Tom Brady and the Patriots are back on top of the football world. (USA TODAY Images) |
From humble beginnings, to Super Bowl Champions. This has been a marvelous ride for the Patriots in 2014-2015. It hasn’t always been smooth, but if there is one thing you can say about this team,….they’re never boring.
As the confetti rained down on the Patriots fourth Super Bowl win in the Bill Belichick, Tom Brady era one has to wonder if the duo can work the magic again because they are truly special.
Going back to last spring now is interesting as Belichick the GM was being loudly chastised as going to sleep on Belichick the coach and not providing Brady with “enough weapons” on the offense.
Denver, fans and sports radio commentators harped was “ALL IN”, signing Aqib Talib, DeMarcus Ware and Emmanuel Sanders. Belichick was criticized for only signing Brandon LaFell, the WR from the Carolina Panthers while his much ballyhooed teammate, Steve Smith signed with the Baltimore Ravens.
The journey to this championship started back in the spring with OTAs and mini-camps and as always Belichick put his own personal stamp on these things, calling them great team building opportunities.
We were sitting in the bleachers during the June mini-camp with binos trying to figure out who the players were since they were out there without numbers. With the sea of different prospective players who were vying to make the team, it wasn’t easy.
After one particular play, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe, Erik Frenz of Boston.com and myself all called out a different player’s name we thought made a nice play. We then looked at one another and chuckled. Volin said it best, “write down whoever you thought it was,” he said. “Until the numbers come on, it is inexact at best.”
Training Camp Questions: There was no shortage of story lines for the beginning of training camp once the team got started in the July heat. Aaron Dobson, who missed all of the spring after putting off foot surgery until April was missing and would miss all of the OTAs, mini-camps and all of training camp until the final day.
Dominique Easley the team’s top draft choice was also missing, after suffering a torn ACL during his final college football season. Both would labor to get on the field and eventually end up on IR.
All eyes were on Rob Gronkowski and new comer Darrelle Revis. Gronk, who had been through a nightmare stretch of arm and back surgeries, was not looking himself initially. He returned to the field half-way thru 2013 when a devastating hit tore his ACL. And he too was laboring in the July sun and at times seemed to be hobbling out there. But most importantly for him he WAS out there.
The team took a very cautious approach with Gronk this summer, no contact, drills off to the side with Tom Brady as he slowly worked back into shape. Revis, who himself was whispered that he wasn’t the same player he was prior to his 2012 ACL surgery, looked like the old Revis. And he completely bought into the team approach, encouraging his fellow defense members and even helping out Gronk on the side with Brady.
Browner Arrives with a Bang: Fellow newcomer on defense Brandon Browner stood out from Day 1 mainly from his size. He towered over his teammates in the secondary and early in camp wasn’t displaying his trademark physicality and aggressiveness. Some were even whispering, that maybe he lost a step and wouldn’t be the same without his “Legion of Boom” teammates.
He heard those comments and put those fears to rest when early in practice on July 30, he started to show what opponents had in store for them. He rode Kenbrell Thompkins across the line of scrimmage, long after the whistle and then rag-dolled him to the ground like a sack of laundry. It continued throughout the day, Browner even got into a shouting match with WRs coach Chad O’Shea. But the gauntlet had been thrown down.
The next day during 11-on-11 work near the goal line, Revis picked off a Brady pass and returned it for a pick six, touching off a wild celebration for the defense. This was a sign of things to come for this unit in 2014 and it begun with some physical play.
LaFell Struggles Early: Brandon LaFell made no bones about his struggles with the Patriots system and playbook, stating his head “was spinning” trying to learn the intricate route-tree system of the Pats offense.
Every player has to be in an exact position on the field for Brady to work the offense. And everyone knows Brady will freeze out any WR who he doesn’t have trust in. LaFell struggled to master it in his head and it showed on the field.
Once again the whispers started that the Pats whiffed on another WR, joining Joey Galloway, Torry Holt, Chad Ocho-Cinco and other vets who came here and couldn’t get on the same page with Brady. But LaFell stuck with it and put the time in, studying long hours in the film room and worked with Brady on the side of the practice field.
Even after getting shut out of the first two games, LaFell and Brady stuck together and things quickly fell into place. LaFell turned in career highs in receptions, touchdowns and yardage (over 1000 yards regular season and playoffs), and became the big, physical wide receiver the team lacked in recent years. He can go up and catch the ball in traffic and give them YAC (yards after catch) and the ability to break tackles.
Brady, Garappolo and the Myth of the “Declining”QB: Tom Brady had to answer questions before the season started over a piece that stated he was no longer one of the top tier of QBs in the league. Then with the Patriots drafting Jimmy Garappolo in the 2nd round of the 2014 NFL Draft, the entire ‘he’s on his way out’, fiasco played out. Brady for the first time in his career was questioned about his ability. Every incomplete pass in camp was dissected in detail.
