Poor analogy for your argument...the Byzantine and Holy Roman Empires followed..just as the Pats show the league you can rebuild, transition and continue to win.
Posted by krismk

Dude:  You are the short-sighted moron who needs to be schooled in the NFL.  You haven't been paying attention to the general deterioration going on in Foxboro. Letting players go in Free-agency, making bad draft pick after bad draft pick, and constantly stockpiling picks for next year when they need players now.  Yeah they can still be competive in the league for the moment.  In bigger scheme of things, the Pats, like the Celtics in the late 80's, lare letting themselves get old, have made and continue to make bad drafting decisions, and are in the process of dropping from an elite team to a joke within 2-3 years.  The Pats are headed in the same direction. The Pats aren't doing the things that they need to do in order to be competitive moving forward. 
Posted by Plluto29

Actually, my analogy is extremely apt.  Your exactly right.  New entities, separate and distinct from the source empire were created after bloody wars and in-fighting along with a general loss of purpose from the leadership.  And what was the result of this.  A general decline in the robustness of the original Empire.  Can the Pats re-invent themselves.  Sure. But at what cost?  One year, two years, three or more years of being poor to mediocre before a new incarnation appears? The Pats were bad in the early 70's then became an up and coming team in the mid-70's then fell apart by the early 80's.  They got good again in the mid-80s but then fell apart until the Big Tuna came on the scene in the early 90's. The Pats thrived until Pete Carroll showed up and the eventual decline came and they were terrible again.  Then Belicheck shows up and we are good, then great. We are on the inevitable down-side of the Belicheck era (an admittedly longer successful era than the Pats organization has ever known before) unless the Belicheck braintrust can consistently infuse new, cheaper talent along with some playmaking ability from free-agents and higher round picks. 
Posted by Plluto29

Playmakers are for ESPN highlight reels.  Guys who work hard and do their job on the field are what make this team great.
Posted by themightypatriots

plluto....if you jump off the Harvard Bridge about 25 paces from Mass Ave, you will hit a rock that will put you out of your misery...
Posted by Sveltics

  Playmakers like Terrell and OchoCinco, yeah that is how to build a team.  For the knucklehead that sees Roman decline, 29-6 over the last two years is proof to the contrary. We came into this offseason with needs in the secondary, DL and OL.  Secondary:  We got a consensus first round corner at 41, we got the top ranked strong safety, and we signed two veterans CBs on top of the two picks from last year.  This has to be an upgrade over Hobbs and O'Neal. LB - we picked up an ILB, but we picked up three last year remember.  With Thomas, Mayo, Bruschi, Crable, Guyton, returning we certainly have invested in this position.  If we pick up Taylor for a year or two, even better. The DL - by picking Brace we may have an option for next year if Wilfork pulls an Asante.  Its called being prepared. Receivers - we replace our departed 3rd receiver with Galloway.  Unless he is injured, that will be an upgrade.  We have a highly touted prospect to groom -or dump if he doesn't toe the line. RB - we return with Faulk, Maroney, the Law firm and now add Fred Taylor.  OL - we have three picks to begin grooming QB - we replace a nice kid that had a better than hoped for year, with the best to ever play. Oh yeah, we trade 2 third round picks this year for 2 second round picks next year. I sure can't the decline you are talking about 
Posted by Encinitas