Buddy, he went 14-3 in year one. Won his last 9 in a row including two GWDs in the playoffs securing our first Lombardi. You do realize that the 2001 roster is one of the worst if not the worst rosters to ever win a Super Bowl? Brady was the only change after starting 0-2 and you say any average QB could have won? Did you forget we had Bledsoe who Bill benched when he was healthy in favor of Brady?
Regarding your
"Brady was the only change after starting 0-2" statement, your memory has selectively excluded what some (me) consider the single most important piece of the 2001 puzzle, Richard Seymour, inserted into the starting lineup around week 4 or 5 (my memory gets blurred too).
As a starter, Seymour instantly elevated the Patriots defense into what many categorize as Bill's best NE defense. Big Sey's dominance/versatility was the foundation for Bill's morphing schemes that reeked havoc on the league in 2001 and most of that decade.
Big Sey had a major impact on special teams in 2001 as well; FG blocks in back-to-back games in November.
And it was primarily because of the team's dominant defense and excellent special teams that NE moved forward in the 2001 playoffs despite a
very below average Brady-run offense.
How below average you ask?
vs Oak........
3 FGs, 1 rushing TD (Brady)
vs Pitt..........
1 Punt return TD (Brown), 1 Passing TD
(Bledsoe to Patten),
1 Blocked FG TD (Harris),
1 FG
vs SL.............
1 INT TD (Law), 1 Passing TD (Brady to Patten),
2 FGs
To summarize:
Of the 6 TDs scored by NE in the 2001 playoffs, the Brady-led offense managed 2 of the 6 TDs.....aka..... 4 pts/game
Vinatieri directly outscored Brady 24-12 in the 3 games.
Special teams equaled Brady 12-12.
To put Brady's anemic scoring output into context, Brady's 1 passing TD in these 3 playoff games is
almost but not quite on par with Cam Newton's 5 passing TDs in 13 games this season.
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Regarding your
"the 2001 roster is one of the worst if not the worst rosters to ever win a Super Bowl" statement, currently 8 players (4 offensive) from the 2001 team are in the Patriots Hall of Fame with several more waiting in the wings to be no doubt enshrined in due course.