Help Wanted: New England Is In For a Major Reshuffle.

The 2008 season was a tough one in New England. When Tom Brady went down in week one, many thought the Patriots were done. Instead, they were fighting for a playoff spot in their last game. This off-season has brought a new challenge to Foxborough.

The challenge? Replacing key members of the organization. Scott Pioli and Josh McDaniels are the big names that everybody knows about. However, New England has also lost special teams coach Brad Seely, and secondary coach Dom Capers seems close to being gone.

Having said that, the Patriots have proven over the years to thrive under these circumstances. They had Troy Brown playing defense the last time the won a Super Bowl; they did not have threatening receiving corps during the 2006 season and they made it all the way to the AFC Championship Game; they lost their all-world quarterback and they had a winning season and a pretty respectable 11-5 record.

If anyone can overcome this, it is the Patriots. Furthermore, this is a great time for a rearranging the team. They truly need to rework some things.

Fixing the defense is the most pressing need. It is hard to believe, but for the last four years the Patriots' defense has been unreliable. They had a total meltdown during the second half of the AFC Championship Game against Indianapolis, and everybody knows what happened at the Super Bowl. I know Asante Samuel's dropped interception is not the coaches' fault, but they should have stopped the Giants anyway.

I like Dean Pees, but somehow this defense has not been as good as it used to be since he took over. I would love to see Romeo Crennel back, but I don't know if that will happen. Be that as it may, the defense needs some work and some talent. They cannot afford to have a 40 year-old playing.

Another issue that needs to be addressed is the drafting success. Jerod Mayo is a star and will continue to be. Meriweather has the chance to become a special safety, and the 2008 class looks to be somewhat good. Nevertheless, the 2006 and 2007 Drafts did not provided special talents, or depth.

The Patriots may have lost some valuable people, but they still have Belichick and that is more than enough. If the failure of Mangini, Crennel and Weis showed us something, it was that Belichick is the real force behind the Patriots’ success. Maybe the loss of McDaniels and Pioli can be the spark that starts another successful run for the Pats.