By Randy Whitehouse,Staff Writer

With three Super Bowl titles in the last four years, the New England Patriots have graduated from being described by adjectives like “great” and “unbeatable” to nouns, like “dynasty” and “machine”.

The “machine” label has been a favorite for many who see it as an apt description for what they perceive as a complex, coordinated and efficient organization that discards the will of the individual for the betterment of the organization. Observers have marveled at the Patriots’ ability to add and remove parts each year in the era of free agency and the salary cap and not break down, or even slow down.

The designer, operator and mechanic of that machine is head coach Bill Belichick, and, over the past seven months, he has had to spend more long hours in the repair shop than at any time in the Patriots’ reign.

The loss this year of two trusted coordinators, as well as what many considered the heart and soul of the defense, if not the entire team, in Tedy Bruschi and Ty Law, have led many to conclude that Belichick will be working with too many replacement parts this season for the Patriots to win an unprecedented third consecutive Super Bowl title.

Belichick’s retooling work began not long after he shared a celebratory embrace with offensive coordinator Charlie Weis and defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel in the waning moments of Super Bowl XXXIX. With Weis hired to take over at Notre Dame and Crennel bound for his first head coaching job with the floundering Cleveland Browns, the head coach wasted little time promoting one of his most trusted assistants, Eric Mangini, to defensive coordinator. The prodigal (34 years old) secondary coach assumed Crennel’s duties on Feb. 11, less than a week after the Super Bowl.

The anticipated announcement regarding Weis’ replacement never came, however. Belichick still hasn’t clearly explained who will be the Patriots’ primary game-planner and/or play-caller for the offense, though speculation has revolved around several offensive assistants and Belichick himself.

“It’s a group of people that are working together, that have been working together, that are going to continue to work together, and we need to make that operation as efficient as possible,” Belichick said.

The coach was describing how his offense will be run this season, but the statement translates to the entire team, and its approach to the transition from last season to this season.

Transition game

“The transition is every year, whether it’s the coordinator or players who are moving on. There’s always something that changes about your offense,” said tackle Matt Light. “It’s not going to be the same every year.”

Personnel-wise, things are much closer to being the same as last year on offense than they are on defense. The biggest change is along the offensive line, where veteran guard Joe Andruzzi was lost to free agency and replaced with first-round draft selection Logan Mankins. New wide receivers Andre Davis and David Terrell and second-year tight end Ben Watson are also expected to make an impact.

New additions aside, Light thinks the players’ familiarity with each other and the system will make carrying on life without Weis a smoother process.

“We have a lot of guys that have been in this system for a while,” he said. “We know what’s expected of us and we know how these plays are supposed to be run. Now, it’s just communication and getting the transition over and playing football. It shouldn’t be that hard.”

That’s easy to say when you’ve got a two-time Super Bowl MVP quarterback and a dominant running back leading your offense. But this is the first year Tom Brady, who had a close relationship with his offensive coordinator, has had to play without Weis.

Having Corey Dillon, who set a new team record last season with 1,635 rushing yards, back for another year will help take the pressure off Brady and the passing game. The quarterback noted, however, that it’s a two-way street.

“Corey did a great job last year,” Brady said. “We would like for that to continue, but that really depends on how well the offensive line plays and how well the play-action pass game is.”

New people, same expectations

Weis’ departure and the unknown about who will fill his void could lead one to conclude that the Patriot offense is in for a noticeable philosophical change, whereas the emergence of Mangini, a Belichick and Crennel disciple, will leave the defense more recognizable.

“Anytime you add a new person to the mix, you’re going to get differences just because each coordinator – each person that’s calling the plays – has their own fingerprint and their own way of doing things,” Mangini said. “Even though there are going to be some similarities, I’m sure that, just by virtue of me being new in this role, there will be some things that look a little different.”

To the untrained eye, though, it may be hard to separate what looks different because Mangini is calling the plays and what looks different because different personnel are making the plays.

Only the defensive line, a unit stocked with promising young players, was relatively untouched by personnel changes on defense. Bruschi’s hiatus this year and the retirement of veteran mainstay Ted Johnson left a hole at linebacker. Belichick and vice president of player personnel anticipated the loss of Bruschi and signed Chad Brown and Monty Beisel, free agent acquisitions who have never played inside linebacker in a 3-4 defense. They will now man the middle, possibly with help from outside linebacker Mike Vrabel, who saw some time inside before sustaining a leg injury in preseason.

Belichick and Pioli also reinforced the secondary with veteran cornerbacks Duane Starks and Chad Scott and rookie Ellis Hobbs to help out Randall Gay and Asante Samuel, who were the only corners left standing late last season after Law and Tyrone Poole went down with injuries. Poole is back as well, while Law is now patrolling for the New York Jets.

“Regardless of who’s on the field, you’re still expected to perform at a high level,” said outside linebacker Rosevelt Colvin, who could have a more prominent role this year. “Every year you’re going to have turnover, whether it’s players or coaches. You’ve just got to prepare yourself the best you can individually so you can help the team better. You’ve still got 10 other guys out there depending on you to do your job.”

And that’s what keeps the machine running. Belichick replaces the parts that need replacing, and the new parts focus on doing their job. They don’t let the fact that other parts are being replaced, or that they will one day be replaced, distract them from making the operation as efficient as possible.

And actually, it’s not that complicated, said safety Rodney Harrison.

“You’ve got to keep making plays if you want to have success,” he said. “That’s the difference between winning and losing, guys making plays. If you continue to make plays, you’ll continue to have success. If you don’t, you won’t, simple as that.”