The New England Patriots have rewritten their history in the last decade. They have gone from Super Bowl buffoons in 1985 to Super Bowl Champions in the 21st century. Between then and now the tea has found its way with incredible coaching and quarterback combinations. First Bill Parcells built his team around Drew Bledsoe and made it back to the Super Bowl in 1996, and, despite the 35-21 loss to the Green Bay Packers, started a new period where Patriots playoff tickets were plentiful almost every season. Bill Belichick and Tom Brady have made their own history, finally winning a Super Bowl for the organization in 2002 against the Rams and following the incredible season with victories in 2003 and 2004.
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The Patriots of 2008 expected to avenge the loss in the Super Bowl in the 2007-08 season that ended their bid at history with a perfect record and a championship. Now, the NFL schedule ahead looks difficult. Tom Brady’s injury in Week 1 was felt throughout the league. Suddenly every team was reminded that no matter how dire the predictions, their fans might be looking for playoff tickets at the end of the season. Matt Cassel, the fourth year backup to last season’s NFL MVP and Offensive Player of the Year, now has the reigns in his hands. He has an explosive offense at his disposal at Gillette Stadium. Randy Moss, Wes Welker, and Laurence Maroney are still on the field, as is the incredible offensive line of Matt Light, Logan Mankins, Dan Koppen, Bill Yates, and Nick Kaczur.
New England also has the defense of a champion as well. Jerdo Mayo adds some youth to the experience of Mike Vrabel, Tedy Bruschi, and Adalius Thomas at the linebacker positions, Richard Seymour leads a respected line, and Rodney Harrison is the leader of the secondary. With Brady to pump the score board full of points, some may worry that the questionable secondary will be a weak link that loses games. The worry is something that will have to be watched for, as the change in the swagger of the team as a whole is being called into question. The Patriots still have the talent to make Patriots tickets happen this season, it just be a season that is closer to 2002 than 2007.