thanks for posting . . . I love Rodney but Rodney is now part of the media and well we all know what those guys are like . . . just saying . . . maybe Rodney is trying to indirectly modivate his old team, but the reality of the situation I can't agree with Rodney . . .
Surely that D gelled 01-05, but how did it do in 02?, i think it went 9-7 and missed the playoff do to a tiebreaker (thanks to Brett Favre losing to the Jets) . . . and how did the defense do 05-07, i think Rodney forgot to mention those parts, albeit he was injured in two of those years, 05 and 06, and likely would have helped . . .
the problem with comparing two eras is one needs to compare all aspects of the situations . . . for right or for wrong there are some major differences between the two eras
The 01-04 team had the following:
RAC as DC, Weiss as OC, and Mangini and McDanils in the mix, and Woicik in the weight room
A great front seven with a pre-injury Seymour, Washington-Wilfork, Warren, Bruschi, McGinest, Johnson, Phifer, and FAs Colvin and Vrabel, and Cox
Futhermore, most of the front seven (and the secondary) were all hitting their prime in 01-04. Indeed, a good portion of the team, McGinest, Law, Brushci, Johnson, Milloy started in the mid 90s, lost a SB and did not really have all that impressive run from 97-00, when most were the age of teh present secondary . . . but as they matured they got better and gelled in 01-04 along with the above mentioned FAs . . .
so bottom line I like what Rodney is preaching, but the reality of the situation is the team needs to play a certain way due to the talent and the talent up front . . . these guy are young, prehap no different than our D 96-00 and need time to mature . . . also we do not have as solid a coaching staff and a weaker front seven, with the latter limiting what the secondary can do . . .
so ya we can talk about 01-04 and the present but must be mightful that the 01-04 secondary had much more support surrounding it than our present secondary . . .
I know some have mentioned Samuel, I liked him too, but what gets unnoticed among all the INTs, are all the big plays he gave up when he left his spot to go ball hawking . . . i wish someday there will be a stat for big plays given up (or even just yards given up or first downs given up) from a player leaving his position on the field, if that stat were looked at some might see that Samuel is not all INTs alone . . . just saying . . . I dont think we need to mention whose man Tryee was in that catch not to be mentioned . . .