How Many More?

How many more Super Bowls for the Patriots?

Everything I kept reading and hearing this offseason was how the two-time defending Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots wouldn’t be the same team this year. They lost their offensive and defensive coordinators – Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel. Linebacker Tedy Bruschi had a mild stroke in February and won’t play this season and another stalwart on their defense, linebacker Ted Johnson hung up his cleats. No way the Patriots will be the team to beat in the AFC again this season. I agree, because they’re the team to beat in the entire NFL.

The Patriots have already built themselves a dynasty winning three of the last four Super Bowls, and the rest of the league has a long way to go before they’re not the team to beat. Watching them last night, I thought to myself, “Charlie who? Romeo…?”

They are a product of their head coach Bill Belichick and their quarterback Tom Brady. Things are always precise and planned out. Brady went out last night and threw for 306 yards and two touchdowns like he was playing a pickup game at the local park with friends. At times he was laughing with his teammates and at other times he was barking words of encouragement to remind the fellas that they wouldn’t lose. He doesn’t get rattled and might be more “cool” than Joe Montana, his boyhood idol.

With Brady and Belichick they’ve always got a chance. Brady’s demeanor and play is stellar and Little Bill’s defensive schemes are legendary. But with guys like Richard Seymour, Rodney Harrison, Willie McGinest, Deion Branch, Corey Dillon and Adam Vinatieri helping to act out the play, they’re the team to beat.

Al Michaels made mention last night about how good this Patriots team is at Gillett Stadium, but ABC never showed any stats about it. So I checked – and I was baffled. 22-2 in regular season games and 3-0 in the playoffs…25-2. They haven’t lost a home game since the second to last game of the 2002 season against the NY Jets. That’s incredible and has got to be on the minds of visiting teams when they play in Foxboro.

Last night was just more proof to me that the Patriots are the team to beat. Talk up the Colts and any other AFC team – fine. I’ll say until my face turns green that the Eagles are capable of beating them too…that’s fine. But until somebody does knock this team off we’re watching poetry in motion. Now I’m not suggesting that the Oakland Raiders are one of the top five teams in the AFC this season – because they’re not. But the Raiders have a pretty good team and we all know that during any given game a B team can beat an A team.

Until they lose that big game, Brady, Belichick and the fellas are the best team out there.