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NFL.com news: Patriots have become the tough-minded team Belichick desired
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Two years ago, following a 2009 campaign that saw the New England Patriots lose a home playoff game to the Baltimore Ravens, I was talking with Bill Belichick about his team. The Patriots coach kept hammering home one conclusion: "I need to make this team tougher and any player we bring in here must be really tough."
Just two seasons removed from nearly achieving absolute perfection, the Patriots were in the midst of great change. New England revamped much of its roster in the 2009 season, starting with a trade of Pro Bowl defensive lineman Richard Seymour a week before the season opener. But those changes failed to produce the kind of players Belichick desired, and after the playoff loss he set out to fully redesign his team around toughness.
Yesterday, that goal became a reality. Belichick now has a tough-minded team that will not quit, and certainly won't "fade away when they get punched in the mouth," as Baltimore running back Ricky Williams claimed early last week. This team's newfound grittiness was on full display against the Ravens, as it won a game without star quarterback Tom Brady playing like a star. Brady himself admitted after the game he played "horrible," but his teammates showed the toughness to keep competing when things were not going well.