After the euphoria dies down, after the parades and the talk show appearances and the commercials, the New England Patriots will get back to what really counts: repeating as the Super Bowl champion.
Don’t bet against them.
Few teams in recent NFL history have been in such strong shape to stay on top. Not only are the Patriots the best-coached team in the league, they have mastered the difficult chore of subordinating individual goals for the good of the organization.
Tom Brady has become a star, a two-time Super Bowl MVP.
“Whatever notoriety he gets, he deserves tenfold,” linebacker Ted Johnson said.
But, far more important, Brady is a winner who readily puts the won-loss record ahead of his own statistics.
He’s not the only Patriot who does so, either. Not by a long shot.
“We’ve seen a true team and a true champion,” Patriots owner Robert Kraft said. “That is how you measure this team.”
Exactly. Don’t measure it by any numbers other than 15 straight victories. That’s the only thing these players regard as significant.
It’s also one major reason New England is in good position to become – dare we say it – an NFL dynasty. Everyone buys into the program devised by coach Bill Belichick.
Veterans such as Rodney Harrison and Ted Washington readily sign on and fit in perfectly. Rookies are drafted as much for their attitudes and intelligence as their skills, then are given important roles. Eugene Wilson and Dan Koppen wind up as starters – and champions.
The Patriots don’t overwhelm anyone with their talent. They’re all role players, really. But they play those roles exactly the way Belichick and his staff plot them.
Wilson, for instance, was a cornerback in college. Belichick and defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel saw him as a free safety who would provide outstanding coverage skills in a complex defense.
Naturally, they were right.
Three offensive linemen went down during the 2003 season and playoffs, yet Brady was not sacked in the postseason. The replacements were just as efficient as the starters, and in the Super Bowl, guys like Koppen, Tom Ashworth and Russ Hochstein held off one of the league’s best defensive lines.
New England is so versatile that it can win any kind of game. These are not the 1999 Rams, who needed shootouts to prosper. Or the 2000 Ravens, who relied almost exclusively on a powerhouse defense.
The Patriots win low-scoring matches and bombs-away games. In their winning streak, nine games were decided by eight points or less. Some of those were defensive battles, some were wide-open offensive displays.
Personnelwise, the Pats figure to get better next year. Sure, they face a decision on All-Pro cornerback Ty Law, who will count almost $9.5 million against the salary cap next year and more than $12 million in 2005. But they could move Wilson back to the corner, or simply use one of two first-round draft picks in April for a defensive back.
Rosevelt Colvin, their top free-agent signing last year, played only two games this season. If he comes back healthy, an already deep, intelligent linebacker unit improves exponentially.
Defensive tackle Richard Seymour was an All-Pro in his third year. Receivers Deion Branch and David Givens and tight end Daniel Graham just finished their second seasons, while speedy wideout Bethel Johnson had a strong rookie year. Offensive coordinator Charlie Weis has eight quality linemen to choose from.
The running back by committee approach has worked. The special teams are solid enough, particularly cool placekicker Adam Vinatieri, whose final-seconds field goals won both titles.
Crennel and Weis aren’t going anywhere, which keeps intact the best coaching staff around.
Most of all, the Patriots have Belichick and Brady. Both could be lifting the Super Bowl trophy often in the next few years.
AP-ES-02-03-04 0323EST
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