Forward thinking

There's still a lot of looking back going on regarding the Pats' disappointing loss to the Ravens. Not here. As coach says, we're moving on. And looking ahead. I'm already anticipating the draft in late April.

It looks like -- other than the usual need for a pass rusher and a cornerback -- that the Pats are in need of a big, fast wide receiver. A quick look at some mock drafts online shows there are a few that would fit the bill and could be around when the Pats are on the clock in the first round. There's DeAndre Hopkins of Clemson, Keenan Allen of Cal, or Terrance Williams of Baylor. Any of them would look good catching passes from Tom Brady.

Belichick hasn't stocked up on picks as usual. The team only has five going into the draft. A first, a second, a third, and then two in the seventh. You have to think he will be dealing some of those five to either add some picks in the middle rounds or load up for the 2014 draft. I would love to see Belichick deal Welker (sadly, I think it's the smart thing to do) and the Pats' first-rounder (29th) to the Lions for the fifth pick in the draft and either their third or fourth round pick. The Pats could then go get Bama cornerback Dee Milliner and grab a wideout in the second round. But trying to predict what Belichick will do in the draft is an exercise in lunacy unless you predict he will pick at least one tight end.

But it's not the players yet to come that make looking ahead fun for Pats' fans. It's all the guys currently on the roster. Even though the Pats are led by a future hall of famer in his final few years (sob), he is surrounded by one of the youngest rosters in the league. More than half the players on the team are 25 or younger. Especially on defense. Jones. Hightower. McCourty. Dennard. Spikes. Deaderick. Francis. Wilson. There's a lot of young talent there. Mixed with the veteran core of Big Vince, Mayo, Love, and Ninko and the defense should keep moving in the right direction. A little better coaching might help, too. The defense doesn't have to be great. That's the offense's job. The defense just has to be good. It hasn't quite reached that point yet. But it's getting there.

Two of the biggest complaints about the Pats after their loss to the Ravens were that they weren't big and tough enough and that they didn't have enough explosive plays. The solutions to those problems may already be on the roster.

The first issue -- not big and tough enough -- is solved every time Gronk steps on the field. He's due to be healthy come playoff time ... for a change. And if he is, he might be joined by Jake Ballard. Remember him? He's the tight end Belichick stole from the Giants before last season who has spent the year rehabbing from a knee injury. Another young, big, talented tight end. If Gronk and Ballard can stay healthy they will be a force catching passes and blocking everything in sight. And that will allow Hernandez to stop wasting his time blocking and play the slot. On defense the toughness level may have been raised with the acquisition of D lineman Armond Armstead from the Canadian Football League. The CFL you ask? Yes. The CFL. Scouts have reportedly said signing him is like getting a high first-round pick. We'll see.

As for big plays... Olympic track speedster Will Demps should be ready to make an impact. A complaint heard each week at the tailgate was "Why did we waste a roster spot for Shiancoe when we could have saved it for Demps down the stretch?" We'll soon find out if Demps can provide the big play on special teams the Pats have been missing.

We'll soon find out something else, too ... If the Pats can put another disappointing home playoff loss behind them and make another run at Lombardi #4.

2013 would look pretty good on one of those banners.