It's 2001 all over again and time for the Patriots defense to Cowboy Up!

[goheels22002]

Folks, we got news for the NFL. The Patriots have been here before and things worked out just fine. Put your tapes in the VCR and head back to a time long ago when a young backup stepped up, ran an efficient offense, took care of the ball and let Bill Belichick's defense take care of business. Just ask Marshall Faulk.

With Tom Brady gone for weeks 1 through 4, it's time for the D to open up a can of whup ass and slam the door on the Cardinals, Dolphins, Texans and Bills. There's no doubt in my mind that this group can do it, and that Matt Patricia is at that point in his career where he can look down the sideline at Josh McDaniels and say, "We got this."

I have lots of faith in Jimmy G and the offense to put points on the board, but this is no time to expect 30+ a game, especially against those four defenses. If Jimmy G and all those skill players can tack 21 - 24 on the board, the Patriots ought to get to Week 5 in great shape.

I look forward to seeing the vibe in camp in a couple of weeks. There's terrific competition on both sides of the line, but I expect to see a highly motivated defense ready to take their turn as the unit to be feared by the opposition.

 

[PatsBoy12]

This isn't 2001. Vastly different team, motivation and era. But I agree that the other parts of the team become more critical. Underrated aspect to having a Tom Brady is the mistakes that go unnoticed or are mitigated because of his greatness. Provided Jimmy doesn't **** the bed, and I didn't expect him to, Brady should come back to a good record ready to lay waste to the best the NFL has tried to manufacture. I think 4-0 is realistic. The games must obviously be played, but we have a really good squad on paper and they should perform.

 

[TB_Helmet]

I think the team is going to be incredibly motivated. First, their leader has been taken away from them; Brady is as beloved by his teammates as anyone I've ever observed, and I think they rise up on his behalf, especially on the road to start the year, and then against some division rivals (where I'm sure there'll be some great bulletin board material).

Second, everyone is going to be counting them out. It's the "Nobody believes in us" mentality. They have a lot of pride on the line and if they can step up, they prove that they can win on their own merit.

This is a good example of adversity that can be beneficial to the team (extreme silver lining, but whatever). But it's the kind of thing that brings a team together, which we have seen past championship seasons (e.g. game 1 against Buffalo in 2003).

 

[Gwedd]

Right now, this is my mood. Let's DO THIS!