FOXBORO – It was Monday morning, Feb. 4, 2002, less than 10 hours removed from the New England Patriots first, and incredulous, Super Bowl victory over the St. Louis Rams.
Bill Belichick, who has Secret Service-like tendencies when it comes to his inner most feelings, especially when they're related to football, let his guard down.
"Defense," he claimed without any prodding, "wins championships."
It was a stunner.
Of course, we expected such beliefs. Belichick had put in nearly three decades into his NFL coaching career up to that point, most of which was on the defensive side of the ball.
He helped steal a Super Bowl (1991) from the Buffalo Bills when he was defensive coordinator with the New York Giants. But the fact that he said it, with microphones in his face, spoke volumes.
Two more Super Bowls in 2003 and 2004, again guided by stingy defenses (first and second, respectively, in points allowed), and Belichick's words rang truer with each Lombardi Trophy presentation.
Fast-forward to 2007 and a new era, really the beginning of the Randy Moss Era.
Defense?
Sure the Patriots played defense in 2007, ranking fourth overall in yards and points allowed. But defense was the last thing you considered when talking about the Patriots, who went undefeated from September through January.
Belichick's Patriots could score like no other. Through 10 games, the Patriots averaged 38 points a game, an NFL record. Tom Brady had thrown 38 touchdown passes to that point and Moss hauled in 16 of those by himself.
Former Los Angeles Rams coach Mike Martz even chimed in from Detroit, where he was offensive coordinator, saying the Patriots were proving that a great offense and a decent defense can indeed win a championship.
"I couldn't be prouder," said Martz of the Patriots' explosion on offense.
By the time the final gun had sounded on the regular season, Brady and Moss broke all-time records for touchdowns.
And the defense?
Good. At times, very good. The Patriots ranked fourth overall in points allowed (17.1) in 2007 and were the NFL's best in holding opponents to 14 points or less nine times. You don't win 16 games in a row by offense alone.
But in Glendale, Ariz., the Patriots' offense failed them with a Lombardi Trophy within their grasp.
Somebody — the New York Giants — had finally figured out how to put the clamps on the newest "Greatest Show on Turf" and how to make Brady flinch (he was knocked down a career-high 21 times). And while the defense played very well in the Super Bowl, allowing only 10 points through 59 1/2 minutes, it wasn't good enough.
In the end, the Patriots defense came onto the field with 2:42 remaining in the game and a 14-10 lead. The Giants needed to go 83 yards, score a touchdown or go home crying.
Amid some well-documented heroics/miscues (David Tyree's catch/Richard Seymour's blown sack, Asante Samuel's dropped interception), the Giants did the unthinkable.
But there was precedence.
A year earlier in the AFC Championship at the RCA Dome, Belichick's defense walked on to the field with 2:17 remaining in the game and the Patriots beating the Indianapolis Colts, 30-27.
Peyton Manning made it look easy, driving the Colts 80 yards in just 77 seconds with running back Joseph Addai literally walking in the end zone untouched for the eventual winning score.
During their Super Bowl years, the Patriots defense always came through in the end. When the defense lapsed, even for a short time, the Patriots season ended on a sour note.
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The Patriots defense which takes the field next Sunday at Gillette Stadium will be markedly different in 2008.
Jerod Mayo, Terence Wheatly and Dom Capers are in. Junior Seau and Samuel, now in Philadelphia and $57 million richer, is out.
Seau was not a big loss. The middle linebacker, who played 13 seasons through the Super Bowl in February, was playing with the bank's money anway. He was a backup, at best, if he returned (he still might if Tedy Bruschi or Mayo get hurt).
Samuel will be much tougher, if impossible, to replace. If there is such thing as a shutdown corner — covering the opposing team's best receiver one-on-one — he was it. Samuel hauled in 16 of the Patriots' 41 interceptions over the last two seasons.
His "replacement" is likely the University of Colorado rookie Wheatley after veteran cornerback Fernando Bryant was cut yesterday, likely leaving a hole in the playmaker department on defense, which seemed to be loaded with candidates in the 2003 and 2004 seasons.
