’s only 25 years old. Another great thing about having a guy like Welker is the pressure it takes off the offensive line. If Brady has a receiver who will always be open for short yardage, and who’s smart about recognizing the Blitz, he can make defenders pay for a strong rush.

Donte Stallworth (WR) was the “big time receiver” Pats’ fans have been waiting to see. Stallworth has blinding speed and great play-making ability. But has had injury issues the last few seasons. If he’s 100% and can get the hang of the Patriots system before Week #1, Stallworth will probably be the most dangerous WR Brady has had in his career. There was a lot of talk about Stallworth being kind of immature and only looking for the money, but it sounds like he’s wised up. He seems to realize he has the potential to be in New England for many years, with one of the best QB’s ever, win a couple of Superbowls, and get into the Hall of Fame. He turned down other offers to sign with New England - which many “experts” predicted the opposite. Yup, it’s good to be a Patriot.

Kelley Washington (WR) Just when everyone thought Pioli and Belichick were done they went and signed another WR. Washington is big (6-3), fast, and was playing in the shadow of the “big names” in Cincinnati. He was a team-mate of Stallworth’s in college so there could be some interesting rivalries between these two from Tennessee and our existing Gator wide-outs. But Belichick loves competition, so for all we know that could have been part of the plan. Regardless, Brady may finally have that tall receiver he never had before.

OK. So where do all these moves put the Patriots? On offense, this is shaping up to be one of the most balanced and most dangerous skill units New England ever fielded.

Maroney will be the feature back and last season he showed that he’s capable of becoming one of the greats. Behind him are Faulk and Morris as 3rd-down and specialty backs. Experienced veterans who get it done and don’t make mistakes. Heath Evans will be at FB, another player who plays his role and always make positive contributions. They’ll lose a little in the short game without Dillon, but the overall balance and capability is stronger.

At receiver, there’s now Donte Stallworth as the deep threat and Wes Welker as the slot threat. Both of these guys can draw double-coverage if they start to click with Brady early on. That opens things up for everyone else. Chad Jackson needs to recover from his nagging injuries, but once he does that gives us two deep, speed threats. The returning WR’s from last year - Gaffney and Caldwell - should all benefit from another year in the system.

Washington adds yet another dimension to the pass attack with his height. He’ll have a 6-inch advantage on many corners and that allows Brady to just put it up for him to go get. A luxury Brady never really had before.

Troy Brown sounds like he plans to play one more season. No one wants him to leave New England. But with 7 WR’s on the team, something has to give. I think a lot of fans are hoping that Kraft, Pioli, and Belichick find a way to keep Troy Brown on the roster this season.

At Tight-End, we now have Kyle Brady for blocking. One of the best in the league and a seasoned veteran. Daniel Graham is an overall better player, so in a way this is a downgrade. But Graham seemed to get injured every season, whereas K.Brady hardly missed any games over thirteen years. David Thomas and Ben Watson are excellent pass-catching TE’s, so the production should increase at that position. And there’s still Garrett Mills somewhere in that mix - another typical Patriot over-achiever type who was hampered by injuries last year.

So, while there aren’t any real “names” on this offense (other than Tom Brady, of course), the balance between RB, TE, and WR - and the strength at each position - is probably as good as this team ever fielded.

On defense we still have the core players from last year - Samuel, Seymour, Bruschi, Harrison, and Vrabel. Ellis Hobbs had an incredible playoffs at corner. Adalius Thomas adds speed and versatility at LB, a position that has been a concern with the veterans now in their 30’s. Lets keep in mind that this defense set a franchise record last season for fewest points allowed, despite really damaging injuries. So with Thomas and a couple of good draft picks, we could be looking at a defense that could couple that stoutness along with some big-play capability which seemed to be lacking last season. Yes, we’re talking turn-overs. Hobbs and Samuel are poised to start coming up with a lot of interceptions. And with Thomas and Seymour applying pressure on the pass-rush, this could be a great season for the defense.

Special Teams is also going to be stronger as a result of the free agent moves. Hobbs and Maroney did great at kick returns last year, and Chad Jackson contributed as well, but now add in Welker and Morris. Gostkowski had a rough start to his rookie year but settled down nicely. The punter situation is a little more confused - there are 5 punters floating around the organization. But Sauerbrun showed a real strong leg in the playoffs and it would be surprising if he wasn’t asked back.

