Another player under scrutiny was Randy Moss. People thought he was not giving his all to the organization, and there was severe skepticism towards the receiver after being sent home for being late a few weeks prior to the game. Last week he played well, with a TD catch, but this week he torched the Jags’ secondary, as he caught 3 touchdowns, the 4th time he has achieved this feat as a Patriot.

Seemingly as always, Wes Welker racked up 10+ catches, as he caught 13 balls. Despite missing two games, Welker leads the NFL in receptions with 122 catches. Astonishingly, this is 21 more catches than the Brandon Marshall, second place in recepetions with just 101 catches.

Based on his average, had Welker not missed those two games he would have over 138 catches.

Sammy Morris also played very well, as he had multiple long runs in the first half which set up touchdowns, including one short, goal line score from himself. Laurence Maroney, after fumbling a goal line handoff, saw limited action. If he wants to continue to have the opportunity to play (something he was becoming accustomed to), he’ll have to hold the ball.

Despite the stellar offensive performance, it was the defense that stepped up. The Patriot defensive squad held a potent Jacksonville offense built around small and powerful Maurice Jones-Drew to just 7 points. Jones-Drew was held to just 63 yards on 18 carries, a not so solid 3.5 average.

In addition, the defense forced two turnovers, both interceptions, demonstrating respectable pass coverage. Shawn Springs and Brandon Meriweather both picked off Jacksonville QB David Garrard.

The horrific pass rush from New England? Not so horrific anymore, as the defense mustered two sacks from Gary Guyton and Tully Banta-Cain.

I would like to mention James Sanders, who after losing his starting spot to Brandon McGowan continued to work hard, improve his game, and has now regained his role. McGown, still a solid player, continues to contribute, as he assisted in 2 tackles. Also, Jerod Mayo seems to be breaking out of his sophomore slump, as he had 11 solo tackles.

The unit is seemingly coming together, generating respectable rush against opposing QB’s and making the most of opportunities in the secondary.

The defense has put together multiple high-quality performances now, against the Bills, Panthers and now Jags. The offense, finally generating some power after relying on the defense in the mentioned games, is also continuing to gel.

Essentially, this team is hitting its stride, and now after clinching the AFC East it will roll into the playoffs with some important momentum.

This team was known for making spectacular second half adjustments and preying on opponents’ weaknesses which were noticed throughout the game. Unfortunately, this year has been a vastly different story.

The Patriots lost in heartbreaking fashion to the Jets, Broncos, Dolphins, and most notably, the Colts. In their most recent failure against Miami, the Pats managed just 7 second half points, a fluky touchdown to Sam Aiken who made a great reception and ran 70 yards to the end zone.

In all of these contests, the other team has seemingly shut down the juggernaut Patriot offense in the second half, with Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Tom Brady and a decent running game.

What does this say about the team, offensively?

Does New England not have the personnel/players to succeed? Do the players get fatigued? Is Tom Brady not fully healthy? Why aren’t adjustments being made on New England’s side of the ball?

Well, the Pats are not short of talent, as previously mentioned, Welker and Moss are two of the most dangerous receivers in the NFL, Sam Aiken is developing into a solid third option, and the Pats have a viable running back in Laurence Maroney (8 TDs in 7 games).

Offensively, fatigue is never as much of an issue as it is on the defensive side of the ball, with all the opportunities for substitutions.

Tom Brady is clearly healthy, as he put up monster numbers against weaker teams such as the Buccaneers, and managed solid numbers against even the Colts. Is he at his 2007 form? Maybe not at this point, but he is certainly at a high enough level where he can be considered healthy.

So, this leaves the question, why doesn’t the team seem to make any offensive adjustments? Brady’s offenses have always had great offensive coordinators, with names such as Charlie Weis and Josh McDaniels. This year, with Bill O’Brien holding the reigns of the offense and mainly in charge of playcalling, there seems to be a problem.

Bill Belichick deserves some negativity, but it is O’Brien who is unable to make his unit better in the second half.

Against the Dolphins, not only were offensive adjustments not made, but the play calling was borderline horrific.

The fullback run with a yard to go inside the five during the second quarter was a poor idea. Morris never had the opportunity to build up speed to plow through the line of scrimmage, as he started just a couple of yards behind Brady. A simple running play would have been a better option for Morris, or a quarterback sneak with Brady.

