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Tom Brady Ronald Martinez/Getty Projected starting lineup Offense No. Player Pos. 83 Deion Branch WR 72 Matt Light LT 71 Russ Hochstein LG 67 Dan Koppen C 63 Joe Andruzzi RG 68 Tom Ashworth RT 82 Daniel Graham TE 80 Troy Brown WR 87 David Givens WR 12 Tom Brady QB 28 Corey Dillon RB 4 Adam Vinatieri K Defense No. Player Pos. 93 Richard Seymour DE 98 Keith Traylor NT 94 Ty Warren DE 59 Rosevelt Colvin OLB 54 Tedy Bruschi ILB 95 Roman Phifer ILB 50 Mike Vrabel OLB 24 Ty Law CB 38 Tyrone Poole CB 37 Rodney Harrison FS 26 Eugene Wilson SS 8 Josh Miller P 2004 Draft Rd. Player Pos. School 1 Vince Wilfork DT Miami 1 Ben Watson TE Georgia 2 Marquise Hill DE LSU 3 Guss Scott S Florida 4 Dexter Reid S North Carolina 4 Cedric Cobbs RB Arkansas 5 P.K. Sam WR Florida State 7 Christian Morton CB Illinois Outside the Huddle Primetime Patriots The Patriots have only eight of their 16 regular-season games kicking off at 1 p.m. ET. New England has four 4 p.m. games, two Monday nights, one Sunday night and a Thursday night opener against Indianapolis. Super starters The Patriots enter 2004 with nine players who started both Super Bowls, plus kicker Adam Vinatieri. The offensive players are Troy Brown, Matt Light, Joe Andruzzi and Tom Brady, while the defensive players are Richard Seymour, Mike Vrabel, Tedy Bruschi, Roman Phifer and Ty Law. Cold-blooded The Patriots have won a remarkable 16 of their last 17 games when the game-time temperature is below 35 degrees, including a 5-0 mark last season. Breaking their streak If the Patriots are to break Miami's NFL record 18-game winning streak, they'll have to start the season 4–0. Who do the Patriots face in Week Four? Miami. Tom vs. Joe In Joe Montana's first two Super Bowls, he completed 63 percent of his passes for 488 yards and four TDs. Brady's numbers: 64 percent, 499 yards and four TDs in his two Super Bowls. Both were MVPs in both games. Getting the last laugh On the final play for the Patriots defense in both Super Bowl wins, it surrendered a touchdown pass to Ricky Proehl. Of course, the Patriots' offense went on to answer each score in the final seconds. 2003 Revisited The Prophecy: "Left is the desire to prove they belong among the NFL's elite and not be dismissed as a one-year wonder." The Lie: "[Rosevelt Colvin] gives the Patriot defense a much-needed injection of youth." --Athlon Sports Pro Football 2003

Bill Belichick walked into the morning-after news conference following the Patriots' 32–29 victory in Super Bowl XXXVIII and somehow, some way, found something to fret about.

Here was a man with a 15-game winning streak, two Vince Lombardi Trophies in three years and the entire pro football world at his feet.

And his thoughts, less than 24 hours after confetti rained on his team from the Reliant Stadium roof following one of the most thrilling Super Bowls in history? "We're about five weeks behind [in preparing for the 2004 season]," Belichick told the assembled press corps. And he was serious.

The rest of the NFL knows Belichick will not let his team bask in the glory of a championship for long. The Patriots stumbled a bit after their first Super Bowl win, finishing 9–7 and out of the playoffs in 2002. A similar result will be unacceptable to the driven head man, whose team has the pieces in place to become the first back-to-back Super Bowl champion since Denver in 1998-99.

Tom Brady finished third in MVP voting after the 2003 regular season, then sent home the two quarterbacks ahead of him in back-to-back weeks during the playoffs -- the Titans' Steve McNair and the Colts' Peyton Manning. Brady topped off his postseason with his second Super Bowl MVP after throwing for 354 yards and three touchdowns against Carolina.

Brady reportedly played through shoulder pain last season and had surgery in February. His prognosis was "excellent," which is good news for a team that relied on his pinpoint accuracy (60.2 completion percentage) and ability to spread the ball around (7.3 receivers per game).

Comparisons to Joe Montana have been floated about, and thus far, Brady has done nothing on the field to dispel the notion that they breathe the same rarified quarterback air.

There should be an interesting battle in training camp for the backup QB spot. The Patriots signed Kurt Kittner and Jim Miller to compete with youngsters Rohan Davey and Kliff Kingsbury.

The Patriots made perhaps their biggest personnel gamble of the Belichick era when they traded for Corey Dillon in April after cutting the serviceable Antowain Smith. The Patriots pride themselves on having a team-first attitude and a harmonious locker room, two things Dillon did not contribute in Cincinnati. What he did contribute, however, was six 1,000-yard seasons and three Pro Bowl appearances. Dillon was slowed in 2003 with a groin injury and gained a career-low 541 yards.