In 2003, Bruschi had three interceptions, two returned for touchdowns. Mike Vrabel had 9 1/2 sacks. Seymour had 8. Four defensive backs had at least three interceptions with Law and Tyrone Poole grabbing six apiece.
The defense ranked first in fewest points allowed (14.8).
In 2004, it was much the same. Bruschi had three interceptions again. Willie McGinest had 9 1/2 sacks. And 11 different players had interceptions.
That 2004 unit was the group that roughed up Manning's Colts to only three points in the AFC Championship. The same Manning who threw for a then-record 49 TD passes during the regular season.
Since then, the gold stars have been fewer.
The 2005 defense ranked 31st against the pass. The 2006 defense was better, much like last season's group, allowing only 14.8 points per game, but it was singed for 32 points by Manning in the final 24 minutes of the AFC Championship.
Which brings us to a theme we hear a lot about lately — change.
The Patriots drafted Mayo, a linebacker, with the 10th pick in last April's draft.
It was a sign Belichick had never waved come draft day — need.
Belichick's defense needed a bright, athletic and, get this, young middle linebacker and he needed him now.
Word was that Belichick knew the 22-year-old Mayo was his man, if available, as far back as March after his visit to Gillette Stadium.
Before Mayo, the only new linebackers of note were veteran ones, including and especially Roman Phifer, Vrabel, Rosevelt Colvin, Seau and Adalius Thomas.
Before Mayo, Belichick had never drafted a linebacker before the fourth round.
With Bruschi's "big play" quota dropping the last two seasons with only 3 1/2 sacks and no forced fumbles or interceptions, it was time for an upgrade.
"I knew when I met Jerod that he was a bright player," said Belichick on Tuesday. "He's an instinctive player. He's made mistakes. But when he does make a mistake you only have to tell him once. He takes coaching well."
The other big addition was coach Capers, who is called a "special assistant/defensive backs coach" in the media guide. Coincidentally, that was a similar title to what Belichick had when Bill Parcells brought him in before the 1996 season.
Not only has Capers been the defensive coordinator for Pittsburgh under Bill Cowher and Miami under Nick Saban, but he was head coach for four years in Carolina (1995-98) and four more years in Houston (2002-05).
"Dom has a lot of experience with the 3-4 (defense) and he's run his own defenses," said Belichick. "The players have a lot of confidence when he is explaining things. I talk to him a lot and bounce things off him. He's very bright."
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Among the strengths of recent Patriots teams, including 2008, most point to their defensive line.
Ty Warren, Vince Wilfork and Richard Seymour, all first round picks and 27, 26 and 28 years old, respectively, will be under the microscope as a group like never before. With the defensive backfield in a state of flux and the somewhat disappointing rush defense from 2007 (98.3 yards per game, ranked 10th overall), winning a Lombardi Trophy might come down to their combined performance.
Seymour, who recently admitted his right knee has not been "right" for two years, might be the key here.
Thought to be a sure Hall of Famer, the five-time Pro Bowl player, didn't see the double-teaming in 2007 that he has seen for most of his career here.
Some experts have said that Warren, who plays opposite Seymour as the left defensive end, might be the key defensive stopper on the Patriots. If that's the case, this season might be Seymour's proving ground be it pressure on the quarterback, blocked pass attempts (he had eight in 2006 and only one last season) and stopping the run.
"I'm healthy," said Seymour, not happy with those that have questioned his abilities of late. "I haven't felt this good in a few years ... I will be all right."
He had better be.
Vrabel and Thomas, who is the only free agent acquisition to be guaranteed $20 million in bonuses, are in Seymour's category, too. Good won't be good enough. Expect the bookends at outside linebacker to be chasing quarterbacks at a higher rate in 2008.
As for the original premise, which Belichick himself introduced, that defense indeed wins championships, we will see very soon. While Patriots' defenses have been good and very good at times since their last Super Bowl title, they haven't been good enough.
The Patriots can break all the offensive records they want again this fall and winter, but in the end, if the oddsmakers and experts are to be believed, the Patriots will win a fourth Lombardi trophy because of their defense.
Belichick was recently asked about his claim in New Orleans 6 1/2 years ago.
Does he still believe defense wins championships?
"Yes," he said, the day before camp opened.
We will see.