Against the Colts, Kevin Faulk was stopped short on 4th down. O’Brien had the right idea, a quick slant to Welker or Faulk, but why have Kevin catch the ball on a quick out?

Instead of breaking out on his route, Faulk should have broken in. The linebacker covering Faulk, shown in the replay, was clearly a step out of position but had time to react, as the ball was in the air for a long enough period of time. Had Kevin broken inside at the same distance, the linebacker would have half as much time to react, and Faulk could have dived forwards and saved the game for New England.

The time the ball would have been in the air would have been shorter had Faulk cut up the middle, giving the linebacker less time to react.

Two examples of bad play calls by O’Brien, both in important situations.

I don’t think you need examples of situations where the Patriot offense looked flat in the second half. I can think of at least eight games (out of 12 the team has played) where the New England second half offense looked like the Browns’ offense.

Defensively, the Patriots are not an awful team.

They have an average defense. Unfortunately the defensive backs take a lot of heat, when it is the front seven who cannot generate pressure on quarterbacks and give wide outs all day to run their routes. Some heat is deserved, like Meriweather’s blown coverate in New Orleans, but some pressure they take is just unwarranted.

A perfect example came in the Dolphins game. Greg Camarillo had time to run a double move route, with Jonathan Wilhite in coverage. At the last second, Camarillo turned around in button hook fashion and caught the ball, with Wilhite right behind him.

Yes, Wilhite slightly stumbled, but after over 4-5 seconds in coverage, wide receivers inevitably get open.

Nevertheless, holding the Dolphins to 22 points should have been enough. However, the Patriot offense managed to run minimal time off the clock in their two possessions in the final few minutes (the defense was able to make two stops), and gave Miami the chance to win.

I never thought it would come to this, but it is the Patriots’ offense which is at fault.

Yes, the defense can play better, but the Patriots’ offense, with the lineup they have, should be able to put up massive numbers against Miami, and should be more than competitive in “shootouts”.

Matt Cassel torched the Dolphins, and Tom Brady is capable of doing the same (is there really any question of that). So, Bill O’Brien, if you want to keep your job, you need to think about strategies that put the stacked New England offense in a position to win. If not, then you will be changed.

Charlie Weis, anybody?

Up two possessions in the fourth quarter, right after Moss scored his touchdown, the Patriots defense was clearly giving Peyton Manning and the Colts offense any underneath passing patterns.

Obviously, this makes sense. Let the Colts drive, but make them wear down the clock. Unfortunately, the Pats were unable to take significant time off the clock through defense, breathing life into Indianapolis’ lungs.

Bill should have made the Patriots utilize the schemes they had been using for the majority of the game, holding the Colts to a reasonable 21 points.

However, Belichick’s major mistake came during the ensuing drive, after Pierre Garcon burned Leigh Bodden (who did play a solid game) on a slant-and-go pattern for a TD.

Bill decided to move away from the formula of offense which had put up 31 points in 3-plus quarters against the leagues’ No. 1 ranked defense. Whether or not he was trying to run the clock out, the running game he tried to use was clearly ineffective.

Belichick decided not to utilize his teams’ strength (passing) against Indy’s weakness (pass defense), and instead used his weakness (running), playing right into Indy’s defensive strength (run defense).

New England was unable to burn any significant time off the clock with only their sub par running game (wouldn’t it be great if Sammy Morris and Fred Taylor were available, maybe the running game would have succeeded).

Every possession New England had in the fourth quarter was slightly dysfunctional. The offense sputtered, but Bill did not think to go back to the Patriots’ strength and get Welker or Moss involved in the game.

Then, his second mistake (which is not as major because if he doesn’t commit the first mistake, the game never gets to this point) came with 2:23 left, when he used both of New England’s remaining timeouts before the end of the two-minute warning.

Obviously, the 4th-and-2 call to go for it was questionable, but I stand by Bill’s decision.

No, it’s not because if Bill makes a decision, I deem it correct. It’s because the Patriots defense was without Ty Warren, Jarvis Green, Rob Minkovich and Tully Banta-Cain, resulting in an exhausted front seven without one of its best pass rushers (Banta-Cain).

