The famed Patriot Way is a pile of rubble now, the final blows applied this week by each mind-boggling allegation against Aaron Hernandez that came tumbling out.
Don’t be surprised if the Patriots’ dominance on the field soon follows.
While it would be foolish to count out Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, especially in a division as consistently weak as the AFC East, the obstacles now standing in the way of New England’s dynamic duo have never been this daunting — and Brady, who turns 36 in August, isn’t getting any younger.
Consider this: Thanks to the loss of Hernandez and the potential unavailability of fellow Pro Bowl tight end Rob Gronkowski due to recent back and arm surgeries, Brady could go into Buffalo in Week 1 without his top five receivers from last season.
Hernandez, Gronkowski, Wes Welker (now with the Broncos), Brandon Lloyd (released in March) and Danny Woodhead (now with the Chargers) accounted for a whopping 84 percent of the Patriots’ receptions in 2012, as well as 82 percent of the receiving yards, 84 percent of catches covering 20-plus yards and 85 percent of the touchdown receptions.
In a word: Ouch.
“You take away that many productive people from any quarterback, even a guy who’s all-world like Brady, and there’s going to be at least an adjustment period,” an NFC general manager told The Post. “They’d better hope the doctors are right about Gronkowski [coming back by Week 1], because I can see Brady getting frustrated really quick.”
Sure, the Patriots added a potential Welker clone in ex-Ram Danny Amendola and former Falcons first-round bust Michael Jenkins, and Tim Tebow’s fans remain giddy about the prospect of him becoming an H-back or tight end in New England.
Brady also has a history of making the best of a misfit receiving corps, most memorably leading the 2006 Patriots to a 12-4 record and the cusp of a Super Bowl while throwing for 3,500 yards despite having Reche Caldwell, Troy Brown and Doug Gabriel as his primary receiving targets.
But that was seven years ago. That was before Spygate, before Brady had suffered a season-ending knee injury, before their offense became centered on two tight ends and, above all, before the franchise suffered the seismic psychological shock of seeing one of its best players exposed as — and it’s hard to type these words — a potential serial killer.
Not only that, but the Patriots don’t have as far to fall on the field as their many defenders seem to think.
It’s still labeled a dynasty in a lot of corners, but that label is now long in the tooth in Foxborough. Not only was New England’s last Super Bowl win during the 2004 season, but Belichick’s team is just 8-7 in the playoffs since then — including an unsightly three postseason losses at home, all in the past four years.
Even more outdated is Belichick’s reputation as a defensive genius. Despite a lineup of high choices hand-picked by their control-freak head coach, Belichick’s defenses ranked a dismal 25th, 31st and 25th in the NFL in total yards the past three seasons.
What has largely kept the Patriots’ “dynasty” tag afloat has been the inability of the Jets, Dolphins or Bills to mount any consistent threat to the Patriots’ stranglehold on the division. That isn’t likely to change with the Jets or Buffalo this year, but Miami is determined and shows potential.
One thing’s for sure: Thanks to the Patriots’ offseason from hell, the door is now open for everyone.