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Health & Fitness

Are the Patriots Still the Model Franchise in the NFL?

So, I took a brief hiatus from everything football related after the Patriots lost in the AFC Championship. Rather than say something career killing (is this even a career?), I felt it best to take some imaginary time off and go on a fake vacation to Pebble Beach and sail on my imaginary yacht called Five Rings—an ode to Mr. Hoodie himself.

Now that I’m fully recovered, I’ve continued to ask myself the question that haunts all New England Patriot’s worshipers: How do the Patriots recover from another season ending dud?

They’ve played in the AFC Championship game 3 years in a row, but exited two of those games as lame as a boiled piece of spaghetti. From 2010 to 2012, their offense was superb, but their defense failed to make the big plays in the big moments. In 2013, New England’s defense finally gained some self-esteem, but its offense made the offenses’ of JV football teams across Massachusetts look like pros.

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For almost ten years, it’s like the Patriots try to dig out of a massive hole, but whenever they toss the dirt out, it just falls right back in; the team longs for consistency on both sides of the ball. Since Tom Brady's Patriots started 10-0 in postseason games, they have gone 8-8.

Many blame injuries for this year's Championship loss and these excuse makers have legs to stand on. If the defensive and offensive core had remained intact throughout the season, there is a very good chance they'd be flying to New Jersey this weekend. In their final post season showdown, corner back Aquib Talib’s injury was his unit and team’s final blow.

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After Talib left, Manning drilled the Patriot’s secondary for 289 out of his 400 yards passing; Denver attacked. Manning also converted on long drives, which ate almost 14 minutes off the game clock and close to 30 plays. New England’s defense, once again, failed to get off the field. It didn’t help that they put little pressure on Manning. The Patriots failed to register a sack.

Yet, excuses seem to be more of a consistent than the Patriots overall game play. Since their early championship days, they've struggled to play complimentary football and fundamental flaws have haunted each post season run.

So, if the Patriots want to be more consistent, what do they do? 

Should they model their team after other championship winning teams in the league? Should they mold their team into the Seattle Seahawks who had the number one defense, but an often sputtering offense? Or should they model themselves after the Denver Broncos who owned the best offense, but one of the worst defenses. (The Broncos ranked 22nd in points allowed and 27th in yards surrendered.)

The Patriots should do neither. 

If anything, their 2013 season was a testament to how great their overall engine runs. Yes, am I smothering the losing team with accolades, but they deserve it. They lost their captains and managed to keep their head above water. They brushed aside a torpedo of a distraction in the Aaron Hernandez case. They used their X’s and O’s to beat more talented teams and they enter next season with a strong core of 1st and 2nd tear players.

You can’t load up on one side of the ball and sacrifice talent on the other. As team owner Robert Kraft  put it today on 98.5 the Sports Hub’s “Felger and Mazz” show, “I don’t ever believe in selling your soul for a bowl of [porridge]…Baltimore beat us in the [AFC] Championship last year and won the Super Bowl. What happened to them this year? Did they make the playoffs?”

Translation: No, Baltimore missed the playoffs and other, current hot teams will probably flare out like the Ravens, but New England will chug along and be the real model franchise. The Patriots have had one losing season in 13 years and they are a couple of plays away every year from winning it all.

Looks like the real Patriots just stood up.

 

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