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Playoff loss may signal end of Patriots' run

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Players and coaches from the New England Patriots look on from the bench dejected late in the...
FOX Sports Jeff Goldberg, Special to FOXSports.com
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Updated Jan 11, 2010 4:08 PM ET
     
 

FOXBOROUGH, Mass.

In the southeast corner of Gillette Stadium hang three giant blue banners, proudly displaying the logos from the Patriots’ three Super Bowl titles between the 2001 and 2004 seasons. At the other end, in the northwest corner, hangs a giant red “16-0” — a reminder of the most recent Super Bowl season in 2007.

Between them Sunday lay the wreckage of a game unlike anything the occupants of this building had ever seen before. When the Ravens were done dominating a frozen field with a 33-14 AFC wild-card victory, the proud Patriots, team of the just-completed decade, were left to absorb the significance of a historic failure.

The 19-point loss wasn’t just the worst Home playoff defeat in the eight-year history of the House That Kraft Built, but also in the 50-year history of the franchise. It was just the second postseason home loss ever, dating to 1978.

The largest playoff defeat since the 46-10 Super Bowl nightmare in 1986, Sunday’s loss marked the first time the Patriots have lost consecutive playoff games since 1998 and ’99, when Tom Brady was in college and Bill Belichick was a Jet.

It was also the first time the Patriots lost a game started by Brady at Gillette since 2006, a string of 23 games.

Put it all together, and it's hard not to reach the conclusion Sunday that the era of greatness, represented by those three blue banners, is likely over. Only four players on the 2009 roster own rings from all three Super Bowl victories (Brady, Kevin Faulk, Matt Light and Stephen Neal) and, come August, Brady and Light might be the last men standing.

“We’ve had some good teams, obviously, over the years,” Brady said after a rough afternoon, with three interceptions and a fumble. “And this one, I felt we did a lot of good things. I wish we could have played better today, but we didn’t. There’s some things we didn’t do well over the course of the year. There’s things we didn’t do well today.

“I think there’s a lot of things about why we’ve been successful: mental toughness, leadership, discipline. All those things we displayed at times. We certainly didn’t display them at other times. I think that’s something that we all reflect on individually. That’s where we have to make more of a commitment to each other. The guys who are going to be here next year, in 2010, it’s something we can learn from this year.”

Finding players in the locker room after Sunday’s loss who could speak to the passing of an era was hard to do, mainly because so few champions remain. Beyond the quartet with three rings, only 10 players on the 2009 roster were part of any of the three Super Bowl victories — reason alone to set the championship era apart from the current team.

“It’s further in the distance, obviously,” said tight end Ben Watson, whose rookie season in 2004 was the last of the championship years. “A lot of those players aren’t here. It’s the same organization, the same logo, it’s the same coaches, but a lot of the players aren’t here. Every year is a different year. Even the years we were winning championships, it was a different year and a different team. A lot of guys on this team were on other teams when that stuff was happening. Every year is different.”

The Patriots won another AFC East title in 2009, good enough for the No. 3 seed and a home playoff game. But this 10-6 team, with significant roster turnover on defense and a crushing blow to the offense last Sunday with Wes Welker’s season-ending knee injury, never had the look of its champion ancestors.

And before most of the crowd of 68,756 could settle into chilly seats on a 20-degree day, the Patriots had put themselves in a wholly uncharacteristic hole. Ray Rice ripped off an 83-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage — the second-longest touchdown in NFL playoff history — and a Brady fumble and two interceptions later, the Ravens ended the first quarter with a 24-0 lead.

The Patriots would get as close as 27-14 in the third quarter, but could not generate nearly enough offense to overcome the early deficit.

“We didn’t come to play, point blank,” Patriots nose tackle Vince Wilfork said. “Never had a chance from the first play to the last play. They came in and wanted it more than us. They could basically have been playing out there with a JV Football team and they probably would have given a better effort than we did. You can never win a game like that.”

During their run of titles, the Patriots always found ways to win games – under any conditions. Bad weather? Late deficit? No matter to a group led by Brady and supported by an opportunistic defense and role players who understood their roles.

But as Rick Pitino might have said Sunday, Tedy Bruschi wasn’t walking through that door, Patriots fans. And if he did, it was only as yet another media member dissecting a disastrous performance.

“None of those teams in the past could do a whole lot for the team this year,” Brady said. “I think every year presents different challenges, and this one had its own set. I think the mental toughness that we need to have, that’s all something we need to improve on.

“All the players and coaches are disappointed to lose like this, to really not put our best effort on the field. I think we tried, but in terms of execution, it wasn’t our best effort. It’s going to make for a long offseason, and that’s how it should be.”

But even if one championship era is ending, the seeds for future success remain in place. The Patriots have four picks in the first two rounds of the 2010 draft and have at least two more first-rounders in 2011.

“We have Mr. Kraft, with what he’s been able to do for the franchise,” Brady said. “Coach Belichick, who’s probably the greatest coach of all time, a core group of leaders we still have. We have a lot of youth, good players that work hard. I don’t think because we lose a couple games this year, suddenly everything’s over. I’d like to see what we can do next year.”
Tagged: Patriots, Ravens, Tom Brady

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