December 8
Boston Herald
columnist Ian R. Rapoport
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If the Patriots needed a harsher shot of reality, if the team needed any more of a wakeup call, it came inside the locker room yesterday. The players still were stung from Sunday's 22-21 loss to the Miami Dolphins [team stats], one that saw a 14-point lead and a potential first real road win evaporate. While fans are struggling to make sense of their team, players tried to pick up the pieces. Patriots running back Laurence Maroney shared coach Bill Belichick's blunt message to do so, one that hits fairly hard. "We need to stop living in the past," Maroney said. "We ain't the '07 team, we ain't the '03 team, we ain't the '01 team. We're the '09 team. We got to play with what we have here ..."