Dillon figures to get the bulk of the first- and second-down carries. Reliable Kevin Faulk will return for his sixth season and will again play the role of a third-down, pass-catching back.

Deion Branch appears to be taking over the role of No. 1 receiver from Troy Brown, as evidenced by his 10-catch, 143-yard performance in the Super Bowl. Brown is still productive after 11 years in the league, but the younger Branch may be the more explosive option. Bethel Johnson will again be the deep threat, while David Patten is going to have a hard time winning back playing time from David Givens, who had 17 catches and two touchdowns in the postseason. Patten missed the final 14 games last year due to injury.

At tight end, rookie Ben Watson will join Christian Fauria and Daniel Graham, a talented prospect who dropped too many balls a year ago.

The Patriots operate in bargain-basement mode along the offensive line more than any other position. With the departures of veterans Damien Woody and Mike Compton, the Patriots are left with a starting five consisting of a former second-round pick, two fifth-round picks and two undrafted free agents. Of course, this quintet started the Super Bowl and paved the way for 127 rushing yards and did not allow a sack in 48 passing attempts against a strong Carolina defensive line.

Tackle Matt Light is the top name along the line, starting 41 consecutive games. Second-year center Dan Koppen was brilliant as a rookie, but he had the veteran Woody beside him for the majority of the season. Joe Andruzzi, Tom Ashworth and Russ Hochstein round out the starting lineup. Adrian Klemm, Bob Hallen and Brandon Gorin are the only tested reserves, and project Stephen Neal has turned heads at guard when healthy. This group is an injury away from being in serious trouble.

This unit got younger and deeper in the offseason. Pro Bowl defensive end Richard Seymour returns as one of the more dominant young players in the league, but Ted Washington and Bobby Hamilton, the other two starters in the Patriots' base 3-4, departed.

At nosetackle, the Patriots will likely use a combination of veteran free agent Keith Traylor and first-round pick Vince Wilfork.

The other defensive end slot will be manned by youngster Ty Warren and Rodney Bailey, a free-agent pickup from Pittsburgh. Jarvis Green, a two-year veteran who had three sacks in the AFC Championship Game, and second-round pick Marquise Hill will see time in the rotation as backup defensive ends.

There was little offseason change among the veteran unit, though the Patriots are anxiously waiting to see if Rosevelt Colvin will return from a hip injury that limited him to two games in 2003. Colvin was the Patriots' marquee free-agent signing last year and looked poised for a big season before his injury. There is still no definitive word whether he will be 100 percent come training camp, but if healthy, he will add some much-needed youth to the position.

Even without Colvin, the unit thrived, with Tedy Bruschi enjoying his best season as a Patriot. Outside linebacker Mike Vrabel emerged as a playmaker, making a big sack-and-strip in the Super Bowl. Willie McGinest provided veteran leadership and still looks physically capable, as do Ted Johnson and Roman Phifer, another pair of graybeards who rely on their experience.

Cornerback Ty Law commanded the headlines in the postseason with an amazing three-interception game in the AFC title game, then commanded them again after the season when he called Belichick "a liar" after attempts to re-work his contract failed. While there is a possibility Law will be cut loose before the season starts, it appears he will be in New England at least one more season.

Opposite Law is Tyrone Poole, who had six interceptions in his first year with the Patriots and was credited as one of the keys to a defense that allowed the fewest points in the NFL. Should Law not return, second-year man Asante Samuel or veterans Otis Smith or Jeff Burris will be forced into the starting lineup at corner, which would not be a good situation for the defense. Should that fail, there is the option of moving safety Eugene Wilson back to corner, where he played in college, and finding another safety to play alongside hard-hitting Rodney Harrison. The Patriots drafted a pair of safeties, perhaps with that in mind.

The Patriots solved their biggest weakness by signing punter Josh Miller from Pittsburgh. Miller, who averaged 41.9 yards per punt, replaces Ken Walter, who suffered through a tough final season in New England.

Kicker Adam Vinatieri actually had a shaky season in 2003 while battling a nagging back problem, but as usual he came through in the clutch, nailing a 46-yarder in record cold to beat the Titans in the playoffs and, of course, winning the Super Bowl with a 41-yard boot.

Kick returner Bethel Johnson was second in the NFL with a 28.2-yards average.

Can the Patriots repeat as Super Bowl champions? Yes. Will they? Recent NFL history says probably not, with only one repeat champ in the past 10 years. But the Patriots' roster and coaching staff make them as strong a candidate as any. Defensively, the unit will be as good as any in the league if Colvin returns and Law stays. Offensively, Dillon will take pressure off Brady and give the Patriots a cold-weather, bruising back who can help them protect leads and win late in the season. And the coaching staff has proven it can scheme with anyone in the league.

A number of current Patriots learned in 2002 how difficult it is to play a season as the defending Super Bowl champs. The rest are about to find out.

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