Yes, Peyton had not been overly successful against the Pats despite injuries, as he threw two ducks for interceptions, but if Peyton threw with the same precision he did in a short field, he would certainly have had success.

Even if the Colts had to drive 70 yards, who’s to say New England wouldn’t have been torched due to a lack of pass rush? Belichick realized his blunder in calling the two timeouts, and he knew he needed to go for it, as he would be unable to stop the clock if the Colts went through a long drive.

What he didn’t count on was his defense making desperation stops, keeping the clock going.

I have trouble understanding two things.

One, the play Belichick called. I know he was confident in its ability to gain two yards, but if Kevin Faulk had, instead of running a short out route, ran a short in route, where he cut across the center of the field, he would have gained the necessary two yards.

On the out route, Melvin Bullitt was given extra time while the ball was in the air to react and make a solid stop, whereas if Brady threw the same pass to Faulk in the middle, Bullitt would have had less time to react, giving Faulk an opportunity to dive forwards, while still giving Brady the opportunity to evade the blitz.

Second, the defense from the Colts’ 30. Unlike some people, I don’t think that Belichick going for it was an insult to the defense. I think it was a statement of reasonable support, putting faith in the defense to hold the Colts on a short field.

However, I think that on the Joseph Addai run, with just over a minute to play, the defense should not have stopped him at the 1, giving the New England offense 1:13 to work with instead of just 0:13 on the clock.

One more thing I should mention, Laurence Maroney fumbling the ball in the end zone. Unbelievable and completely inexcusable. Even though the Colts didn’t score off the mistake, the Patriots should have at least added an extra three points, if not seven had Maroney not fumbled. Can he alone be blamed for the loss?

No, obviously Belichick has to take some heat, as he has, as do many defensive players for missed tackles and the sort.

Nonetheless, whether or not Belichick should have gone for it should have been irrelevant had he not botched the earlier portion of the fourth quarter, when he had opportunities (on interceptions and punts by the Colts) to put the game away.

The game is over. I am still stunned, and there is truly no excuse for the Patriots’ to even be in that situation at the end of the game, as I said up by three possessions with just 10 minutes remaining.

However, the Pats can clearly hang with the Colts, even in Indy. So, if the teams match-up in the playoffs, which would not be too surprising, we can look out for a sensational game.

The most disappointing part about this game to me? Not just that we lost, but that now the Colts have won 18 regular season games in-a-row, 5 away from breaking the Patriots’ 22-game regular season win-streak record. Yes, records are meant to be broken, which I suppose provides some solace, but the Patriots still have the most consecutive (post-season/regular season) wins, which, when Super Bowl titles are looked at, are important.

Looking at this in a positive light, as seemingly hard as it might be, we know that the Patriots will not have problems playing against Indianapolis even if in Indianapolis, putting up 34 points and losing by just 1, and we know that Sebastian Vollmer can be a force, as he shut down Dwight Freeney. For that matter, the Patriot offensive line was very strong, with the exception of a couple breakdowns caused by Robert Mathis. From a football fan’s point of view, this was truly an amazing game to watch, it’s just that the Patriots fell on the wrong end of the score.

Guess what? They were right.

When Tom Terrific was given Randy Moss and a Wes Welker as wide receivers, he threw a record 50 touchdown passes in one season, previously a record held by Peyton Mannig (49).

For most, the debate was settled. Brady was clearly the better quarterback, as he had compiled more rings with weaker targets, and he had finally started to compete with Manning statistically.

Brady detractors scoffed he had done in one season what Manning had been doing his whole career. Unfortunately for Manning, the NFL is about winning. More players are remembered for winning than putting up great numbers.

No quarterback has won as much as Brady has this decade. Manning measures just 1/3 of Brady in the hardware department (Super Bowl rings, 0f course), and Brady has his statistical record of 50 TD’s in one season.

Despite the statistical juggernaut the 2007 Patriots offense had become, the New York Giants defeated them on the NFL’s biggest stage: The Super Bowl.

Following the devastating Super Bowl loss which was filled with controversy, desire, drive and a few tears from me, I expected Tom to put up spectacular numbers in the team’s 2008 campaign. Immortal Brady was ‘mortalized’, and for that matter hospitalized, as he tore major ligaments in his knee during the season opener.