The aggressive moves the Patriots front-office made say a lot more than that they learned from last year. They just missed the Superbowl last year, which was a rebuilding year - one first down, one catch, one botched call - if any one had gone their way, they were in - it was that close. With all the problems and injuries and other problems, they just barely missed it.

I think Kraft and the Gang realize that they are so strong at the core and have built such depth that if they got bold with signing players they could dominate the league for several years without too much risk of a serious decline.

How can they do this when others have failed? Two big things. One is they draft well. I remember reading that the Patriots have one of the highest ratios of players acquired from the draft still on the roster. Part of this comes from how they treat the practice squad - not just keeping them involved as part of the team, but paying them well.

The other thing is the Patriots are willing to make tough decisions. When a player wants more than they feel they can pay, they’re willing to cut ties if they have an exit strategy in mind. Even popular players like Vinatieri aren’t immune to this - they drafted Gostkowski right after letting Adam go and the kid came through in the playoffs, like you’d expect.

And there’s another thing working in favor of the Patriots that seems unique. The environment. It was interesting to read this week that Deion Branch gave glowing recommendations to Washington and Stallworth about joining the Patriots. And a lot of the new players all laud over the Patriots ethic of who ever works hard gets to play, who ever gets open gets the ball, and who ever makes plays gets to start. Most teams have a hierarchy - which can mean talented players can end up playing in the shadow of a “starter” and never get their chance.

Regardless, I’d bet at least two of the three new WR’s make it to the starting roster. That shores up the weakest part of the offense from last year. This team is balanced and has skill players now who are all in the prime years of their careers, many with three or more years left on their contracts. This means that the Patriots could not only win the Superbowl this year, but they could be well positioned to win for the rest of the decade.

And, for the rest of the league, a Patriots team with this kind of talent is a very dangerous thing.

It was a season which started bad (1st play had Brady strip-sacked for a Buffalo TD) and had people coming and going right through to December. In November the team had a bad case of Fumblitis and then, like a veteran team will do, they just decided to buckle down. The turn-overs stopped, the offense got on track, and within a few weeks a scatter-shot looking team suddenly looked like a contender.

So let’s get to it, here’s the highlights and lowlights of the season.

Coach Belichick - Few NFL coaches are as able to deal with adversity and still produce winning seasons as this guy. This team had new offensive and defensive coordinators, a rookie kicker, a rookie running back, an all new receiving corps, and devastating injuries to key defensive players. And they still went 12-4 and were a game from the Big Game. Belichick took some hits for his brusque manner, but screw everyone who bitches and whines because he hates to lose. Larry Bird wasn’t always a gentleman either.

The New Coordinators - Dean Pees did a good job for the most part. There were some games were you wondered what he was up to, but his defense set a franchise record for fewest points allowed. They didn’t come up with as many big plays as in seasons past, but inside the red zone they were rock solid. “Bend but don’t break” worked. The other side of the ball, though. Yikes. Josh McDaniels needs to go back to being a QB’s coach - because that’s how he behaved as an offensive coordinator. He abandoned the run in the second half of games for no reason, put players into situations which nullified their skills, and in general had some pretty idiotic play selections.

Tom Brady - A lot of people probably think he had a bad season. But he spent extra time with the new receivers teaching them the routes. Can you picture Peyton Manning running routes for his receivers so they know what he wants? No frikkin’ way. He wasn’t as sharp as in years past, but you take any QB and give him all new receivers, and a new OC, and see how sharp he looks. Brady is still The Man - New Englanders will take him over a dozen Mannings any day.

Stephen Gostkowski - Our new kicker - the “New Adam.” He had a rough start, but no rougher than Vinatieri’s first year. He was solid down the stretch. Made the long kicks we needed, and pinned the opposition with his kick-offs. Good call by Belichick and Pioli drafting this kid.

