New England Patriots Information
The New England Patriots are the closest thing the NFL has to a “dynasty”, even though they’ve got plenty of work left to make that assessment a fact. The Patriots surprised a lot of people with their play during the 2001 season, winning the AFC East and eventually winning the Super Bowl. They finished 9-7 in 2002, but missed the playoffs. After opening the 2003 season 2-2, they went on to win the next 15 games they played en route to another Super Bowl championship over the Carolina Panthers. Many will argue that the Patriots aren’t even close to the dynasty level, and even the team agrees, but they’ve kept the team intact for the most part, and they don’t have a big name superstar on their salary cap, so there isn’t as much turmoil as there is on other teams. Part of the reason for that can be attributed to head coach Bill Belichick and his “all for one” philosophy. The organization is set up behind a defense that plays as one and an offense that controls that ball and the clock. Belichick has been the head coach of the Patriots since the start of the 2000 season and he’s compiled a 42-25 season over four years. His winning percentage with the team is far and away the best the organization has ever seen, even with a 5-11 season in 2000.
The offense of the New England Patriots is led by two-time Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady, a quarterback who was drafted in the 6th round out of Michigan. Brady didn’t post amazing touchdown or yardage numbers in 2003, but he had a 2-1 ratio in touchdowns to interceptions, a number that any team will take. Antowain Smith and Kevin Faulk split carries last season with Smith recording four more yards on four more carries. The off-season addition of Corey Dillon from the Cincinnati Bengals should provide more stability for the entire offense. The Patriots had six receivers record at least 28 receptions last year, and the receiver with the most receptions and yards (Deion Branch) only recorded 57 receptions for just over 800 yards.
The defense of the Patriots probably won them a few games alone last season. Three players recorded 100 or more tackles, three players had 5 or more sacks, three players had 5 or more tackles for loss, five players forced at least two fumbles, and five players had at least three interceptions during the season. This was a team in the truest sense of the word, and that chemistry and knowledge of each other more than likely had something to do with their winning the Super Bowl last season.
The big off-season acquisition of running back Corey Dillon wasn’t the only move the Patriots made after their victory at the end of the season. They lost defensive lineman Ted Washington and offensive lineman Damien Woody to free agency, but they also managed to sign corner back Terrell Buckley and defensive lineman Keith Traylor to balance everything out. The Patriots were also quite active in the NFL Draft by making eight picks over the two day period. Their two first round picks were used on defensive tackle Vince Wilfork and tight end Ben Watson out of Miami and Florida, respectively. The Patriots are quite deep at both positions, but Wilfork and Watson were the best players available at those positions, and they’ll be used effectively in the Patriots system. Their other two picks on day one of the draft were used on defenders. In the second round, they selected Marquise Hill, a defensive end out of LSU. In the third, they chose Guss Scott, a safety from Arkansas. Both should rotate into games in the 2004 season to give short breaks to the defensive starters.