Patriots are at a cross road ...

It's December 13th and the Patriots find themselves at 7-5 and at a pivotal point in their season. They can go either way -- continue going south or right the ship and kick in a typical Patriot playoff push. This past week has not been an easy one. Four prominent players were late for an 8am team meeting - Adalius Thomas, Randy Moss, Gary Guyton, and Derrick Burgess - and immediately sent home by Bill Belichick. Was it a move to flex his power and prove a point or was it simply 4 players (out of 61) who were not willing to put in the extra time and effort as Belichick demanded to begin the week?

Regardless of the answer, the Patriot dynasty and reign of dominance is teetering on a cliff right now. They are 1-5 on the road, with their only win coming in London against the lowly Tampa Bay Bucs. Essentially they have yet to win on the road, whereas you compare that to their 3 super bowl teams road records ... 5-3, 6-2, and 6-2. The ability to win on the road in a hostile environment, especially during the playoffs is not only paramount, but it has been a Patriot staple since Belichick took over in 2000.

Something is not right at the moment with the Patriots. Off field issues with Adalius Thomas appeared to come to an ugly head this week. He publically mocked and riduculed Belichick's decision to send him home. If you are going to critize Bill in public to the media, you may as well pack your bags. For Adalius, his suitcase zipper appears to be closing quickly. He is inactive for today's key game against the Carolina Panthers - meaning he'll be a spectator like the rest of us. I would be shocked if he makes it to January, despite the monster contract he signed. It's safe to say, Adalius Thomas has been a bust. He was clearly a product of the players (Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, et al) and system of the Baltimore Ravens.

On the field, the Pats are all over the map. Problems with their secondary has been well documented - from their age to the poor performances. It's not humane, however, to expect a defensive back to closely guard an NFL receiver for the amount of time the Pats are allowing. Their is zero pass rush. QB stallworths like Chad Henne are able to stand in the packet and survey the field. Eventually a receiver will get open. When your best pass rusher is Tully Banta-Cain ...Houston, Err New England, we have a problem. Derrick Burgess? Hello?

On the flip side, the Patriots offense has become as predictable as it is boring. Needless to say, the days of Charlie Weis and Josh McDaniels clearly are no longer. Remember when 7 or 8 different Patriots would catch balls? Remember when the Patriots took what a defense gave them? Remember throwing the ball to the tight end? Look, they have 2 dynamic receivers in Moss and Welker, but clearly they miss that 3rd option. Jabar Gaffney was a perfect outlet for Brady. They thought they had that replacement when they signed Joey Galloway. Oops. Now, apparently it's Sam Aiken. Why every defensive coordinator does not simply take Randy out of the game is beyond me. When Moss is limited in production, the Patriots offense struggles. Or perhaps the key is to double Wes and try to make a clearly uninterested Randy Moss beat you. Did you ever think that day would come?

With all of their issues, I still believe the Patriots can make a run. However, it must start against Carolina. At 4pm today, we'll know for sure if the off field problems will be too much to handle. Perhaps they can't overcome the losses of key veterans such as Rodney Harrison, Richard Seymour, Tedy Bruschi and Mike Vrabel. Or perhaps they just aren't as good this year. We'll know for sure at 4pm.