Looking at the 2010 New England Patriots through a historical prism would show a team that performed how you would think a young team with an elite quarterback would perform. Brady helped them overcome a lot of deficiencies, but with such a talented young roster, that will only be infused with more young talent in a few weeks, it’s clear that things are heading up.
The Patriots will probably not top their fourteen regular season wins of 2010 in 2011, but you can bet that they will be a better team considering the progression and experience of their younger players along with the return of their injured ones.
Sure, there are needs, but they have enough ammo to fill them with talented high-round picks. The Patriots first dynasty was built on a veteran defense that played clutch in the post-season and a second dynasty defense is slowly being assembled before our eyes. It hasn’t been without it’s trials, especially the last two seasons in the playoffs. As the young D learned against the Jets in January, playing clutch in the regular season is one thing, but in the playoffs it’s something else entirely.
In a lot of ways I find the story of building a defense from the ground up more interesting that hanging on and trying to squeeze one last championship out with an aging crew.
We’re witnessing something that I don’t think has ever happened before in NFL history. A Hall of Fame head coach hand picking an entirely new defense, for a system that is established and proven.
NFL head coaches just don’t get that kind of longevity, and they especially don’t have the level of control and oversight that BB has with the Patriots. Given what we know about BB I’d say it’s pretty obvious that he relishes the challenge, and the chance to construct a unit that is entirely of his own design.
To use Bill Parcells’ analogy it’s like a master chef finally getting to choose every single last ingredient. Sure, BB had total control in the past, but many of the ingredients were inherited. Now it’s his turn to pick each one, to create a masterpiece that will be years in the making.
There have been a lot of special things that Patriots fans have witnessed, the construction of BB D 2.0 is an unheralded one that we are right in the midst of and another major chapter will be added in just 22 days.
Getting an OLB like this guy would certainly help matters…