The season and off-season was filled with hope from Patriots fans that Tom Brady would return healthy. Uncertain throughout, us Pats fans can now stand on sturdy ground in terms of Tom Brady’s health. How? Because if Brady had not been ready to go at 100%, Matt Cassel would never have been traded.

Tom Brady is healthy. If not, the Pats’ upper management blew it, and are clearly willing to gamble with player injuries. Just remember, when I say upper management I’m talking about Robert Kraft and Bill Bellichick, two of the best in the league.

In 2007, Brady threw an amazing 50 touchdown passes. Of those 50, 31 of them were to either Wes Welker or Randy Moss, and another 7 to either Ben Watson or Kevin Faulk. Thus, the four targets accounted for 38/50, or 75% of Brady’s TD’s. If no other player had caught a touchdown, Brady would still have managed a sensational 38 touchdown passes.

The other 12 TD’s were to a combination of an inconsistent Donte Stallworth, a very fallible Jabar “Gaffe” Gaffney, Chad Jackson (who couldn’t run routes or consistently catch a ball), and blocking extraordinaire Kyle Brady.

Chad was consistently a non-factor, and doesn’t even deserve to be mentioned. Jabar Gaffney, despite his many dropped passes, was still a threat. He is no longer with the team, but his role in terms of a slot/wide receiver is assumed to be taken over by Greg Lewis, who is a better route runner, receiver, and a touch quicker. Lewis has never been an extraordinary wide receiver, but he does not drop passes and will fight for extra yardage.

Donte Stallworth was a formidable receiver, who made his money from his deep receiving abilities.

The Patriots acquired WR Joey Galloway this off-season, and he figures to be a Stallworth type receiver. Galloway is older now, but can still catch a deep ball and possesses great speed. Joey had a statistical dip last season, but that’s because he only played in 9 games. In 2007, he caught 57 passes for 1,014 yards and 6 touchdowns.

As if the wide receiver additions weren’t enough, the Pats also added depth at tight end by signing Chris Baker and Alex Smith.

Essentially my point is that Brady has better receivers than he did in 2007. Oh, did I mention a better running game too? Fred Taylor is obviously an older running back, but he will not be working alone. He will join forces with Sammy Morris, Laurence Maroney and the ever-consistent Kevin (or as I like to call him “Quicks”) Faulk.

The three will create a consistent ground attack which has big run ability as well as a sledgehammer option.

Can you imagine that? Tom Brady throws a few quick passes to Wes Welker, to get New England a first down. They break to a four receiver set with any RB in the backfield and hand it off to him. Line up in the same position the next play, run a play action, and just try to tell me that Moss, Welker, Lewis, Galloway and even the running back will be covered?

This offense is a quarterback’s dream. Put it in Brady’s hand and this offense is a defense’s nightmare.

It will take strong play from the Offensive Line, which I fully expect to happen. Last season, it took them a few games to get used to Matt Cassel, but they clearly settled down towards the end of the season, as Cassel had time to throw the ball accurately without getting sacked.

The “Bearded Brothers” will be back with Tom Brady, and will be energized to help him through the season, considering the last time they went out on the field for a major period of time they gave up five sacks in the Super Bowl.

Obviously the defensive unit is much improved, and has been injected with youth and is coached by Bill Belichick, so it has the potential to be among the top five-seven defensive units once again.

In all, opposing teams will be torched, and then extinguished by New England next season.

As Brady’s rejuvenated offense steps onto the field next season, and for the first time in a long time snaps the ball, I recommend watching…. Amazing will happen.

