I thought today's article by Jackie MacMullan was a good one. It basically talks about the core group of veterans on this team, especially the players who have been there for all three Superbowl wins. It has some good quotes, especially about these guys fighting through injury.
http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2007/01/11/the_clubs_ranks_are_dwindling/
I liked this quote from Brady, defending the linebackers from some criticism that they've lost a step:
The rest of the team follows their example:
Repeating the Patriots mantra:
I just thought it gave a good look at how much toughness and pride the core group of vets on this team has.
http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2007/01/11/the_clubs_ranks_are_dwindling/
So now there are 10 (technically 11, if you count Patrick Pass, who is on injured reserve). The remaining charter members of all three Patriots Super Bowl championship teams are Tom Brady, Richard Seymour, Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel, Matt Light, Troy Brown, Kevin Faulk, Larry Izzo, Lonie Paxton, and Stephen Neal. Their average age is 30.6 years.
I liked this quote from Brady, defending the linebackers from some criticism that they've lost a step:
"People said why did Tedy drop that pass? Well, why do you think he dropped it? He's playing with one hand. He's been wearing different casts all season. Mike Vrabel, he's playing inside linebacker for us. Well, he's an outside linebacker, and he's banged up. And in spite of all that, we're 13-4."
The rest of the team follows their example:
"Those guys have been through it all," noted cornerback Asante Samuel, a two-time Super Bowl alumnus. "You can't win the whole thing without veteran leadership. They know what it takes. We've been following their lead all season."
Repeating the Patriots mantra:
As he scurried away, Izzo was asked if some of his teammates felt overlooked this season.
"Winning is what matters," he said. "That's the only thing those guys care about."
I just thought it gave a good look at how much toughness and pride the core group of vets on this team has.