Brady even answered questions about his own football mortality stating, he’d retire “when he sucked”. After the first month of the season, those questions reached a crescendo. No one is questioning him now.
Mankins, Kelly Jettisoned: Two shockers near the end of training camp ensued, Tommy Kelly who like Vince Wilfork who was returning from a serious injury that derailed his 2013 season was cut. Kelly was arguably the Patriots best DL until going down in the Cincinnati game and seemed like his old self again.
Then the real shocker came when the Patriots traded long-time OL stalwart guard Logan Mankins to the Bucs for TE Tim Wright. With the offensive line a question mark heading into the season it was very surprising that the team would trade its toughest member, a guy who played most a season with a torn ACL away. It seemed like an ominous way to start the 2014 season. And the play of the offensive line did nothing to disprove the notion that Mankins should have been kept in the beginning of the year.
A Bad September Raises Doubts: The Patriots laid an egg on Week1 in Miami. They couldn’t stop the run, couldn’t protect Tom Brady and were routed in the second half. Premature burying of the team and Brady began but reached fever pitch three weeks later after a disastrous MNF game in Kansas City.
The loss against the Chiefs was perhaps the nadir of both Tom Brady and Bill Belichick’s careers in New England. Both were openly questioned, every move dissected. Trent Dilfer told a national audience, “they’re soft….not good anymore.”
Bucky Brooks said the Dolphins may be the best team in the division. Opponents smelled blood in the water.
Week 5 Turnaround: Not only did Brady, Belichick and the Patriots answer the bell, they did it in resounding fashion, destroying the Bengals 43-17 on national television.
Gronkowski was finally healthy and back to being his dominating self. The offensive line, after playing musical chairs for the first month, settled on a starting lineup and played well. And Brandon LaFell had found his niche in the offense and was becoming a key part of the offense. The Pats reeled off three wins in a row.
Meat of the Schedule: Fine…the naysayers said. We’ll see how good they are after playing Chicago, Denver, Indy, Detroit, Green Bay and San Diego in six consecutive games before we say they’re back.
The Patriots aced their exam going 5-1 and dominating almost all of the games, only dropping a tough loss to the Packers in Lambeau. The team WAS back and on top of the heap in the AFC.
Big wins over the Dolphins (41-13), avenging the Week 1 loss and the Jets set the stage for home-field advantage for the playoffs. Resting many of their top players in the season finale against Buffalo, didn’t deter the team a bit, and the Patriots earned a bye week.
3 Games to Glory: Facing the Patriots in the Divisional Round of the playoffs was their nemesis the Baltimore Ravens who bounced the team out of the playoffs twice at home, in both 2009 and 2012. The Ravens are a tough, battle-tested group who get better once the playoffs start, especially QB Joe Flacco.
Belichick’s crew showed just how resilient this team was, coming back from 14-point deficits twice before Brady hit LaFell for the go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Tavon Wilson and Revis had late interceptions of Flacco to seal the win 35-31.
Next was the AFC Championship against the Colts and Andrew Luck who had just throttled the Broncos in Denver. The Colts were a different team that was routed by NE in NE they said. Luck was ready to assume the mantle as the next great QB by beating both Manning and Brady in successive weeks…..
Not happening this time…. Belichick’s crew ran roughshod over Indy even worse than before, LaGarrette Blount ran for 143 yards and Brady passed for three touchdowns in the 45-7 rout. The Patriots defense stepped up in a big way and held Luck to his worst game as a pro, passing for only 126 yards and completing only two passes to wide receivers. Next was a date in Glendale, Arizona.
Instead of enjoying a two-week lead up to the Super Bowl, Brady and Belichick as well as the entire organization had to endure perhaps the silliest, faux scandal in history, Deflate-Gate. Instead of falling into the trap, Belichick addressed the charges and then made a point of moving himself and the team on. He went out of his way to character the 2014 Patriots as a physically tough, resilient bunch who were the best team in the AFC all season and how proud he was of them….it worked.
The Seahawks were the defending Super Bowl champs and were looking to become the first team since the 2003-2004 Patriots to repeat as champions. They’re deep, talented and have the #1 defense in the league.
But it was the Patriots hoisting the Lombardi Trophy over the Arizona night sky and it is the Patriots who are SUPER BOWL CHAMPS for the fourth time in 14 years. What a ride it has been.
Can’t wait for the OTAs and mini-camps to start the process all over again…
Follow me on Twitter @SteveB7SFG or email me at [email protected]
Listen to our Patriots 4th and 2 podcast on blog talk radio as the writers Russ Goldman, Derek Havens and I from PatsFans.com discuss the latest Patriots news Wednesdays at 12 noon.
More News Headlines: