Pats bid adieu to Adalius

(This was the beginning of the end)

After a tenure that only could be viewed as tumultuous, linebacker Adalius Thomas was released by the Patriots on Monday. Like someone here in The Daily News newsroom said, “His first game was his best game,” referring to the interception returned for a touchdown he had against the Chargers in Week 2 of the 2007 season.

When Thomas signed his 5-year, $35 million deal, most Patriots fans were excited. Here was a Pro Bowl player coming from Baltimore, which boasted the league’s most dominant defense, to play in a scheme designed by Bill Belichick. What’s not to love?

Well, let’s just say the relationship between Thomas and his coach became icy. As were the roads on the day Thomas was a late to a team meeting, for which he was sent home by Belichick. Last season, he twice was sat as a healthy scratch.

In three seasons, Thomas had 35 starts, 148 total tackles and 14½ sacks. Clearly his production didn’t match his price tag or the hype.

Rumor is that Thomas be reunited with New York Jets coach Rex Ryan, who coached Thomas in Baltimore. Perhaps the most earth-shattering part of this move is that Belichick and the Patriots — notoriously cheap when it comes to signing big-name free agents — must admit failure.

If that is the case, and the Thomas experiment was indeed a failure, Belichick had better figure out how to create a pass rush with the lone veteran at outside linebacker, Tully Banta-Cain. And he’d better hope rookie Jermaine Cunningham doesn’t play like a rookie.