Think about it:
We’ll be hungrier than ever. We got close this year, but were still oh so far. We’ve made a change at defensive coordinator and will likely use the offseason to stock that side of the ball with as much talent as possible. We know what our offense is capable of—and it doesn’t have to be as good as it was this year to get where we want to be if our defense is even legitimately average. Bring in a Steve Spagnuolo or Mike Nolan, make a few key moves, let Drew and Jimmy and Sproles and Pierre and company do their thing…

We’ll have a true mission next season in a way we haven’t since 2009. That was the only thing really missing from this year. The closest we had to a unifying mission was ALL THE RECORDS, but that’s not enough. Records don’t win Super Bowls, or even MVP awards.

But winning a championship at home in the Dome? That’s the kind of thing that’ll make 2012 into a Mission Year.

—Bradley