Well said and I miss it too. Big Willie Mac
The Pats D dominated in those days; when they took the field their goal was to hit,INT,tackle,and/or get the ball. If they're smart about it and avoid a lot of penalties,hard hitting teams win. If we develop that kind of D again Matt Cassel's offense is or will become good enough.
In 2001, the Patriots were 15th in the league with 40 sacks
In 2002, the Patriots were 21st in the league with 34 sacks
In 2003, the Patriots were 6th in the league with 41 sacks
In 2004, the Patriots were 5th in the league with 45 sacks
In 2005, the Patriots were 23rd in the league with 33 sacks
In 2006, the Patriots were 5th in the league with 44 sacks
In 2007, the Patriots were 2nd in the league with 47 sacks
In 2001, the Patriots were 6th in the league with 22 picks
In 2002, the Patriots were 14th in the league with 18 picks
In 2003, the Patriots were 1st in the league with 29 picks
In 2004, the Patriots were 7th in the league with 20 picks
In 2005, the Patriots were 29th in the league with 10 picks
In 2006, the Patriots were 4th in the league with 22 picks
In 2007, the Patriots were 9th in the league with 19 picks
People here like to hearken back to the Golden Age, but they forget that we are still in that Golden Age. Right now, we're seeing the defense struggle mightily, but it's not as if this has been part of some trend.