Retro in the Right Way: These Patriots More Like 2001-2004 Than 2007 or 2011
When the confetti falls from the rafters at University of Phoenix Stadium on Feb. 1, the New England Patriots will have been on the field for 43 percent of all Super Bowl minutes contested since 2001.
The Big Game hasn’t been too kind to the Patriots in recent years, as both of their previous two trips have seen them come heart-wrenchingly close to securing their fourth Lombardi Trophy, only to have it snatched away in the final minutes, a far cry from their first three appearances this millennium, when it was the Patriots who marched down the field and won as the clock ticked towards zero.
But despite the fact that only two players remain from the three titles the team won over four years – Tom Brady and Vince Wilfork – this Patriots team that will face the Seattle Seahawks in Glendale should remind most fans of those squads as opposed to the Patriots’ most recent Super Bowl lineups.
From 2001 through 2004, the Patriots featured a strong defensive front seven featuring Wilfork and Richard Seymour on the line, while Tedy Bruschi, Willie McGinest, and Mike Vrabel commanded the middle of the field from the linebacking corps. Opposing quarterbacks and receivers trembled at the sight of the dangerous Patriots secondary that featured Lawyer Milloy, Rodney Harrison, Ty Law, Asante Samuel, and Eugene Wilson at times over the four years.
That defensive swagger returned this season for the first time since the Patriots’ last Super Bowl title. A healthy Wilfork and ends Rob Ninkovich and Chandler Jones up front, combined with linebackers Dont’a Hightower, Jamie Collins, and Akeem Ayers have given the Patriots a stout front seven.
Having been a passing doormat for the past few season, the Pats loaded up on secondary talent this offseason, inking Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner to shore up the corners, while they re-signed Patrick Chung after he spent a year in Philadelphia. Those decisions, on top of standout seasons from Devin McCourty and Kyle Arrington, paid dividends, as the Patriots held opponents to the fourth-lowest completion percentage in the NFL and the 13th fewest yards per game.
In 2007, the Patriots used their high-powered offensive attack to reach the Big Game, as the defensive core that led them earlier in the decade was showing its age. The Patriots’ record-setting ’07 season led the NFL in yards and points per game, while Tom Brady and Randy Moss each set touchdown records on their own: Brady with 50 TD passes and Moss with 23 TD catches.
Four years later, it was more of the same, as a potent Pats offense carried one of the statistically worst defenses in the league. The Patriots totaled the second highest yards on offense, while in turn their defense allowed the second most.
The two losing Super Bowl runs for the Patriots featured a fairly one-dimensional offense: Tom Brady slinging the ball all over, with little running game to be found. In 2007, Brady’s arm accounted for 4,731 of their 6,580 total yards of offense. It was the same story in 2011, as just 1,764 of their 6,848 yards came on the ground. The lack of a true running game made their offense predictable, hampering their ability to move the ball in both of their Super Bowl losses to the Giants.
That has changed this season, as the bruising ability of LeGarrette Blount and the finesse of Shane Vereen has opened up the offensive side of the ball and gives Brady more options in how to attack opposing defenses. The balanced running game brings back memories of Antowain Smith’s career year in 2001 that helped take some of the pressure off sophomore Tom Brady, while Corey Dillon’s 1,600-yard season in New England helped pace the Pats offense in 2004, freeing up space for Brady to throw.
The Patriots may be facing the toughest Super Bowl opponent they have ever taken on. The defending Super Bowl champs are sure to give Belichick and Co. fits the whole game. But as they have shown all season, this is the most well-rounded Patriots team since the last time they hoisted the Lombardi Trophy – and they’re in a great position to do it again.
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