The long draft draught really killed them, and Belichicks inability to pick corners hurts. McCourty was a waste of a draft pick. I don't give a shit how the rest of the season pans out, but McCourty is not first round worthy. I think coaching the young players is a real problem when it comes to the corners/safeties. Every cover guy they take seems to regress after their first season. There is a legitimate problem with how these guys are coached. I don't know if it's Belichick or the defensive coordinator/cornerbacks coach or whatever but that person needs to be fired.
My secret hope was that Rex Ryan would be fired at the end of this season, and the Pats would hire him. I would also take back Romeo Crennel in a heart beat. Pats need a legit defensive coordinator like Rex Ryan. He may get a ton of shit from New England fans, but that man can fucking coach defense. He does a terrific job out of getting the most out of his players defensively even when they lack the talent.
One thing the fans will probably harp on is that the Pats could easily be 6-0/5-1 and have lost all of those games by like 5 points, but that is a terrible fucking sign. It means you can't close games out, and are a bad team.