The sport of politics. The politics of sport.

In our house, a den of Patriot loyalty, the shrouds are just coming off the furniture as we end our mourning period for the 2007-08 legend that was the current New England team.

We’re just waiting for the NFL Combine, so we can see who Belichick is looking at in the draft pool to boost the team’s offensive line and aging defense. I don’t know what’s going to happen with the line: all I know is that Matt Light was starting to have trouble on his side keeping people from coming around the corner and getting to Brady, and he was also prone to false starts.

Look for Belichick to keep Junior Seau and Tedy Bruschi on the payroll, even if they don’t get much action in the coming season. The Pats need some bigger, faster, younger guys in its front three or four – but they also can’t afford to cut the heart and soul out of their defensive nucleus while that heart is still beating and that soul is still stirring.

As talented receiver Troy Brown spend last season on the sidelines as a receivers coach, so don’t be surprised to see Seau and/or Bruschi filling similar roles for a revamped defense.

Asante Samuel’s fate is a bit of a question mark, but we hope he’ll be back to make up for what he himself admitted were missed opportunities in the Super Bowl. We’re hoping the Pats will look at acquiring a taller cornerback to add to their secondary — someone a la Ty Law — to challenge lanky, troublesome receivers like Plaxico Burress.

The Pats know they need to address these vulnerabilities in their ranks, because the greatest offense and greatest defense could well meet again next season, maybe even in the playoffs.