Troy Brown - What can’t he do? After 14 years in the game he still is a solid receiver - as good as any slot receiver in the game. Plus he returns kicks and plays corner in a pinch. He does it all, he does it well, and he doesn’t gripe about money or not being in the Pro Bowl. He set the franchise receiving record, eclipsing Stanley Morgan, this year too.

Corey Dillon - He had a pretty good year all things considered. He showed he can still get it done for sure. But for some reason he was non-existent in the second half of too many games - especially when we needed to be killing the clock. Is he injured or tired or is McDaniels just not thinking?

Laurence Maroney - This guy will likely have an explosive second season. He showed how dangerous a runner he can be, but the offense needs to be built for him a little more. He’s also got a great attitude, a real happy player unlike many RB’s who have just way too much ego.

Kevin Faulk & Heath Evans - The other running backs. Faulk has come through for the Patriots so often and in so many ways it’s not funny. We wouldn’t have beat the Chargers without him. Evans is a quiet hero out there. It’s a shame we don’t have an OC who gets him more involved. Evans is also loyal - he’s come out and stated that he wants to be a Patriot and doesn’t care about the money. When do you year that in the NFL?

Chad Jackson - They hopes for this kid were so high. But he was injured in pre-season and for most of the regular season it appeared. A very disappointing performance, especially given how badly the team needed a spark at the WR position. He needs to get in shape and be there for every game next year.

Reche Caldwell and Jabar Gaffney - The New WR’s. Reche took a lot of crap early in the season because people thought he was the replacement for Branch - which wasn’t fair to him. They had him lining up someplace different each week so it was tough for him to get consistent. Once he got into a groove, though, he showed real ability and had a couple 100+ yard games - something many fans thought no Pats WR would do all season. He had two bad, bad, bad costly drops in the AFCC which will no doubt haunt him all summer. Gaffney joined very late and developed very fast. He was instrumental in beating the Chargers and should have a nice second season with the team next year. He’s also happier than hell to be on a winning team after four years with Houston.

David Thomas, Daniel Graham, and Ben Watson - The Tight Ends. Thomas showed incredible potential late in the season, fans are having a tough time figuring out why he didn’t get more balls thrown to him. Graham is absolutely indispensable to the running game, plus he’s like Faulk in that if you need 7 yards for a 1st down, he’ll get it for you or die trying. Graham had a great season and was named a team captain. Watson, though, man, the fumbles week after week. He was supposed to be the difference-maker while our WR’s got up to speed but it just didn’t work out that way. He needs to work on his concentration and blocking or he could find himself traded.

The Offensive Line - These guys did a pretty good job protecting Brady. Very few really glaringly bad series. The run-blocking needs to improve, though, to make Maroney the weapon he could be. Maybe that starts with the OC, though.

The Defensive Line - Another bunch of really solid players. It’s almost a shame Belichick doesn’t go to the 4-3 more so they can really attack. Wilfork is a monster. And Mike Wright did an amazing job filling in as needed.

Junior Seau - This was one of the feel-good stories of the season. Belichick grabbed him a day after he retired and at 38 years of age he was leading the team in tackles when he broke his arm. He was also having fun playing - he was on a winning team with his friend Rodney Harrison. The guy can still play big time and I hope they bring him back.

Rodney Harrison - Speaking of Rodney … just getting back on the field was a major accomplishment given the injury he sustained last year. He’ll be back next year, badder than ever. He is the heart and soul of the secondary.

Ellis Hobbs - Ellis suffered a broken hand early in the year which really hurt hsi play. But when Belichick demoted him to a back-up role it lit a fire under him. All of a sudden he was playing big, and coming up with huge kickoff returns. Some of the passes he knocked away in the playoffs - against players six inches or more taller than him - were amazing. He’s a brash, trash-talking little guy but he plays hard and had a stellar second half of the season.

Tedy Bruschi and Mike Vrabel - Vrabel was the rock of the LB corps this year. He was making the big plays. Tedy seemed to have lost a step, but not any of the intensity. These guys are both veterans now, but what they may have lost in speed they surely make up for in game-sense. Tedy may retire, which would be a shame given how close the team came to another championship.

Rosevelt Colvin and Tully Banta-Cain - “Rosy” had a solid year at LB. He’s become one of the more dangerous rushers on the team. Tully had some really big plays and big games, but he makes a difference mainly on the pass rush. I’m not sure that’s good enough for the Patriots.