So, who do I think the Patriots should draft? Logically, it comes down to who’s left. If Wake Forest LB Aaron Curry is available at 23, then he’s obviously going to be selected. Clearly, this is an improbable situation thanks to Curry’s obvious talent. I think that at 23, the Patriots need to look defensively, especially because their offense has not had trouble putting up the numbers in the last two seasons. Brady, Moss, Welker and the Pats offensive line are still intact for at least one more year, and I still have faith in Ben Watson and Laurence Maroney. With Fred Taylor, the Pats have a trio of capable backs (Sammy Morris, Taylor and Maroney) along with their 3rd down back Kevin Faulk. Defensively, the Patriots have a strong line for the time being, in Richard Seymour, Vince Wilfork and Ty Warren, but realistically, only two of them will be with the team within the next 3 years. Their starting linebackers are on the wrong side of thirty, with the exception of Jerod Mayo, and even though Shawn Crable is highly spoken of by the organization, we still don’t know what he is capable of doing. In terms of defensive backs we made some progress with our ever depleted corner back position by signing Shawn Springs and Leigh Bodden. Personally, in terms of corner backs we’re fine, because Terrence Wheatley and Jonathan Wilhite both showed promise and Ellis Hobbs is a good, not great, a good corner. Springs and Bodden have both played well, and with proper coaching can put their careers back on the right track. Bill Belichick is the coach, so that shouldn’t be a problem. At safety, we have Brandon Meriweather and James Sanders. Meriweather I think can be a great safety in this league because of his athleticism, but he needs to fix his tackling, which so far has been improving very nicely. Sanders is a consistent safety who will continue to improve.

Clearly, it is the front 7 of the Patriots that needs help, as most of their linebackers are old, and their line might not be together in the near future. That is why I think we should draft Clay Matthews, because he not only has a great gene pool, but also because he has a massive upside. He improved all of last season despite not playing much in his first few years at USC, and he showed good instincts and sound fundamentals when he played, something that Coach Bill absolutely adores. Matthews should be available at 23, and will be a great fit in New England.

The 34th pick is a very intriguing pick, as it gives teams an opportunity to pick up ‘leftovers’ per say, from the first round at a bargain price. I think New England will go with either Larry English or James Laurinaitis if they’re available, again because they are both coachable players who have solid instincts and are fundamentally ready to play football in the NFL. Also, by drafting these defenders at this time, older linebackers in the system can serve as mentors, and hopefully these young ‘backers will benefit just like Jerod Mayo did. If neither are available, look for New England to draft a defensive lineman, somebody like Michael Johnson, Paul Kruger or Robert Ayers. All of these players have shown vast improvements throughout their college careers, which bodes well for their future talent. I think that Kruger would be the first two be selected from these three, because he is a solid pass rusher and run stuffer, unlike Ayers and Johnson who both are more pass defending linemen.

This is a very important draft for New England, because they can set some solid foundations of future team growth defensively, and can keep their 3-4 year window of winning more Super Bowls intact.

