Going into Week 13 of the NFL season, the New England Patriots stand at 7-5. The first ten weeks are a roller coaster, some games they perform brilliantly, others mediocre. After consecutive victories, no one is sure what to expect. This statement not only applies to the 2002 New England Patriots after beating the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day, but the eventual Super Bowl champion 2001 New England Patriots. One year later and many fans seem to forget that until a terrific late season run, this was a team that played some inconsistent ball from week to week.

With an improved receiver corps, a year of experience under the belt of Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady, fewer off- field distractions and a cavalcade of new tight ends, the 2002 edition of the Patriots is considered more talented and poised to make another Super Bowl run. Genius Coach Bill Belichik and crafty Offensive Coordinator Charlie Weis could do much more with the talent they now had in their arsenal. The 2001 team won with a combination of strong defense, game- breaking plays on special teams, luck, poise and coaching. The 2002 team would rely more on talent.

After 12 games it would be correct to argue that the team is more balanced, but they have struggled to claim an identity. For the first six weeks they rode Tom Brady’s arm to a 3-3 record, looking dominant the first 4 weeks, dismal the following two. In the following 4 weeks they won 2 and lost 2, returning the conservative offense that carried them into the playoffs last season. Perhaps Charlie Weis’s well- chronicled stomach stapling surgery gone awry effected his early season judgment. The play calling, especially on offense, was Jeckyll and Hyde. It is no surprise that once they returned to last season’s low- risk offense, the unit’s performance has improved. The defense has shown flashes of dominance, and the special teams have been solid. However, neither is scoring points like it did last season. The defense has yet to put together the dominating run it did last season either.

The defense may yet gel, and the special teams still have big play capabilities with Troy Brown and Kevin Faulk. Brown is a true marvel. After missing several weeks with an injury, he seems to be back to last season’s form, and can carry the offense. Faulk has improved steadily, and has become a force as the third down running back, target for Brady and on special teams. Adam Vinatieri continues to be the best kicker in the business. Tedy Bruschi is the Troy Brown of the defense, seemingly undersized and underrated, but always there for the big play. Brady has played solidly, if not spectacularly, and has improved tremendously over last season. There were very few games won by Brady last season, as there were very few games lost by him. With the return to a more conservative offense, that is again the case here recently. There has been talk locally about his inability to throw the long ball, but for as many times he has thrown a poor deep pass, he has thrown one well, and the receivers have not covered it.

Continuing on the receiver comment, one missing aspect has been the play of the wide-outs. Last season the receivers seemed to catch anything thrown their way, whether it was short or long, routine or sensational. This season there seems to be more dropped balls, especially from David Patten. Patten has still made some great plays, but the balls he dropped in Oakland and Detroit recently on deep routes would have been hauled in last season. The loss of Troy Brown to injury for a few games also did not help. Deion Branch has been a major surprise, but Donald Hayes (Vin Baker in shoulder pads?), brought in to provide a large target for Brady, has been invisible.

Much has been made of the Patriots inability to establish the running game. Belichik has maintained that with the short passing game employed by the Patriots, the running backs are essentially in on every offensive play. Antawn Smith’s numbers for 2002 are actually favorable when compared to his 2001 statistics at this point. There has been a drop off in the number of touchdowns Smith has scored, but the Patriots relied on him more as the season wore on. The Patriots play the majority of their remaining games at home or in colder climates, and the cold weather is much more conducive to running than throwing the football, therefore Smith should get the ball more often.

With the trades of Drew Bledsoe and Terry Glenn, this season has been devoid of controversy. Is it possible that the distractions were actually beneficial to the team, allowing them to bond into the consummate team? Perhaps this year’s team needs something similar to wake it up and bring them together. And what about magic? As the season wore on, it seemed that last season’s Patriots were a team of destiny. Each week they would get some break that would put them over the top. Whether it was a favorable call from the officials, a deflected pass being caught by a teammate, or an error by the opposing team, the Patriots seemed to benefit from something extraordinary almost weekly. We’ve seen a little of this lately, such as the defender staying in the backfield costing Chicago a timeout and stopping the clock during the deciding run against the Bears in Chicago a few weeks back, and David Patten’s heads- up reception off the deflection of a Detroit defender’s helmet.

The identity and results of this year’s team have yet to be decided. To win the Super Bowl it ultimately took the coming together of a great many factors, and this team may yet do that. Remember, they did not dominate throughout the playoffs- they did just enough to win. They were losing until the tuck play drive in the snow game at home against Oakland, and they held off late rallies from Pittsburgh and St. Louis to win in the AFC Championship and Super Bowl. It is foolish to expect anything different. This season they are more balanced and talented, but it is impossible to rely on big plays, good breaks and luck at all times. The stars may still align for this year’s edition. Just like last season, stay tuned!