The Patriots have plenty of work to do over the offseason, but it shouldn't take much to get back to the Super Bowl.
New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez walks from the bus to the stadium in Foxborough, Mass., Monday, Feb. 6, 2012, as the Patriots returned from their 21-17 loss to the New York Giants in NFL football's Super Bowl on Sunday. Another season ended in extreme heartbreak for the New England Patriots, giving way to what will certainly be a spring full of anguish.
Less than 24 hours removed from a 21-17 loss to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI, the Patriots returned to Foxborough to clean out their lockers and return to homes for the winter.
The question now is where do they go from here?
As currently constructed, the Patriots proved they are good enough to compete with the elite teams of the league. Although it will provide little solace, New England was one play away from hanging their fourth banner at Gillette Stadium in 10 years despite committing a multitude of unforced errors.
Yet, judging from the season-long narrative, it’s doubtful that the Patriots will enter the 2012 season as the odds-on favorites to win the AFC title if improvements are not made.
The defense finished the season ranked 31st in yards allowed and upgrades will need to be made at nearly every position outside of Patrick Chung’s spot at safety.
The Patriots had high hopes for Devin McCourty in his second season, but he ended up being targeted for more than 1,000 yards, proving to be a major liability. The fact that he was moved back to safety in the team’s subpackage showed that the coaching staff lost faith in him as the season progressed and it’s likely they will explore way to redefine his role.
Sterling Moore showed promise down the stretch and the team will get Ras-I Dowling, who landed on injured reserve early in the season, back at cornerback, so adding another talented veteran to the group could be enough to solidify the secondary.
On the defensive line, a decision must be made about the futures of defensive ends Andre Carter, who collected with 10 sacks before undergoing December quad surgery and will become a free agent, as and end Shaun Ellis, who will likely be allowed to walk.
The team will also have to decide whether to sign Wes Welker to an extension or use the franchise tag on him, and whether it’s worth keeping Chad Ochocinco, who is slated to earn a little more than $3 million next season, around for another go.
But, as things currently stand, New England isn’t that far off from earning another trip to the Super Bowl.
Tom Brady is still around, which always gives New England a shot, and tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez are only going to keep getting better in their third seasons.
The biggest hurdle, as stated in these pages after Sunday night’s loss, will simply be getting out of the way of their selves.
The prevailing theme in New England’s last three playoffs losses has been a lack of execution. Even the team’s performance in the AFC title game was below expectations.
If not for a missed field goal by Baltimore kicker Billy Cundiff, it’s possible the Patriots never would have qualified for Indianapolis.
If the team can alleviate those errors and make a few minor improvements on the defensive side of the ball, there’s no reason that New England can’t find its way back to the Super Bowl.
Next time, though, Brady will have to produce if he hopes to plant his name next to Joe Montana’s in the history books.
We'll be exploring some of these topics and more throughout the next week as we look ahead at what's next for the Patriots.