There will be some so called experts in the next week and a half leading up to the Super Bowl that will tell us why the New England Patriots cannot possibly continue this miraculous run they are on. And they will be dead wrong for the third straight week. But even if they aren’t, even if the Eagles bring Super Bowl XXXIX back to the City of Brotherly Love, it will be hard to overlook what the Patriots have accomplished. Win or lose on February 6, 2005, the New England Patriots will go down as one of the greatest teams in football history. In the immortal words of The Doors, “the time to hesitate is through.” Forget about the Super Bowl, now is the time to start realizing what the Patriots have done.
In an era dominated by free agency, the New England Patriots have been the quintessential team for the past four seasons. From the moment they were introduced as one at Super Bowl XXXVI, there was something different about these guys. Forty-seven men are allowed to dress for every NFL game. And from the first player dressed, to the last player dressed, if you are in the New England locker room, everyone is the same. There is no special treatment for Pro-Bowlers, or leniency for poor execution for the rookies. The Patriots win as a team, and every now and then, they lose as a team too. No team can make replacing a player look as easy as the Patriots do. And it isn’t because they are untalented players playing in a flawless system, it is because they are very good players, who believe in their coach. With starting corners Tyrone Poole and Ty Law out since midway through the season, the Pats haven’t missed a beat, even against the Colts. All-pro defensive end Richard Seymour has yet to suit up for the playoffs, but the abundance of young, talented defensive linemen from recent drafts have filled in quite nicely. Hard hitting safety Rodney Harrison was even shaken up a few times against the Steelers last week and replaced by Dexter Reid, and still the Pats didn’t miss a beat.
The media doesn’t like the Patriots because they are blasé. They are the same every week and therefore, no fun to write about. Well, the media couldn’t be more wrong. Unless of course by the same, the media means methodic in game planning, and near flawless in execution week in and week out, then I must disagree with them. The past two weeks are a perfect example. First, the Patriots went into the divisional round of the playoffs with home field advantage, a better record, and…an underdog tag. Why not though? The Colts were, after all, the fifth highest scoring offense in NFL history. Peyton Manning had thrown a record 49 touchdown passes, and according to their “idiot kicker” the Patriots were “ripe for the picking.” But this time, the Patriots might have finally taken something personally, and as a result, they held that prolific offense led by Peyton Manning to nothing more than a field goal. Then this past week, the Patriots came into the game as slight favorites according to Vegas, but the critics still weren’t convinced and most picked the Pats to lose for yet another week. I mean, this was the Blitzburgh Steelers, people were so pumped up about this team, it reminded them of the Steel Curtain defense. They had a super rookie at QB, the best running attack in the AFC, and the best run defense in the NFL. This was a team built for playoff success. So the Patriots took what the Steelers gave them, and scored 41 points on the best defense in the NFL. Two playoff wins, against two polar opposite teams, and the critics are still not convinced. Every week results in a new hero. Whether it be Brady, orchestrating a fourth quarter rally, Corey Dillon running rampant, Rodney Harrison laying vicious hits on receivers, or Willy McGinest making goal line stands, the Patriots simply find ways to win.
The Patriots are a model franchise in the NFL. In a time where players switch teams faster than you can say Michael Jackson, the Patriots roster going into Super Bowl XXXIX will feature twenty players who also helped them win Super Bowls XXXVI and XXXVIII. And with the help of many others, including Lawyer Milloy, Otis Smith, Ted Washington and Antowain Smith, the New England Patriots have accomplished some remarkable things. They put together a twenty-one game winning streak (including the playoffs) between 2003 and 2004. The Patriots of ’03 and ’04 also put together back to back 14-2 seasons, and two consecutive trips to the Super Bowl, with one victory, and one still pending. In two seasons the Patriots have won 33 of the 37 games they have played for a .891 win percentage.
Never has a franchise turned another team’s trash into gold so well. This past off season the Patriots gave the Bengals a second round pick for disgruntled running back Corey Dillon, and he didn’t make the Patriots regret it one bit. He was the third leading rusher in the NFL during the regular season. And, he looked pretty happy on Sunday for a guy who is supposed to be a clubhouse cancer. Rodney Harrison joined a season earlier and fit in immediately like he was there all along. But make no mistake, the Patriots also get the cream of the crop in the NFL too. When they signed Roosevelt Colvin, he was perhaps one of the most coveted free agents that off season. But he was sold on the Patriots winning ways. They convinced him that though he might not get the money he would elsewhere, or be able to be the center of attention, he was going to be a winner, and he was going to be on a team that would do some special things. From the free agents, to the rookies, to the crafty veterans who have been with the team all along, everyone buys into the same philosophy.
Now a hero in Boston, Red Sox manager Terry Francona once said, “I think wins are the only thing that isn’t overrated.” Funny he should say that, because wins are the Patriots’ best category. Since the start of the 2001 season in which they started their miraculous run, the Patriots have gone 57-16 including the playoffs. They don’t send the most players to the Pro Bowl, nor do they statistically have the best defense, or offense. Their quarterback doesn’t set records for touchdown passes in a season, and they don’t appear on video game covers or in freaky Nike commercials. But they do win, which is perhaps, like Francona said, the only category that doesn’t lie.
Since the first Lombardi Trophy was handed out in 1967 for winning the Super Bowl, there have been seven back to back champions, and one historic team that won it three times in four years. On February 6th, the Patriots have a chance to join both of those groups in one game. Tom Brady can move to 9-0 in the playoffs, and Bill Belichick can move to 10-1, or, one game better than the man whom the Super Bowl trophy was named after. I don’t expect them to rename the trophy anytime soon, but win or lose, the New England Patriots have cemented their place in history among the best teams ever. They will forever be remembered as the greatest team of their era, just like the Packers of the 60’s, the 49ers of the 80’s, and the Cowboys of the 90’s.
So stop and smell the roses. Keep a close eye on the Patriots in the next week and a half, and remember it. Remember it so you can say you watched one of the greatest teams ever. History happens everyday, and if you don’t stop to pay attention every now and then, you might miss it. The quintessential team, is walking softly, and carrying a big stick. Watch them do it. Watch them, so that one day you can tell your children and grandchildren how football was played in your day. And until Sunday’s game is in the books, the only D-word mentioned around New England should be defense.
