Patriots then hardly resemble Patriots now
Brady evolved as QB, defense no longer dominant and only stars are on offense
Jim Rogash / APNew England's defense used to be filled with All-Pros such as Ty Law. That's not the case today.
The 2007 Patriots
Brady was: An international superstar, tabloid fodder, and a man who threw off the “wins without stats” label by generating gobs and gobs of stats while still winning.
Belichick was: Richard Nixon in a hoodie. Between SpyGate and allegations of running up the score against weaker foes, Belichick came across as a man whose quest for victory had turned sinister. It has been a hard-to-shake reputation.
The Style: Bombs away. Brady threw bombs to Randy Moss and screens to Wes Welker until the Patriots had a comfortable 24 point lead. Then, Brady threw bombs to Randy Moss and Wes Welker. The defense was still exceptional, so we enjoyed/endured two months of 52-7 and 56-10 scores before opponents finally found ways of at least closing the gap.
The Stars: Brady. Moss. Welker. The days of dumping short passes to Jermaine Wiggins seemed like a quaint, ancient memory. Bruschi and Vrabel were still veteran stars on defense, joined by defensive tackle Vince Wilfork and cornerback Asante Samuel, who were youngsters during the previous Super Bowl runs. But the 2007 Patriots were all about scoring, scoring, scoring.
Do You Remember: Laurence Maroney? He led the 2007 Patriots in rushing with 835 yards. Maroney had incredible rushing talent, but he couldn’t catch, couldn’t play through injuries, and never mastered the finer points of the offense. The former first-round pick was always on the injured list, or in the doghouse, and when the Patriots gave up on him in 2009, most fans blotted him from their memories.
BeliGenius Points: It was general manager Scott Pioli who executed the Moss and Welker trades. But it was Belichick who decided that Welker (then an unremarkable slot receiver for the Dolphins) was a must-have, and who saw Moss a potential fit in an organization that didn’t seem to have room for such looniness.
In a nutshell: When we think of the dominant, arrogant, easy-to-hate Patriots, we think of the 2007 team that went undefeated until the Super Bowl. But 2007 was an anomalous year for the Patriots. Before that season, the team was still trying to generate offense with guys like Reche Caldwell at receiver.
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Brady was injured in 2008, and when he returned the Brady-to-Moss air strike had lost much of its zing. The 2007 season colors our perception of the Patriots to this day. They are now a short-passing team with a problematic defense, but we cannot help but see the 16-and-woah team when they take the field.
The 2011 Patriots
Brady is: A living legend whose image can withstand any embarrassment, even those footwear ads.
Belichick is: Robber baron, mad scientist, and cartoon villain. Belichick hasn’t exactly shown his softer side in the years since 2007, but we no longer fear that he will blot out the sun if he thinks the Patriots have a better chance at winning a night game.
The Style: Short passes to Welker and the tight ends, and holding on for dear life on defense.
The Stars: Rob Gronkowski, Mark Anderson, and some old friends like Welker.
Will You Remember: Kevin Faulk? Faulk has been with the team since 1999. That’s a long time to be a third-down back and sometime return man.
BeliGenius Points: Julian Edelmen as receiver/nickelback/returner/toothpick/screwdriver. Aaron Hernandez as tight end/running back. The Patriots remain committed to finding unique ways to use quality athletes.
In a nutshell: This is the weakest Patriots team to reach the Super Bowl since the first team on this list. Their defense cannot match any of the others on this list, and their offense is not up to 2007 standards. They may still beat the Giants, but it won’t be because of things that happened four, seven, or ten years ago. The ghosts of Patriots past won’t play next Sunday. The Patriots present, however, are still pretty darn good.
Mike Tanier writes for NBCSports.com and Rotoworld.com and is a senior writer forFootball Outsiders.
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