Bill Belichick is asked about how proud he is of his team.
Real proud of them. I thought they worked hard all year, they competed well all season. We won a lot of games and even the ones we didn't win, we fought right to the end and played very competitively. We did that last night, just came up a little bit short. I have all the respect in the world for the team and all the players and what they've done for over six months. It's not about one game or one play or anything, it's the whole body of work. I really, really enjoyed coaching this team and have a lot of respect for them.
Michael Rosenberg (SI) Brady's performance in Super Bowl adds a lot to his legacy. Really.
But overall, these facts should not be in dispute: Brady took an otherwise nondescript Patriots team to the brink of a championship, and he played well Sunday. At the end of the first half, he completed 10 of 10 passes and drove the Pats 98 yards for a touchdown. He broke the Super Bowl record for consecutive completions. ...
Did Eli Manning outplay Brady Sunday? Well, Manning was great, and his numbers (30 of 40 completions, 296 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions, no intentional grounding penalties that led to a safety) were better. But Manning also had an easier task than Brady in almost every way. ...
True, Brady only led his team to 17 points. But New England had the worst field position I can ever remember for a Super Bowl team. The Pats started on their own 6, their 29, their 20, their 2, their 21, their 17, their 20, their 8 and their 20. The Patriots played the entire game uphill. ...
Did Brady complete a bunch of passes downfield? No, he did not. But have you seen his roster? His leading receiver is 5-foot-9 Welker, a possession receiver. His second-leading receiver is a tight end. His third-leading receiver is another tight end. His fourth-leading receiver is another 5-9 guy, Branch, who is 32 years old.
Good players, all of them. But who in that group seems like a deep threat to you? Bill Belichick answered this question last summer: Nobody. That is why he acquired Chad Ochocinco -- he was supposed to be that deep threat. Unfortunately Ochocinco is neither deep nor a threat.
I'm not saying Brady was better than Manning or that this was the greatest performance of his life. But he played very well in a Super Bowl, for a team that, top to bottom, is not as talented as the Giants. Yes, I know the Pats won 13 regular-season games and the Giants won nine. But that was largely a function of schedule (New England didn't beat a team with a winning record until the playoffs) and the greatness of Brady and Belichick.
TEAM TALK
- Howard Ulman (AP) Patriots eager for another Super Bowl shot.
- Erik Scalavino Ask PFW: Super Bowl post-mortem.
- Patriots 2012 opponents announced.
- Press Conference: Bill Belichick (6.35 min. video).
LOCAL LINKS
- Shalise Manza Young gives us a quick rundown of the current roster to see who's under contract for the current season.
- Karen Guregian focuses on the positive and gives us five reasons to believe the Patriots could be back in the big game next February.
- Ian Rapoport thinks the key holes in the Patriots lineup may be too big to fill.
- Christopher Price reports as the Patriots put the wraps on the season with a farewell in Foxboro.
- Jackie MacMullan tells Pats fans to "pull yourselves together." Sometimes the other guys are better.
- Bill Reynolds reminds us that sometimes there's no villain, it's just sports.
- Tom E. Curran reports that the Patriots are already working on returning to the Super Bowl.
- Christopher Price notes the Patriots could lose TE coach Brian Ferentz to Iowa, where he may join his father's staff as an assistant.
- Mike Reiss offers some quick-hit thoughts on each of the Patriots players scheduled for unrestricted FA and gauges who might return.
- Mark Daniels thinks the young Patriots defense may turn to gold.
- Phil Perry reports Deion Branch wants to retire as a member of the Patriots when he's ready.
- Danny Picard notes Robert Kraft said this season is one he 'won't forget for a long time.'
- Greg A. Bedard examines Brady's back-shoulder pass to Welker.
- DJ Bean profiles ten players the Patriots should look at drafting.
- Tony Massarotti says the Patriots are getting better, but they still have some work to do to make the most of the Belichick-Brady era.
- Mike Reiss answers his weekly reader mailbag: What we learned from the Pats' defeat, with an eye on 2012.
NATIONAL NEWS
- M.F. Hurley (CBS Boston) Brady's legacy very much intact, despite Super Bowl loss.
- Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Rodney Harrison says criticism of Brady isn't fair.
- Elliot Harrison (NFL.com) Exit Interview: Patriots must shore up hemorrhaging defense.
- James Walker (ESPN) Poll: Patriots' biggest offseason need.
- Jeff Diamond (SI) Offseason road maps for all teams.
- Pete Prisco (CBS Sports) Power Rankings: Giants are champs, but every team has big questions.
- Matt Bowen (Nat'l Football Post) Time to copy the Giants' blueprint for winning.
- Simon Samano (NFL.com) Warner doesn't buy that Eli is already Hall of Famer.
- Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) League not commenting on possible changes to 12 men penalty.
- Bill Simmons (Grantland) Searching for silver linings in Indianapolis.
- Kristian R. Dyer (Yahoo! Sports) Was physics the reason Wes Welker dropped Brady's pass?