1. Tom Brady will be back. Matt Cassel played well. Extremely well, however he was not able to fully utilize the deep threat to Randy Moss. Cassel is a great accurate, dink-and-dunk quarterback, similar to Brady when Tom was younger, however Tom can make the short throw AND the long throw. Cassel was great, but Brady is better.
2. Our Running Backs will be healthy. Okay, last year was crazy. Three out of our four running backs were injured, and all for significant periods of time! No way that happens again. Even if one, or two go down, we have a lot of depth there. Sammy Morris is a great runner for 4-5 yard carries, consistently, as he is fairly quick and packs a punch when he runs into a defender. He also is very good at hitting the holes. Lamont Jordan is a great guy for those tough, 2-3 yard situations, just because of his size and because he’s so hard to bring down. Laurence Maroney is good for 5 yards a carry, if he achieves his potential. He can run over defenders, juke them out, and has a powerful stiff arm move. If BB can utilize these three running backs so that Jordan gets 4 carries a game, Morris gets 10, and Maroney gets 10, meaning they split the load, then they will stay healthy and fresh. Plus, Kevin Faulk can always be thrown into the mix. If any of the backs get tired? No problem, there ar at least two more capable starters. And yes, I believe that Maroney will stay healthy this year, as will Morris, as both are learning to keep their bodies healthy, specifically Maroney, who is learning that it’s better to get tackled than to get injured.
3. Our cornerbacks are good. Ellis Hobbs is a solid corner, and can cover pretty much all the #2 wideouts in the league, and can occasionally shut down a #1 guy. He is a little bit slow on the deep ball, however with Brandon Meriweather’s ball hawking skills and recovery speed, that should be less of a problem. Also, Jonathan Wilhite showed promise at the end of last season. He was able to intercept the ball, and make some big defensive plays. He is a great option to cover the #3 receiver, and occasionally the #2 wideout. Now, not he showed his rapid improvement towards the end of last season, and if he continues to improve, he can become a very, very good corner in this league, because of his instinct. Lastly, Terrence Wheatley was getting better before he injured his wrist.  He is very similar to Wilhite, except that he is a little bit more of a speed corner as opposed to a wrap-up tackler. He is a good tackler, and if improves at the pace he was before he got injured (He shut down Reggie Wayne while playing the Colts before he went down), then he will be a great corner in this league, even a shut-down one. Just because he wasn’t a first rounder, doesn’t mean he can’t be good. Even Jonathan Wilhite. Remember, Asante Samuel was a 3rd rounder.
4. The safeties will be better. James Sanders is improving, and Brandon Meriweather led the team in picks (4) despite only starting 10 games. Sanders is a good, consistent tackler, and Meriweather is a great ball hawk, who is quick and has developed a real knack for the ball. He is working on his tackling, and once he becomes a better wrap-up tackler, his occasional big hit will be glorified. Also, Tank Williams, who was overlooked to to his pre-season injury, is a great safety. He also can play linebacker if need be, and he is a very, very consistent tackler, who posesses enough speed to flow with tight ends and most wide receivers.
5. The line is good. Both lines. The offensive line last year was great after getting used to Cassel’s style, and with Brady back, (or even with Cassel if Brady can’t go) then they will dominate, similar to the ’07-’08 season. Last year, we saw what the Pats defensive line could do with the three men healthy. Warren did go down towards the end of the year, however when they are healthy (which they were for 14 games last year, and will do the same next year) they are dominant. Richard Seymour. Need I say more? Quick, powerful, great at batting down passes and rushing the passer. Vince Wilfork is just a mountain in the middle, and Ty Warren is an underrated run stuffer, who has the ability to get to the QB.
6. Ben Watson will be better. He will be used more offense, as he has become a better blocking tight end, and his route running has improved. He is a great run after the catch tight end, and like Antonio Gates, is very athletic and very fast.
7. Our linebackers will be better. Jerod Mayo will improve, Adalius Thomas won’t be injured, and Mike Vrabel will at least be consistent. Also, Pierre Woods will be a stronger back-up, and a more useful option after his experience last year. Also, Gary Guyton showed promise according to Bill Belichick before getting injured, so he will provide some depth. If Bruschi can come back after his injury, great, he is not great anymore, but he is good, and knows how to play. Also, the Pats will probably address their linebacker issues in the draft, even with Rosevelt Colvin and Junior Seau.
8. The defense will be deeper next year. Similar to last year, the Pats will probably go all out defense during the draft, to address depth issues at linebacker and safety, as well as grab a #3-#4 cornerback. The Pats will either go safety or linebacker in the first round, and whichever way they don’t go, they will probably choose in the second. I think they will choose a linebacker in the first round, especially after how well Jerod Mayo played last year. Then, in the 3rd, they’ll probably go for a corner, and in the 4th and 5th round they’ll look for secondary players in general. Because they have Tank Williams, who can play linebacker, they don’t need to draft 3-4 backers this year, rather only 2-3. That’s why I think they’ll draft a backer in the 6th round, and then leave the 7th round up to possibly a special teams guy who’s primary position is cornerback.

I think this is how the draft will shape up:

Round

1. Linebacker

2. Safety

3. Cornerback

4. Cornerback/Safety (somebody who has the versatility to play either)

5. Safety/Cornerback (same as above, however more of a safety)

6. Linebacker

7. Lineman/Small Linebacker

Overall, the Pats will just be better defensively, and will be able to utilize all of their weapons offensively. Even though the Pats lost Pioli and McDaniels, I believe that that the coaching of Bill O’Brien will be fine in replacing Josh, and Belichick has a very similar and uncanny knack for getting a steal pick, similar to Pioli.  Plus, I don’t expect the Pats to get hit with 20+ injuries again this season. And when healthy, this team has shown (2007-2008) that they really can’t be beat*. So, if the Pats made, and almost won the Super Bowl* with an extremely similar team, which has an improving defense, then shouldn’t they be able to do it again?

• *Note: The Giants won because of an attrocious offensive game, and the David Tyree catch 1) never happens again and 2)Richard Seymour and Ty Warren were being held on that play (look at the replay)