New England Patriots: Points That Must Be Addressed in the 2011 NFL Offseason

An AFC East title and the No. 1 seed throughout the 2010 NFL playoffs was more than any New England Patriots fan expected.

Losing to the New York Jets in the divisional round, though, was a bigger letdown than just about anyone in America expected.

With a big upset like the Patriots had against the Jets, it'd be too easy to point fingers hastily:

"Fire Patrick Chung!" "The Patriots need a big play wide receiver!" "Tom Brady played like a girl, trade him!"

But perception isn't always reality, and is more heavily impacted by more recent events.

Thus, the shortcomings in one playoff loss don't necessarily mean the Patriots need to overhaul their roster after a 14-2 record.

Here are a few things the Patriots will need to do to remain competitive in 2011.

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Re-Sign Logan Mankins

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FOXBORO, MA - SEPTEMBER 03: Logan Mankins #70 of the New England Patriots looks on before the game against the New York Giants on September 3, 2009 at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

I don't think you'll find anyone who disagrees that Logan Mankins' expiring contract should be priority No. 1 for the New England Patriots this offseason.

Mankins is the glue that holds the offensive line together. I think the Patriots saw how much he adds to the offensive line simply with his toughness and violent style of play.

The differences may not show up in the stat sheet, but there was a clear difference in the way the Patriots offensive line played with and without Mankins.

Some may say that the relationship between Mankins and the Patriots is tarnished after what happened this past offseason, but Mankins returned several weeks early, and Bill Belichick was gushing over him shortly thereafter.

Both are clear indicators that the relationship is still reparable.

Draft Offensive Linemen

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FOXBORO, MA - JUNE 7: Matt Light #22, Logan Mankins #70 and Dan Koppen #67 of the New England Patriots listen to instruction during Mini Camp at Gillette Stadium on June 7, 2008 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

Building off the last slide, the Patriots still have some work to do in getting younger along the offensive line.

Simply re-signing Mankins won't do the trick.

Matt Light will be 33 years-old by the beginning of the 2011 season, and his contract expires this offseason. With the amount of money he will likely command on the free-agent market, Light probably won't be back in New England.

Dan Koppen will be 32 years-old, and has sometimes been considered a weak link of the group. The Patriots may elect to give Ryan Wendell a shot after extending his contract, but might look to add more depth in the draft.

Steve Neal will likely be out of football in 2011, after signing a one-year deal last offseason while contemplating a career as a cage fighter. The Patriots certainly have depth though, with Dan Connolly and Rich Ohrnberger.

There are question marks across the board on the offensive line, and picking up one or two linemen in the draft should help the Patriots find long-term answers. And let's face it: Nothing should be more important to New England than protecting Tom Brady.

Re-Sign BenJarvus Green-Ellis

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FOXBORO, MA - JANUARY 16: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots drops back with BenJarvus Green-Ellis #42 of the New England Patriots against the New York Jets during their 2011 AFC divisional playoff game at Gillette Stadium on January 16, 2011 in F

Green-Ellis is truly one of the more inspirational stories on the Patriots roster.

After many considered him to be "on the bubble" before the 2010 season, he became the first 1,000-yard back for the New England Patriots since Corey Dillon in 2004.

With Danny Woodhead recently extended, the Patriots now need to lock up the other half of their dangerous backfield and may even benefit from adding another body to their rotation.

Find a Pass Rusher

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PITTSBURGH - NOVEMBER 14: Ben Roethlisberger #7 of the Pittsburgh Steelers is hurried by Jermaine Cunningham #96 of the New England Patriots during the game on November 14, 2010 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty

Okay, the Patriots have ignored this pressing issue for far too long. Now, it must be addressed.

After the 2006 season, when Tom Brady's receivers were the ultimate downfall against the Colts, the Patriots went out and grabbed exponentially better receivers, entirely turning over their roster at that position.

I'm not suggesting a similar approach to the outside linebacker position, but the inability of the Patriots to put pressure on Mark Sanchez against the Jets directly contributed to his three touchdowns and astonishing 127.3 quarterback rating.

A pass rush specialist in the first round? Bill Belichick would never do such a thing; he preaches value as the key determining factor in his draft picks, and having a guy who only plays on third down wouldn't seem to add much value.

On the contrary, ESPN Patriots blogger Mike Reiss had a valid point in his mailbag column on Tuesday, saying, "...I think those standards can be loosened if you think you have an explosive edge rusher who could help your sub packages. The Patriots were in sub packages more than 50 percent of the time."

Tully Banta-Cain got a nice contract for three years, and it's clear he is a pass rush specialist; why not bring in someone who can be even more effective in the first round of the draft?

Name an Offensive Coordinator

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FOXBORO, MA - JANUARY 10: Head coach Bill Belichick (R) and quarterbacks coach Bill O'Brien (L) of the New England Patriots look on against the Baltimore Ravens during the 2010 AFC wild-card playoff game at Gillette Stadium on January 10, 2010 in Foxboro

In his first year calling plays for the Patriots offense, Bill O'Brien caught a lot of criticism for what many fans and experts were calling vanilla, predictable play-calling on offense.

In his second year as the quarterbacks coach and unofficial offensive coordinator, O'Brien made many improvements, and the offense made progress in leaps and bounds as they rolled over everyone.

That was, until they met the New York Jets in the playoffs.

It would be unfair to judge O'Brien based on that one game—the Patriots offense did, after all, make a mockery of some of the best defenses in the league (45 points against the Jets, 39 points against the Steelers, 31 points against the Packers).

It is clear, though, that Bill Belichick should no longer assume the role of offensive coordinator.

Of course, he should be involved in drawing up the game plan, but it's time to give O'Brien the title. That will help free up some time for Belichick to focus on his strong suit—the defense.

Add Playoff-Hardened Veterans

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FOXBORO, MA - DECEMBER 06: Former New England Patriots Tedy Bruschi reacts during a halftime ceremony honoring his playing career as the Patriots host the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium on December 6, 2010 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa/Ge

The Patriots are building a young team, but the lack of a playoff mentality was noted by Tedy Bruschi after the loss to the Jets.

The team forgot the words that Bruschi said on "Tedy Bruschi Night" (coincidentally, the night the Patriots defeated the Jets 45-3). He proclaimed that the Patriots organization was about "hanging banners."

Adding veterans who have experience when it counts is important.

Tom Brady can't lead the team on his own. Neither can Bill Belichick. The guys all said they understood they were at 0-0 now, but did they really?

The Patriots should look into bringing in guys who can help the team not just in a positional way, but in a motivational way or in a way that gives the young players mentors to look to for advice.