What lies ahead for Aaron Hernandez, and the New England Patriots

When you heard the name Aaron Hernandez about three months ago, you would think of words and phrases such as powerful, tough, rising NFL star. When you hear the name Aaron Hernandez today you think of words and phrases like murderer, screw-up, prison. A lot has changed for this kid's life, as he is not worried about winning football games anymore, he is worried if he will spend life in prison for murder. For those who may not know, Aaron Hernandez allegedly killed Odin Lloyd, a 27 year old semi-pro football player. He shot  Lloyd on June 17, 2013, in Attleboro, Mass. This situation will not only have an effect on Hernandez's already successful football career, it will also take a toll on his now former NFL team, the New England Patriots. With all the evidence that has already been collected for this case, I can only imagine how Hernandez won't be in prison for life.

Let's just say this off-season wasn't the best for the Tom Brady dynasty New England Patriots. They lost one of the best slot receivers in the game, Wes Welker, to the Broncos. Welker and Brady had great success in New England, and the Patriot organization must hate to see him go. The Patriots had Wes Welker from 2007-2012. In that timeframe, Welker had outstanding statistics. With 7,459 receiving yards, 37 touchdowns, and 672 receptions. Some people say it was only because he had Tom Brady throwing the passes, I disagree. Welker is a phenomenal football player, and will do great things in Denver with Peyton Manning. The Patriots also lost players like Danny Woodhead to the Chargers, and also released wideouts Brandon Lloyd along with Deion Branch. To try to make things better, the Patriots signed Danny Amendola from the Rams for a 5-year, 31 million dollar deal. I believe this is too much for this injury-prone wideout, and won't be the same as Wes Welker was with the Patriots. With Aaron Hernandez's situation, Gronk not being the same since 2011 with that forearm, and free-agent losses, these Patriots won't be the same unless Danny Amendola turns into Jerry Rice this season.