A Demanding Coach, A Chastened Team

THE COACH WHO STRODE TO THE FRONT OF the meeting room the day after the New England Patriots' Oct. 3 road win over the Buffalo Bills didn't look happy. Bill Belichick seldom does. But you'd figure there'd be a hint of contentment after winning 18 in a row in a league that makes Microsoft versus Apple look like an intramural game.

Streak? What streak? Belichick told his players that they may have beaten the Bills by two touchdowns, but their special teams performance had been the worst he had seen in 30 years of coaching: zero punt-return yards, a fumbled punt, a kickoff booted out-of-bounds, a 34-yard run by Buffalo punter Brian Moorman after he had dropped the snap on fourth-and-two, and a 98-yard kickoff return for a Bills touchdown. As a result, Belichick announced, there would be changes. Backup safety Shawn Mayer, who'd missed a tackle on the touchdown return, was released. Starters--notably linebacker Tedy Bruschi and safety Rodney Harrison--would take regular turns on the suicide squads. "We can't go on like this if we want to be any good," Belichick told his team.

This is the kind of calculated ruthlessness he employs when something is amiss. Make no mistake, the kicking game (25th in average punt return, 26th in opponent punt returns, 29th in opponent kick returns) was amiss. "You play for Belichick," says linebacker Mike Vrabel, "and every week's a tryout."

Against Miami, New England showed marked improvement. The Dolphins advanced but one of five kickoffs past their 27-yard line. Dolphins punter Matt Turk tried to do what Moorman had done before but was stopped after a three-yard gain by fullback Patrick Pass. "There was no way any punter was making a play on us today," said special teams captain Larry Izzo.

That's one reason the Patriots keep winning. They do whatever it takes. The 24--10 win over Miami gave New England its 19th consecutive victory, the longest winning streak in the 85-year history of the NFL. Debate whether the Patriots are as good as the perfect 1972 Dolphins or could line up with Lombardi's Packers or could slow Joe Montana's 49ers in their prime. All they know is what their Gatorade-soaked coach told them after the game: "You've done something no other team in NFL history has ever done." -- Peter King

--Reprinted from SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, Oct. 18, 2004