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It's been ten years since the New England Patriots won a Super Bowl title. Since then, they've been to two Super Bowls (XLII-lost to Giants, XLVI-lost to Giants) and lost. They lost the 2006, 2012, and 2013 AFC title games. Is this the year they end the championship drought? If not, when?
I keep thinking they will finally miss the playoffs for the first time since the '08 season. While none of the other three AFC East teams offer much competition, I just think eventually the Pats will start to decay. I certainly do not see them winning a super bowl anytime soon.
There are a few facotrs that will play a big part in this:
1. Can Rob Gronkowski be healthy when it matters this year? When healthy, he is one of the most dangerous offensive weapons in football and their offense is downright lethal.
2. How do their 2nd year WRs develop? Aaron Dobson, Josh Boyce, and Kembrall Thompkins all did positive things last year, but they need to make a bit of a jump to give the Pats a more diverse attack.
3. Are they getting the pre-ACL Darrell Revis? If so, that would be incredible for them, the guy basically eliminates half the field for the opposing offense. Brandon Browner could be a good signing for them too.
If all of the above go in their favor....yes, I think they have a very good chance. Look at it this way, they were in the AFC Title game last year. Two of their defensive captains and three defensive starters were on IR, Gronk only played seven games, and when he was injured Tom Brady had none of his top 5 receivers from the previous season. Yet they made it that far. They showed they were capable of beating Denver, despite three costly fumbles in the first quarter, coming back from a huge deficit. That was without Vince Wilfork, Tommy Kelly, Jerod Mayo...throw in Darrell Revis this year.
So my answer? It all depends on the breaks they get. As long as they have Belichick and Brady, they have a shot at it, as they showed last year.
It's quite possible they make it to the bowl is year if their defense plays well. That will be the key. The less time the opposing offense has on the field and the more time Brady has on the field, the Pats are capable to going deep into post season again.
I keep thinking they will finally miss the playoffs for the first time since the '08 season. While none of the other three AFC East teams offer much competition, I just think eventually the Pats will start to decay. I certainly do not see them winning a super bowl anytime soon.
Even though they missed the playoffs in 2008, they were still a playoff team imo. You go 11-5 and become the first team since 1986, or 1987 to get 11 wins and miss the playoffs. I think the Chargers went 8-8 that year and won the West.
The Patriots are always contenders, but I'm going to say no for this year. I think what is about to happen within the Patriots franchise is something that fans cannot even fathom to think would happen. Tom Brady is going to be jettisoned - possibly by the end of this season. In exchange, a team will give up a King's ransom for the rights to Tom Brady. This means that Coach BB will have all he needs to rebuild the Patriots around Jimmy Garoppolo. Belichick wants to win another Super Bowl, but he wants to win one without Tom Brady. He doesn't want to go down in history as the coach that Tom Brady made. He wants to go down in history as being one of the best coaches ever to coach the game. Even Bill Walsh was trying to phase Joe Montana out for Steve Young toward the end of his coaching career.
As crazy as that might sound to some of you Pats fans, there is a method to Bill Belichick's madness, and I do believe Belichick recognizes that his team is in somewhat of a rebuild mode. The only difference is that his team is still good enough to make the playoffs while rebuilding, but as close as they have gotten in recent history, I always felt the Patriots were not the team they used to be. Don't get me wrong, they're still a darn good team and could make the Super Bowl this year, but I just feel Belichick is trying to rebuild.
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