Bill Belichick can do no wrong in the media’s eyes. Yes, he is a Super Bowl winning coach and deserves all the praise he gets. He is going to have to change if the Patriots are going to win the Super Bowl again. His ways have made him successful, but the game has changed and his system is falling behind.

Every year we hear about the great draft the Patriots have and yet we don’t see the results on the field. He hit on Tom Brady and that has been successful for him. His track record after that has been spotty at best. His track record in free agency and trades has suffered as well. He hit on Randy Moss and busted on Chad Johnson. I think this a critical year for the Patriots, not that Belichick will be fired. Can they beat the favored Broncos? I don’t think they’ve done enough. They’ll be in conversation, but they always are. I think it's safe to say that Belichick isn’t the defensive genius they said he was because his defense has been terrible for quite some time now.

Tom Brady is the backbone of this team. He is arguably one if not the best quarterback to play the game. I know the media loves Peyton Manning more, but I don’t. Brady is an elite quarterback, but he can’t do it by himself. He needs help from his defense. It remains to be seen if he will receive it. Brady will keep this team competitive but I don’t know if he has enough help to win the Super Bowl. The Patriots are going to have to start thinking post Brady. I’m not saying they should move on but Brady’s only got so many years left. I know he wants to play into his forties, but that’s being wishful. You can’t outrun father time. Drafting Jimmy Garoppolo in the second round proves that. The Patriots are protecting themselves and thinking ahead.

The running back situation for this team every year seems unstable. Steven Ridley and Legarrette Blount both rushed for over 700 yards. Blount is gone, but Shane Vereen is in the mix. He only ran for 208 yards last season. There is talk that 4th round pick James White could possibly start. Your guess is as good as mine who will be the starter. They likely will use the running back by committee philosophy.

Julian Edelman did a good job in replacing Wes Welker. I have often felt like people inflated Wes Welker’s worth to the Patriots. He is a solid player, but he was not a key player in this offense. The Patriots wasted their time signing Danny Amendola. He can’t stay healthy. He is effective when he plays. Aaron Dobson and Kenbrell Thompkins flashed potential, but both are wildly inconsistent. Brady will elevate the play of his receivers, but their lack of overall consistency could keep them from winning another Super Bowl. Rob Gronkowski is the most important player in their passing game. When he is healthy, he’s arguably the best tight end in football. I know people love Jimmy Graham but when Gronk is healthy, he is a monster. Health has always been an issue with Gronkowski. It’s why he slipped in the draft. The Pats will be scary if they can get the Gronkowski that set a tight end record with 18 touchdown receptions. They added tight end Tim Wright in the Mankins trade. They are hoping he can be the second tight end in their multiple sets. Wright had a solid year in 2013 with 54 catches.

The Patriots offensive line is pretty solid. I don’t understand the trade of guard Logan Mankins. I know they wanted him to take a pay cut, but you just traded away your best lineman. That could come back to haunt them. I know he was getting older, but time will tell if they have a suitable replacement. Sebastian Vollmer and Nate Soldier are a good tandem at tackle. They don’t have many holes or concerns with this group.

The weakness of this team is its defense. It’s been a weakness for quite some time. The Pats were ranked 26th in total defense in 2013. That will have to drastically change if they want to win the Super Bowl again. Belichick hasn’t been able to scheme teams up like he use to. Some believe he was exposed after Spygate. I don’t think that’s the case. I do however believe his ego stands in his way. That whole Patriot way deal has become tired and he needs to get playmakers. They went out and signed Darrelle Revis, which I think was a good signing. They let their previous top cornerback Aqib Talib leave. I think that was smart as well. They also signed Brandon Browner the former Seahawk. I think that was a terrible idea. The guy is talented but he’s going to be suspended for the first 4 games of the season. He is also one suspension away from being gone for a year. Belichick likes to take chances on talented guys other teams have given up on. He had success with Randy Moss and Corey Dillion. He failed miserably with Chad Johnson and Albert Haynesworth. Will he strike gold again with Browner? We shall see.

Vince Wolfork is the glue of the defensive front. He clogs up the middle as well as anyone. Chris Jones did a solid job of providing a pass rush from the tackle position. He finished with 6 sacks in 2013. Chandler Jones and Rob Ninkovich make a solid duo. They quietly combined for 19.5 sacks. Jones had 11.5 and Ninkovich finished with 8. Stats do lie at times. I don’t think opposing teams fear these two. They will need Jones to be more of a disruptive force. The potential is definitely there.

Dont'a Hightower and Jerod Mayo are a good duo at linebacker. The Patriots are hoping Jerod Mayo can bounce back after an injury shortened 2013 season. The Pats parted ways with Brandon Spikes. I don’t think he will be missed.

The secondary in 2013 was easily the weakest link of the unit. In 2014 it may become a strength. Signing Darrelle Revis was huge and Brandon Browner could pay big dividends as well. They can have Revis lock down the opponent's best receiver which would allow them to blitz more. Browner on the other hand isn’t as great in man to man coverage. He’s big and physical. He could make it tough for receivers to get off the line. These two should give Belichick more flexibility in play calling. It didn’t help with Talib. Talib played great but the defense as a whole didn’t. They are hoping to copy Seattle’s philosophy with two big corners. The problem is they don’t have Earl Thomas or anything close. Statistically Logan Ryan had a good season with 5 interceptions in 2013. The rest of the secondary is made up of Kyle Arrington, Devin McCourty and Patrick Chung. Nothing special about that group. They better hope Revis can do for the Pats what he did for the Jets.

The Pats have owned this division. They still have Brady and Belichick and the rest of the division doesn’t. The Pats should finish 11-5 winning the division only to lose to the Broncos in the AFC Championship game again.











