What next? Now that the Patriots have captured their third Super Bowl title in four years, they face the daunting task of trying to keep their streak going

Football Digest, June, 2005 by Barry Wilner

IT REALLY WAS SOMETHING TO see the New England Patriots passing around the Vince Lombardi Trophy for a second straight time following their win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 39. But what's even more awe-inspiring is that the Patriots could be doing it again next February in Detroit.

No team has won three straight Super Bowls. Only the Dallas Cowboys of the 1990s had won three in four years before New England completed its hat trick by beating the spunky Eagles in Jacksonville. In this era of free agency and the salary cap, when rosters get knocked asunder every off-season, the Patriots have remained virtually whole.

They may lose some players, even regulars, but they have replacements in-house. Or they find the right parts in the marketplace, whether those are veterans or rookies. Or when a player like linebacker Tedy Bruschi's contract is up, he opts for less money--far less money, actually--to stay in New England. Or when Tom Brady is asked about not being in the top half-dozen or so quarterbacks on the salary scale, he scoffs, saying he's plenty comfortable staying put and winning championships.

"We're not like other teams, I guess," Brady says. "We're all about the team and all about winning for each other. Sure, you like to be recognized for your accomplishments, but it doesn't necessarily mean being the highest-paid or whatever."

When the Patriots set out this summer for title No. 4, there certainly will be alterations. Both coordinators are gone, with Romeo Crennel having left the defense to become the Cleveland Browns' head coach and offensive wizard Charlie Weis having headed to Notre Dame. That could be the biggest challenge the team has faced during its run of titles.

But Bill Belichick is still the head coach, and he has a very capable personnel director, Scott Pioli, at his side. And while the names on the back of the uniforms may not seem to comprise a Pro Bowl rosier, they are the correct names for the Patriots.

It's foolish to believe they will get complacent or will be lost without Crennel and Weis, or will choose the wrong replacement parts to keep their dynasty rolling. As Patriots owner Bob Kraft said during Super Bowl week: "I think some owners are more committed to winning than others. Some just want to make as much money as they can. We want to win championships."

The Patriots are an odd dynasty. Other than quarterback Brady, safety Rodney Harrison, defensive tackle Richard Seymour, and kicker Adam Vinatieri, they don't have a player considered to be in the upper echelon at his position. Compare that to, say, the Pittsburgh Steelers of the 1970s with "Mean" Joe Greene, Jack Lambert, Jack Ham, Mel Blount, Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, John Stallworth, and Lynn Swann. Or to those Cowboys of the '90s with Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin, Erik Williams, Jay Novacek, Darren Woodson, and Charles Haley.

But the Patriots win. They prepare as well as anyone, they stick to their game plans as well as anyone, and they handle pressure better than anyone. It's quite a formula for success.

"Anyone who thinks we're finished is way off," says linebacker Mike Vrabel, who, along with wide receiver/cornerback/kick returner Troy Brown, is the epitome of versatility on this club. Vrabel can play inside or outside linebacker, he can line up anywhere on the defensive line, and he plays tight end in goal-line situations. He's made five catches in his pro career, all for touchdowns, and one in each of the past two Super Bowls. "We're not really an old team, and we have guys who are young and have gotten a lot of playing time," Vrabel adds. "Some of our best players are in their 20s."

Overseeing it all is Belichick, who has joined Bill Walsh, Chuck Noll, and Joe Gibbs as the only head coaches with three Super Bowl crowns. He's 10-1 in the postseason, which is the best winning percentage in league history, better even than that of the man whose name is on the Super Bowl trophy.

Belichick has surpassed his mentor, Bill Parcells, who isn't likely to taste another championship in his coaching career. In a league that features the likes of Super Bowl-winning coaches Mike Holmgren, Mike Shanahan, Brian Billick, Dick Vermeil, and Jon Gruden, Belichick has become the measuring stick for success. With such outstanding coaches as Bill Cowher, Andy Reid, Jeff Fisher, and Tony Dungy still chasing that first Super Bowl ring, Belichick is looking for a fourth. And he's in a strong position to do it.

"What we try not to lose sight of is that when we get going again each season, we're just one of 32 teams," he says. Although that sounds like coach-speak, Belichick adheres to this philosophy right up until the final gun of the final game. "Every team is on equal footing and has a chance to win each week and take it from there," he says. "We're no different than any of those teams."

Actually, they are. No team is as deep as the Pats, a great tribute to Pioli's and Belichick's skills at pulling in the right personnel. Not only do they have depth, it's the perfect kind of depth because New England has so many interchangeable parts and no bad characters, something Kraft insisted upon when he hired Belichick in 2000. Linebackers Bruschi, Vrabel, Willie McGinest, Ted Johnson, and Rosevelt Colvin can pop up anywhere on the field on a given play.