Is It Time to Blow Up the New England Patriots?

The New England Patriots lost Super Bowl XLVI. Let's all let that soak in, take a deep breath and hold back the urge to panic. 

For the second time they entered the game favored to beat the New York Giants, yet failed to get the job done. It's incredibly disappointing and I'm sure it really hurts for New England's fans today. That said, the Patriots are still one of the best teams in the NFL and while the roster is in need of some upgrades and tweaks, there is no reason to think it needs to be blown up.

The Patriots have lost four of their last six playoff games and haven't won a Super Bowl in seven seasons despite being touted as a favorite each year. Still, despite all of the disappointment, the team was just four minutes from a title on Sunday night.

New England's defense was far too porous this season. Yes, a big part of the yards allowed came because they were often scoring so many points that opponents threw the ball in an attempt to keep up.

Even with that in consideration, New England needs to add some talent to the front seven in order to get more pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Meanwhile, depth must be added to a secondary that clearly struggled to stay with talented receivers. 

Cornerback Ras-I Dowling will hopefully return healthy next season, which will help, but the Patriots will probably have to add some talent to the secondary through the draft. 

New England has four picks in the first two rounds of this year's draft, and for once, the Patriots should resist the urge to trade down and use those pick to address their defensive needs. They must also find a suitable No. 2 receiver to complement Wes Welker, who I expect to return despite his status as an unrestricted free agent. Deion Branch is decent but he's a step slower than he used to be and at this point in his career. He profiles as a No. 3 receiver, no more.

The Patriots also must add some depth along the offensive line. While the unit performed admirably this season, allowing just 32 sacks despite 612 passing attempts, you can never have enough bodies up front on offense. 

While the window on the Tom Brady era in New England is slowly closing, the 34-year-old signal-caller showed this season that he can still sling it. If the front office upgrades a few spots this offseason, the Patriots could enter the 2012 season as one of the favorites to return to the big game.