The great get greater

You know, dynasty is a word that's sometimes thrown around too often.

So when the New England Patriots won their second Super Bowl in three years, I was somewhat cautious when people around Boston started proclaiming the Pats to be sport's newest dynasty.

But, watching the Patriots executives wheel and deal this off-season, it became apparent to me that, in fact, these guys at Gillette Stadium know exactly what the hell they're doing.... and that all the pieces are in place for the Patriots to continue right where they left off when the 2004 season kicks off September 9th, in an AFC Championship game rematch against the Indianapolis Colts on national TV.

Though I just stated the obvious, an opinion that I share with thousands of other football fans around the country, there are deeper reasons on just why the Patriots have all the ingredients to become --dare I say it -- a dynasty.

There. I said it. A dynasty. No, the Patriots are not a dynasty yet, but they're on cruise control towards the Holy Grail.

Perhaps the number one reason for the Patriots success is the organization's attitude. A professional attitude exists from the team all the way down to the ball boys and the Guinness Guy. After a win, it's on to the next game, with no looking back. In Foxboro, there is no rearview mirror, only the future ahead.

The coaches and the players know how to win. Superficially, that may seem relatively a given, but there is a deeper meaning of winning. The coaches and football operations know how much work goes into success: Countless hours dissecting game film; Countless hours studying the opponent; Countless hours working with individual players, to refine their games and get the absolute most out of their abilities.

That wealth of knowledge and professionalism that bleeds out of the Patriots locker room is what drove the Patriots to a 17-2 record last season, including a 12-0 home record.

In the months following the Pats' Super Bowl victory, the team lost a few free agents that played key roles in the team's success.

Defensive lineman Ted Washington went for a big payday, and departed for Oakland, while two of the Patriots' top offensive lineman, Damian Woody (Detroit) and Mike Compton (Jacksonville) also packed their bags for greener pastures.

How did the Patriots brass answer? They drafted arguably the top defensive lineman in college, Vince Wilfork, and also inked a deal with free agent Keith Traylor with the idea that both will take on Washington's former role, particularly Wilfork for many years to come.

They also re-signed offensive lineman Ross Hochstein, the Super Bowl super-sub who Warren Sapp at one time said sucked and was the reason why he believed the Panthers would in the Super Bowl. The team also signed veteran free agent Bob Hallen to compete for work on the offensive line.

The Patriots' M.O. has always been that they will not overpay for players. They'd rather let a good player go than pay a big chunk of change and see their investment go awry.

The Pats have always been that team to mold their younger players into solid replacements and take that so-called middle of the road veteran and put him in a role in which he can excel (see Mike Vrabel, Tyrone Poole, Christian Fauria).

That's why they let Lawyer Milloy go last season. The NFL world went crazy after the Patriots released one of their team leaders, and Pro Bowl players. But. wait one second. Milloy, after getting big money from the Buffalo Bills, went out and had an average year for an NFL safety, certainly making above-average money. Could the Patriots have known something?

The truth is, the people who make the Patriots decisions-Bill Belichick and Scott Pioli -- are much smarter than we, the general fan, are.

In an off season in which teams like the Redskins and Raiders are unloading their wallets for "big-time" free agents, the Patriots have continued with their smart-money plan.

One of the team's biggest weaknesses last season was punting. The Pats released struggling punter Ken Walter early in the season, then brought him back a week later. This season, the Patriots signed one of the NFL's best punters, Josh Miller, formerly of the Steelers. That weak hole is no more.

Oh, lest we forget... the Pats also traded for Corey Dillon. Personal issues aside, Dillon is one of the top backs in the NFL. Dillon insists his problems with the Bengals were because of the team's losing history, and that he will be nothing but positive for the Pats.

You can bet that the team will not take much crap from Dillon, because they have never taken crap from any player. The Patriots have an established track record of not taking chances on young players with cloudy personal pasts. This changed somewhat this off-season with the additions of Dillon, and fourth-round pick Cedric Cobbs, a player who has drawn comparisons to the very man he'll be a teammate of -- Dillon.

Assuming Dillon's issues stay in check, he is a large upgrade from Antowain Smith in the Patriots' running game. With an established running game, the Patriots offense will be able to stretch out, and open up for a more successful passing game -- an idea that certainly frightens many around the NFL.

It is no stretch to say that the best have gotten better. The Patriots used the 2004 draft to create position competition, which will logically improve the team. The Patriots' other first round pick, tight end Benjamin Watson, certainly opened Daniel Graham's eyes, who now knows he must perform, or he won't be catching many balls next season.

The position competitions cause all of the players to remain sharp and at the top of their individual game. In turn, because of the competition, the team itself also stays sharp and at the top of its game.

The underlying quality about New England is the appearance of team. The coaches promote this concept to its players, and the veteran players in turn promote the team concept to their newest teammates.

Selfishness is a word that hardly exists around the Patriots. Neither is losing.

That's bad news for the rest of the NFL.