Why is New England so good?

by Daniel Lee Callaghan

With the NE Patriots rapidly approaching consideration as an all time NFL dynasty team, it’s worth asking the question, what makes them so good? Is it coaching? Talent? Team chemistry? I would submit that New England has all three of these ingredients in abundance. To illustrate, let’s match the key new England coaches and players with their counterparts in Buffalo. For this exercise, I’m not making selections based on potential or on the fact that some of these coaches/players may be headed elsewhere but on who is better right now. Naturally, this is a subjective issue and you’re free to disagree with my choices.

Notes: injured players such as Ty Law and Travis Henry were omitted. On the defensive side a perfect comparison is not possible because NE plays a 3-4 and Buffalo a 4-3.


Head Coach -

Bill Belichick or Mike Mularkey ? Bill Belichick

Offensive Coordinator

Charlie Weiss or Tom Clements -Charlie Weiss

Defensive Coordinator

Romeo Crennel or Jerry Gray -Romeo Crennel

OL Coach

Dante Scarnecchia or Jim McNally - even

Defensive Players

DE Richard Seymour or Chris Kelsay -Richard Seymour
DT open Sam Adams- Sam Adams
DT Keith Traylor or Pat Williams -Pat Williams
DE Ty Warren or Aaron Schobel - Aaron Schobel
OLB Willie McGinest or Jeff Posey - Willie McGinest
ILB Teddy Bruschi or London Fletcher - Teddy Bruschi
OLB Mike Vrabel or Takeo Spikes - Takeo Spikes
CB Asante Samuel or Nate Clements- even
CB Randall Gay or Terrence McGee- Randall Gay
FS Eugene Wilson or Troy Vincent -Eugene Wilson
SS Rodney Harrison or Lawyer Milloy -Rodney Harrison
ILB Ted Johnson or open - Ted Johnson

Key reserves

DT Vince Wilfork or Ron Edwards - Vince Wilfork
ILB Roman Phifer or Mario Haggan - Roman Phifer
OLB Roosevelt Colvin or Angelo Crowell - Roosevelt Colvin
DE Jarvis Green or Ryan Denney - Jarvis Green

Offensive Players

QB Tom Brady or Drew Bledsoe - Tom Brady
RB Corey Dillon or Willis McGahee - even
FB Patrick Pass or Daimon Shelton - Daimon Shelton
WR Deion Branch or Eric Moulds - Deion Branch
WR David Givens or Lee Evans - Lee Evans
TE Daniel Graham or Mark Campbell - Daniel Graham
LT Matt Light or Jonas Jennings - Matt Light
LG Joe Andruzzi or Ross Tucker - Joe Andruzzi
C Dan Koppen or Trey Teague - Dan Koppen
RG Stephen Neal or Chris Villarial - even
RT Brandon Gorin or Mike Williams - Mike Williams

Key Reserves

RB Kevin Faulk or Shaud Williams - Kevin Faulk
WR Troy Brown or Sam Aiken - Troy Brown
TE Chris Fauria or Tim Euhus - Chris Fauria
WR David Patten or Josh Reed - David Patten
OG Russ Hochstein or Lawrence Smith - Russ Hochstein
OT open or Marcus Price - Marcus Price

Special Teams

K Adam Vinatieri or Rian Lindell - Adam Vinatieri
P Josh Miller or Brian Moorman - Brian Moorman
KR Bethel Johnson or Terrence McGee - Terrence McGee
PR Troy Brown or Nate Clements - even


Summary Coaches 3 edge NE, 0 Buffalo, 1 even
Defense- starters (12) 7 edge NE, 4 edge Buffalo, 1 even
Defense- key reserves 4 edge NE, 0 Buffalo
Offense- starters 6 edge NE, 3 Buffalo, 2 even
Offense- key reserves 5 edge NE, 1 Buffalo
Special Teams 1 edge NE, 2 edge Buffalo, 1 even
Overall 26 edge NE, 10 edge Buffalo, 5 even

What this comparison tells us is there is a lot of work to do in order for Buffalo to overtake NE in next year’s race to the Super Bowl. The coaching edge is really worth more to NE than 1 point per coach as coaching is a huge factor in the NFL. However, that comparison could change as Buffalo’s staff gains experience and NE has to find replacements for both Weiss and Crennel. But having said that, right now Belichick is playing chess and everyone else is playing checkers. In addition, bridging what is a significant talent gap may not be as easy a task as some believe, or the edge NE has from their recent winning tradition. Right now NE is a runaway train with no signs of slowing down anytime soon.