Draft day debacles

There are dozens of columns and blog entries claiming that the Patriots' decade of dominance is over. New England appeared in five AFC title games and four super bowls - winning three of them - since the start of 2002, but Sunday's loss can't leave fans feeling good about the future.

And looking at recent draft classes, the next few years look even more bleak. Take last year's draft. Sure, Julian Edelman (seventh round), Darius Butler (second)and Sebastian Vollmer (third) contributed, but what about Patrick Chung (second) and Ron Brace (second)? Chung was a special teams guy who all too often was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct, while Brace rarely saw the field.

How about the 2008 draft? Other than Jerod Mayo, selected No. 10 overall, the Patriots have either cut ties or don't play Terrence Wheatley, Shawn Crable, Kevin O'Connell and Bo Rudd. Jonathan Wilhite and Matthew Slater also were drafted this season, but they're hardly superstars.

The 2007 draft? Do the names Kareem Brown, Clint Oldenburg, Justin Rogers, Mike Richardson, Justise Hairston, Corey Hillard, Oscar Lua or Mike Elgin ring a bell? Didn't think so.

There are other high draft picks through the years that didn't pan out, and that will be the case for all teams. But Bill Belichick used to be the gold standard of using late-round draft selections to pick talented but under-the-radar guys. Guys like Matt Cassel (seventh roudn, 2005), Tully Banta-Cain (seventh round, 2003), Asante Samuel (fourth round, 2003), Dan Koppen (fifth round, 2003), David Givens (seventh round, 2002), Jarvis Green (fourth round, 2002) and Tom Brady (sixth round, 2000).

The point is, the Patriots no longer have that Magic 8-Ball when it comes to the draft. It seems as though Indianapolis and Scott Pioli have it (Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon) and the results to prove it.