The Best Defense Is A Good Defense

It took an elite defense to expose the flaws in the Patriots not-so-elite offense--a weakness that I (and many others) thought could be overcome by the sheer strength of the Belichick Way. Well, maybe not.

Tom Brady looked out of sync and extremely uncomfortable with his ability to compensate for a stalled running attack with his less than stellar receiving corps. There are just so many times you can go the well with Troy Brown and Ben Watson before the really good defenses (like Denver's) will figure it out and frustrate you at every turn. On Sunday night, in an embarrassing 17-7 loss to the Broncos, frustration was the watchword for your three-time champion New England Patriots.

It didn't help that two of the options that might have helped (Chad Jackson and Corey Dillon) were out of commission for most of the game. When your short-handed offense becomes further short-handed, you will likely end up on the short end of the stick. Bingo.

And, friends, it doesn't get any easier--as the Pats parachute into Cincinnati to face a feisty 3-0 Bengal squad. Fasten your seatbelts, 2006-7 might just be a bumpier ride than we had previously suspected.

"Running" For Cover

It was another robust running game that made the difference in the Pats' 24-17 win over the New York J-E-T-S at New Jersey. Despite the dominance of New England through 2 1/2 Quarters (24-0), the final stats show that on nearly every measure except those related to running, the teams came out pretty much even. Thanks to a couple of circus second-half TDs by the Jets, total net yards, time of possession, number of plays, average yardage gain, even yards-per-pass were virtually identical.

However, thanks to the "Gilette Twin Blades" of Corey Dillon and Laurence Maroney, the Pats achieved 8 rushing first downs to zero for the Jets. New England had 147 net rushing yards to New York's 51, and the Pats nearly doubled up the Jets on average yards per rush (3.8 to 2.1). Of course, these lop-sided comparisons speak volumes about the effectiveness of the New England front four--which stifled the meager Jets running attack at every turn.

This is a new, receiver-reduced world for the three-time Super Bowl champs, and they have the running tools to dominate their new circumstances. Most of Tom Brady's struggles--if you can really call them that--are due to the hand he has been dealt by management. He, and the likes of Jackson and Caldwell and the others will get on the same page at some point, and then this offense--steeled by this renaissance of the run--will be all the more potent.

Branch Pruned; Tree Healthy

Spare me the rending of clothing and gnashing of teeth over the Deion Branch trade. Sure, it would have been better for the team's championship chances if the Super Bowl MVP were running routes and getting open for Brady this year. But at what point will the Pats fan base realize that the very essence of this team's success is in its business model? Specifically: Don't overpay for talent when there are acceptable alternatives. One player's absence (with the obvious exception of Brady) does not break the back of the team.

So, while the departures of McGinest, Givens, Vinatieri and Branch are not something you want as an organization--there is something to be said for the "whole is bigger than the sum of the parts" strategy that has yielded 3 Super Bowl banners for the faithful. You don't have to be a Coach B sycophant to realize that the best model for NFL success in the 21st century resides right here in Foxboro.

Personally, I hate to see Branch go. But, come on. We have not only survived, we have thrived is similar situations over the past five years.

Conversion "Charts" Way To Win

While it may seem a tad simplistic, you can argue that the difference between winning or losing the Pats' season opener was that we converted our 4th down opportunities (2) and the Bills did not (1). It's often these little things that loom large in the world of NFL "parity", and as Bill's defensive end Aaron Schobel aptly observed, "You can tell why they have won three of the last five Super Bowls. They know how to finish games." Indeed.

After falling behind 17-7 in a miserable first half, the Patriots' defense shut down the Bills completely for the final 30 minutes. And, on the other side of the ball, it was mostly the two-fisted running game of Maroney and Dillon (behind a resurgent offensive line) that wore down the Bills.

The momentum shift occurred in the third quarter, with the Bills poised to place the dagger of a 24-7 deficit into the Pats. But a fourth down stand deep in their own end reversed the tide. The crowd, the Pats, the media, even the Bills could sense the turnaround.

So, even on a day when Tom Brady was way less than perfect, their star wideout was a holdout, and their inspirational leader (Bruschi) was hurt, this team managed to eek out a win over a division rival that had its sights set on an upset.

All (The Same) Systems "Go!"

With all the question marks surrounding this 2006-2007 Patriots team (thinness at wide receiver, an aging linebacker corps and a new placekicker to name a few), there is one constant that will likely have more influence than anything else: the essential stability of the Belichick "system".

As the Globe's Mike Reiss aptly points out in his pre-season assessment of the team, "In all, the Patriots' offensive, defensive, and special teams systems have remained intact over the last seven years." And, it's not just any system. It's one that has delivered three Super Bowl wins. The real genius of Coach B has been his ability to find "football players" who can make the system work to its fullest potential.

So, even with one of youngest Patriots teams in years, there is every reason to believe that the system will override any youthful indiscretions. In fact, young players with the mental acuity to grasp the complexities of the "Patriot Way" are more likely to contribute. Our nomination for this year's "kid who will look like a veteran" is outside linebacker Pierre Woods--a rookie free agent who should see a lot of playing time in both the 3-4 and 4-3 schemes.

All in all, it looks to us that the system will again propel this team to a legitimate shot at another ring.

Giant Yawner

I hate to dampen the euphoria in the Greater New Jersey area, but, uh..we left Brady home. So, the 31-23 "victory" by the New York Football Giants, in fact, rings rather hollow.

What this game did from a Patriots perspective was solidify the confidence in Stephen Gostkowski (3 field goals, one of 54 yards) as a reliable kicker with "plus distance". Basically, this was a tune-up scrimmage with the respective "first teams" playing one series. And, in that series, the Brady-less offense was still impressive, with Matt Cassel leading a 67-year rumble for a score. Ho-hum.

This game will likely be remembered for two things: Coach B showing his rollicking sense of humor by playing Troy Brown at quarterback and...I take it back, that's the only thing. Memo to the residents of the EXIT 37 area: This one doesn't count.