Let's do a bit of a crossover with this week's 20 thoughts, which pay close attention to New England's past and future.
1. It was surprising that Patriots defensive lineman Vince Wilfork didn't speak to the media after Sunday's loss, but he was apparently livid over the way the Jets celebrated and showboated on the field. Then, it was even more surprising the captain didn't speak again Monday. Wilfork has always been a stand-up guy, and he spoke a ton after the Pats' playoff loss to the Ravens last year, so something must have really bothered him. He did, however, make an appearance on WEEI on Monday.
2. Locking up left guard Logan Mankins should be the Patriots' top priority this offseason. It's hard to tell what will happen with a new collective-bargaining agreement, but the Patriots can negotiate with Mankins until the CBA expires March 3. After that, no one can negotiate with anyone. It's also interesting to note that there's no scheduled start to free agency, since that doesn't occur until after the start of the league year.
3. It will be interesting to see how the Patriots handle left tackle Matt Light, who is also entering free agency. Obviously, the Pats are in good shape with Sebastian Vollmer as their likely left tackle of the future, but they might not want to mess with any chemistry on a line that played spectacularly well in the regular season. If Light, a 10-year veteran who turns 33 in June, wants to chase one last contract, he won't have a place in Foxboro anymore, but if he's willing to leave some money on the table, head coach Bill Belichick would absolutely take him back.
4. Also, at this point, it's too tough to assess the crop of right tackles who will hit the open market, but it's not like they'll be flooding free agency. Plus, the Patriots might not want to gamble with the notion that they could just pluck a starter out of the draft. If they've got to pay a tackle this offseason, Light would probably be the most sensible option.
5. Speaking of the draft, some scouts believe there will be second-round talent starting in the bottom-third of the first round. The Patriots have picks 17, 28 and 33, so they might not get the major haul in talent that many believe. Because of that, it would be nice to see them break from their philosophy and try to move closer to the top 10, where they could land a premier defensive lineman.
6. With that, you know the Patriots aren't going to be thrilled about using a first-round pick on a player with a second-round grade, so it wouldn't be the least bit shocking to see them trade out of picks 28 and 33 (the first pick of the second round).
7. The skyrocketing rookie salaries have been a major reason why the Patriots have been reluctant to trade up in the first round, and now that a rookie salary scale has been agreed upon for the new CBA, maybe that will change the way Belichick does his business.
8. Sammy Morris scored a two-point conversion Sunday on "The Kevin Faulk Play," a direct snap to the running back. That's the term many Patriots fans use for the play, and as it turns out, that's what New England's defensive players call it, too.
9. Seriously, though, were the Jets the only people who didn't see that play coming? The first thing I thought, when Tom Brady lined up in the shotgun with an empty backfield, was, "How are they going to run a direct snap to a running back if there's no running back next to Brady?" Ah, then Morris motioned in from the right slot.
10. On Tuesday, I went through my top 10 plays from the Patriots' season, but I want to use this space to include my honorable mentions. It included quarterback Brian Hoyer's first career touchdown pass, with a nice assist going to a diving Brandon Tate; cornerback Kyle Arrington's pick-six against the Packers; cornerback Devin McCourty's interception while outleaping Calvin Johnson, who is one of the three best wide receivers in the NFL; Brady's touchdown pass to Deion Branch prior to the half in Chicago; tight end Rob Gronkowski's third touchdown grab during his Pittsburgh homecoming; BenJarvus Green-Ellis' final run of the season to put him over 1,000 yards; and the Patriots' collective effort to stifle Randy Moss in his return to New England (that's not one play, I know).
11. Watch for Thursday's post that will list the Patriots worst 10 plays of the season. That's going to be a more difficult list to construct, although the cynic would just say, "every play in Sunday's loss to the Jets."
12. It wouldn't be shocking to see the Patriots change it up at safety next season. Patrick Chung will be back, but the Pats could potentially move on from Brandon Meriweather or James Sanders, who are both under contract for 2011. It seems unlikely that Jarrad Page will be back, and the Patriots are going to give Sergio Brown, Bret Lockett and Josh Barrett a shot to make the squad, too.
13. It's wildly rare to find a future Hall of Famer who is completely at ease with being a mentor to younger, far-less-established players the way running back Fred Taylor was this season. And when he said he didn't mind being a healthy scratch for Sunday's game, he was being genuinely honest. Would Taylor have preferred to play? Of course, but this is why he was such a consummate teammate. If Taylor retires, the NFL will lose one of its best people.
14. McCourty's tackling prowess ranks high on his list of physical skills, and his statistics prove that, too, as 71 of his 83 tackles in the regular season were solo stops.
15. It's always a little surreal being inside Gillette Stadium when the Patriots are cleaning out their lockers and departing to parts unknown for the offseason. All of the players, many of whom are millionaires, pack everything they've got into garbage bags and load the cargo into their cars.
16. Because running back Laurence Maroney was a first-round draft pick just five years ago, he'll get a chance somewhere in the 2011 season. However, his recent arrest — no matter how minor it was — won't help his case. Obviously, neither will his career-low 74 rushing yards.
17. With former Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels joining the Rams as their offensive coordinator, St. Louis now has the two great coordinators from Super Bowl XLII on its coaching staff. Steve Spagnuolo, who was the Giants' defensive coordinator in that game against New England, is the Rams' head coach.
18. One of the things players love about Belichick is that he'll almost never call them out to the media, and Belichick reaffirmed that notion this week when he refused to discuss the botched fake punt, which was called by Chung, who was very hard on himself for it.
19. Even with the uncertainty with the labor situation, Chung put it best: "You've got to prepare like you're going to be back [on time]. You never know. You could be back like regular, or you could not be back. Everybody has to get prepared. … Regardless, you have to get fired up for the offseason."
20. In case you missed it Tuesday, here is a complete schedule for the Patriots' 2011 offseason, which should help everyone try to move forward after Sunday's loss.
