But people who less than a month ago felt that any problems the Patriots may have were minor and fixable now fear the team - which just this week was cited by The Sporting News as the Team of the Decade - is actually in major decline and can no longer be considered a legitimate NFL power.
So let’s just say that people are now prepared for anything, even a home loss to the Carolina Panthers.
This has been a very bad week for the Patriots. Last Sunday, they were unable to hold either a 14-0 first-quarter lead or a 21-13 third-quarter advantage and were beaten on a late Miami field goal after they could not make a defensive stop on fourth and 6. It was their second straight defeat and their third in four games. It lowered their record to 7-5 and enabled both the Dolphins and the victorious New York Jets to come within a game of them in the AFC East standings.
On Wednesday, things took a bizarre turn when coach Bill Belichick told four players who were late for an 8 a.m. team meeting to go home. Among the tardy quartet were star wide receiver Randy Moss and veteran linebacker Adalius Thomas. That Belichick decision made life quite easy for talk-show hosts, columnists, and bloggers. Things like that simply do not happen in a vacuum. Anxious Patriots fans are now wondering, just how much trouble is there in the gridiron paradise known as Foxborough?
Another worry: Tom Brady may be far more injured than anyone in Foxborough will acknowledge. He took a frightful hit last week while delivering a touchdown pass to Moss and spent some time in the locker room, where, as he admitted in a WEEI radio interview, his time was not spent tending to equipment matters. He did not practice Wednesday or Thursday, and the Patriots acknowledged he now has a rib injury to accompany an ongoing finger problem on his throwing hand. As usual, he also was listed on the injury report as having an unspecified shoulder injury.