Artrell Hawkins and Asante Samuel - Asante really came on in the second half of the season and ended up with 10 interceptions. Of course, he was motivated by big dollar-signs as he’s a free agent at the end of the season. I wasn’t happy to see him bad-mouthing the way he was being treated to the press, but hey, what can you do. He wants to be a millionaire. Hawkins has been a real nice surprise and provided solid, steady play. James Sanders also made some big plays at safety, maybe he will be the heir to Rodney’s “enforcer” role.

Todd Sauerbrun - After having two punters go down to injury in the last month of the season, and with neither of the two on the practice squad looking up to the job, they brought in a veteran with a somewhat checkered past. But Todd really boomed some punts for us and I’ll be amazed if he’s not the starting punter next year.

Robert Kraft - Mr. Kraft, thank you for the FieldTurf! When the Pats played the Vikings, Tully Banta-Cain’s girlfriend had their first child the same day. Kraft flew Tully back home right after the game on his private jet. What a great owner.

The NFL Officials - Lord, what a horrific job all season. The missed calls, the one-sided games, the manufactured penalties, all of it. Not just the Patriots games, but all the games. It’s gotten to the point where fans hope for a game with “no injuries and no bad calls.” Having it be close or even exciting comes in third.

ESPN and the other Talking Heads - Screw you all. Hey, Belichick likes sweatshirts. Deal with it. The Patriots don’t trash talk and give you nice sound bites, and don’t throw temper tantrums you can write about. Deal with it. The Patriots don’t care about personal records, they want to win rings - so your predictions about the team will always be wrong. And a special “screw you” to Mike Ditka - what a jack ass.

Bill Polian - Yeah, your lobbying for preferred treatment by the referees got you a win against the Patriots. What a sad statement of the league that he got his way. What a despicable, vile cesspool of a human being. Drop dead, Bill.

LaDainian Tomlinson - For his juvenile and hypocritical comments after losing to the Patriots. Hey, when you condone Meroidman’s taunting you have no grounds to complain about what anyone else does. When you condone Meroidman’s substance abuse you have no grounds to talk about what message what someone else does sends to “our kids.” And you can’t on one hand presume to take the moral high ground and then say you won’t talk to someone if they’re the Pro Bowl. LDT showed himself to be a childish egomaniac. Lashing out at a player who was taunting is one thing, lashing out at one of the best owners and best teams in the league, and one of the best sports towns in the country was itself “classless.” I doubt he’ll ever apologize, people that self-absorbed rarely do.

Jeff Fisher and the Tennessee Titans - What a bunch of thugs. Deliberately taking out Rodney Harrison’s knee and then laughing about it on the sidelines. Fisher should be yanked from the Competition Committee for his actions, and the way he runs that team.

Jack Del Rio and the Jacksonville Jaguars - For spearing Brady with a helmet-first hit and then for Del Rio saying he had it coming. Had this happened to the league’s Golden Boy, Peyton Manning, they have brought out a firing squad. But since it’s just Brady and the Patriots, they call it a legal hit and let Del Rio get away with his comments. Despicable.

The Pro Bowl - How much of a joke is this now with Tony Romo going and Brady not.

Peyton Manning - You know, I really felt bad for him in the last 1:10 of the AFCC game. He couldn’t watch. Brady likes the guy so I guess I can be happy for him in that regard. But given the circumstances of the win - the Pats down with flu, the fix being in on the ref’s (one of the calls was admitted to be bad after the game), it’d be easier.

The Tuna and Bledsoe - While not technically part of the Patriots season, there is a link. The Tuna, Bill Parcells, is retiring. Again. After a roller coaster season where the media did their best to make him out to be a genius. His record with the Cowboys is just barely above .500. He couldn’t control Romo (who seemed more interested in courting trailer-park starlets than practicing). He couldn’t control TO. And when you look at the numbers for Bledsoe and Romo, there wasn’t much of a difference. Except that Tuna couldn’t get the team to play for Drew. So he demoted Bledsoe and put in the “Pro Bowl” QB Romo. What a sham. Bye, bye Tuna.