Last modified: Sunday, January 4, 2009 1:48 AM EST Will quarterback Matt Cassel be back in 2009? (Staff photo by KEITH NORDSTROM) FARINELLA: Change in store for '09 Pats BY MARK FARINELLA SUN CHRONICLE STAFF This is a very strange weekend for those who follow the New England Patriots - either as fans, like most of you, or as individuals who cover them for a living, like me. By the time the weekend is over, the first four games of the 2008 season playoffs will be concluded - all without the Patriots, who didn't qualify for the first time in six years. Playoff football has been an annual ritual in New England since 1994, when Bill Parcells' second Patriot team qualified for the postseason ahead of schedule, and were beaten by Bill Belichick's Browns by a touchdown. Since then, through three different head coaches, the Patriots have been to the playoffs nine more times and advanced to the Super Bowl in five of those seasons. Not this year, however. Fourteen years is a long time for a period of sustained excellence in the NFL of the salary-cap era, and the eight-season span from the Patriots' first Super Bowl victory to now is also close to an eternity in the dog-years measurement of time in pro football. It's only natural that that run of success would eventually come to an end. Now, with head coaches and general managers being fired all over the NFL, it appears the time has come for the rest of the league to start picking at the corpse of the Patriots' dynasty. The interviews have already been set for Scott Pioli, the executive vice president in charge of personnel who is credited with a major role in building the dynasty, and for Josh McDaniels, the young offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach who has had positive influences upon the careers of both Tom Brady and his injury-forced replacement of the past year, Matt Cassel. Before much longer, there may be a few key retirements to follow. It's likely that Rodney Harrison has played his last down as a Patriot, and linebackers Junior Seau and Rosevelt Colvin may be inclined to return to the lives of leisure from which they were plucked toward the end of the season. One wonders if Tedy Bruschi, the longest tenured Patriot, will be so inclined to continue a career that is clearly in decline when he can transition himself into any number of new opportunities that have been created by what he accomplished over 13 NFL seasons. No matter what, 2009 will be a season of change for the Patriots. There is already considerable uncertainty over what the future may be for Brady, whose surgically-repaired left knee may not be ready for the rigors of football when training camp begins in July. That essentially holds hostage whatever decisions must be made about Cassel, a free agent, who is certain to receive incredibly attractive contract offers once the signing period begins next month. Putting the franchise tag on Cassel would be an option, even if it would cause the Patriots to absorb a salary-cap hit of the average of the top five quarterbacks in the game for one year. They might get two first-round picks for him in return if someone decides to sign him regardless of the franchise tag, but that wouldn't help matters on the field if Brady was still sidelined come September. Offense will not be a problem, however. The Patriots would still appear to have the basis for an effective offense despite uncertainties at quarterback and tight end. Defense is the big question mark. The defensive line should return intact, but with questions about whether veterans Richard Seymour, Jarvis Green, Ty Warren and Vince Wilfork can be as productive and durable as the Patriots need them to be. The linebacking corps is in need of an overhaul with NFL defensive rookie of the year Jerod Mayo and Adalius Thomas (or Mike Vrabel, who had a strong second half of the 2008 season) as the cornerstones around which new depth must be found. And the secondary is likely to need a top-to-bottom overhaul. Ellis Hobbs, serviceable as he is, should not be the No. 1 cornerback. Brandon Meriweather has shown promise as a safety, but both positions are likely to be draft priorities. The wild card in all this can be found in free agency or trades. Two years ago, the Patriots closed out a season determined to create a team that could defeat the perceived cream of the crop - the Indianapolis Colts - so they added the likes of Thomas, Randy Moss and Wes Welker and wound up just about three minutes of playing time shy of an accomplishment that could never be bettered, only equaled - 19-0. But they didn't get there. And now, a full season later and with so many more miles on the odometers of their best players, the task will be that much tougher going ahead. It's not impossible - the 18-1 Patriots or this year's Miami Dolphins proved that large leaps can be made in short amounts of time - but nothing is guaranteed. Nothing, that is, except that we in New England will have a lot of time over the next few weeks to think about these topics as we watch other teams trying to grab for the brass ring. A very strange weekend, indeed. MARK FARINELLA may be reached at 508-236-0315 or via e-mail at mfarinel@thesunchronicle.com. Read Farinella's blog, "Blogging Fearlessly," at thesunchronicle.com/farinella.