What does it take to earn any respect around the NFL? Apparently winning the Super Bowl hasn't been enough in the past year.
With Adam Vinatieri's Super Bowl winning field goal, the Patriots shocked the world. Nobody would have picked the Pats to win the 2002 Super Bowl, and apparently nobody is picking them to win the 2003 Super Bowl either.
Entering this NFL season, people still question whether the Patriots are a team to be reckoned with in the NFL. The ESPN Power Rankings have the Pats sitting at sixth behind the Rams, the Steelers, the Eagles, the 49ers and the Packers. Of the 18 NFL Analysts at ESPN, only four picked the Patriots to win the AFC. Even after decisively beating out the Steelers24-17 in last year's AFC Championship game, the Steelers are still Las Vegas's favorites in tonight's rematch.
So why doesn't anyone believe in the Patriots? Many skeptics don't believe that quarterback Tom Brady will be able to repeat his performance again this season or in any season to come. Perhaps they have good reason - Super Bowls have seen many one-year wonders (Mark Rypien of the 1991 Redskins and Trent Dilfer of the 2000 Ravens are good examples). Yet many formerly unproven quarterbacks have had their breakout year in a Super Bowl winning season and have maintained their performance levels since.
Will Tom Brady's career become comparable to Mark Rypien's or to Kurt Warner's? Only time will tell. One thing is for sure though, if the 24-year-old Brady is the next Kurt Warner, then the rest of the league may have some years to wait before this team's demise.
Based on player personnel alone, the Patriots have just as strong a chance of winning the Super Bowl as they did last year. They return most of their starters this season and look solid on offense, defense and special teams. This offseason, the Patriots didn't make any significant changes to their roster. Belichick instead focused on bringing in role players to the team and finding better targets for Tom Brady to hit.
While this team undoubtedly has the ability to be a top contender this year, they're going to have to fight harder this season then last. Firstly, their schedule is significantly more challenging this season, beginning with Pittsburgh tonight along with matches against Oakland, Tennessee, Denver and Green Bay.
Also, the Patriots do not have statistics on their side. After winning back to back Super Bowls in 1997-1998, the Broncos fell to 6-10 in 1999. After the Rams won the Super Bowl in 1999, they had to fight their way into a wild-card spot in 2000, only to lose to the Saints in the first round. This trend of Super Bowl teams falling from the top continued with the Ravens in 2001. The year after they won the Super Bowl, they barely made it into the playoffs only to lose to the Steelers.
So will the Patriots follow in the footsteps of recent Super Bowl winners or will they break free from the trend and create their own path? Somehow, even with a championship in their pockets, they're still underdogs in 2002.
