Patriots Plundered; Mystique In Tatters

    The Baltimore Ravens took more than a win out of Gillette Stadium on Sunday. In thoroughly thrashing the New England Patriots on their home turf, Baltimore left a dynasty in their wake. The much ballyhooed Team of the Decade is 0-2 in 2010. But worse than that, what ever edge they have been living off of for the last 5 years is now bankrupt; finished; spent.

If the best part of a dynasty is reveling in the glory years, the worst part is the initial fall from grace; the proverbial tumbling into the abyss. It's not like the signs haven't been lingering for years now, from finding ways to lose in Denver to coughing up big wins in Indianapolis. At least Patriot fans could bank on the Pats to take care of business at home. Not anymore.

And let there be no doubt. This was not a heartbreaking last second loss. This one stunk from the very first play from scrimmage. There are no excuses. The Patriots were beaten in every phase of the game. All that is left for the sports world to debate, is why.

Now the experts on TV will break down the X' & O's, and talk radio in New England is burning up as we speak. Judging from early comments around the football world, most opposing fans are in full kick the beaten dog mode, while Patriot fans are divided between knocking Brady and knocking Belichick, with a little poor Wes Welker talk thrown in for good measure.

Me? I think it all can be traced back to the moment the Patriots themselves killed the golden goose. Forget talk of a decade of dominance. They had a great 5 year run, copping 3 titles. They had a pressure packed, record shattering undefeated season. They rode their humble pie express right up until the last drive of the Super Bowl with the Giants. It was there that the end of the "dynasty" was born.

Far from humble bearers of the throne, the Patriots trash talked the Giants with the game hanging in the balance. The very emotion that had served them so well in climbing to the top, had now been handed to the Giants on a silver platter. The rest is history.

Sans Brady, the Pats would miss out on post season play last year. This year? You can blame it on a lot of things. Success saw an erosion of talent both on the field and in the coaching and management ranks. The drafts have produced a mixed bag of complimentary talent, but no game breakers. But arguably the biggest reason for the demise of the 2009 Patriots was the ditching of Richard Seymour for a #1 draft pick just days before the season opener.

That, coupled with shuffling Mike Vrabel out of town sent a clear message to a largely new group of Patriots. Buying in to the "Patriot Way" guarantees you nothing. You are expendable. I think Belichick lost a certain measure of respect from his team on that day, and it finally culminated in their playoff debacle witnessed yesterday. Future #1 picks don't tackle. They don't contribute. They don't exist until all the work is done. For Bill Belichick, the check came due yesterday, but all that was left in his wallet was a requiem for a dynasty.