Editor's note: This is the second of a two-part series analyzing the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks ahead of their Super Bowl 49 meeting. Be sure to check out "5 Ways the Seattle Seahawks Will Make History to Become Back-to-Back Champions" by following the link at the bottom of this story.
It was 13 years ago that Tom Brady left his indelible mark in U.S. history. He captained the aptly named Patriots to their first-ever Super Bowl title months after the attacks on Sept.11 left the nation reeling.
This second-string quarterback, one that dropped all the way to the sixth round of the 2000 draft, made every NFL fan a New England Patriots fan.
Then Brady won two more Super Bowls. He made five more AFC championships games, accompanied by ten trips to the Pro Bowl. Not so suddenly, the charm wore off and he was lambasted, not because of his on-the-field demeanor or languid way of taking the podium at press conferences. It's because he's been so good for so long.
Super Bowl 49 is the cultivation of a hall of fame career that's seen Brady and head coach Bill Belichick beat the game by their rules. They muddles through "spygate" and tiptoed around "deflategate" but never fell to media pressures. They stayed competitive throughout. All while the 37-year-old quarterback built a legendary resume destined for Canton, Ohio.
If Sunday is Brady's last Super Bowl Sunday, he'll play alongside arguably the most underrated Pats team Belichick has put together. Save Brady, cornerback Darrell Revis, and tight end Rob Gronkwoski, there isn't much star power here.
Wide receivers are undersized, their running game isn't anything to write home about, and they're about to face arguable the NFL's most dominant running back in Marshawn Lynch.
Yet, the Patriots are the favorite. That's exactly where they should be.
Let's take a look at five ways New England will bring home their fourth world championship in the Belichick era.
Tom Brady will be Tom Brady
Brady ties Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana for most Super Bowl wins with a win Sunday. He already hold the postseason record for victories (20) and will soon be the only quarterback to play in six title games. None of this fazes Seattle, but it's worth mentioning solely for the reason that he's beaten championship-caliber defense before. Many, many times before.
Thirty-four career comebacks and 45 game winning drives, both second only to Peyton Manning among active players, speak volumes of Brady's track record. His performances this postseason prove the wo-time NFL MVP is still at the top of his game.
Brady's 33-for-50, 367 passing yard effort against Baltimore in the AFC Divisional Round - game their trailed with five minutes left in regulation - jettisoned the Pats to the Super Bowl. While Brady only connected for 226 yards against Indianapolis, he didn't have to do much else as LeGarrette Blount steamrolled his way to three touchdowns on 30 carries.
Seattle's secondary may the best ever in a Super Bowl. If they're not they're certainly in the conversation. It's nothing Brady hasn't seen before. He'll find the open man, deliver the ball quickly, and do it with grace as he has for over 14 years. All without having to leave the pocket.
Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas will be contained
The Seahawks are straight shooters in the secondary. They'll line up with two primary coverages: Cover 1 and Cover 3, the latter dividing the field into thirds. Brady knows this. Belichick knows this. The Pats will challenge it anyway.
The challenge is finding weaknesses in Seattle's seemingly impenetrable armor. Richard Sherman (elbow) and Earl Thomas (shoulder) injured themselves in Seattle's NFC Championship win over Green Bay two weeks ago. While Sherman would still be one of the game's top cornerbacks with one arm tied behind his back, they can't afford any other setbacks, like safety Kam Chancellor's injury sustained on the final day of practice Friday.
Everyone is dealing with injuries at this point in the season but Brady is relentless in exposing them. Even if Sherman and Thomas play at full speed, Brady will challenge them on one-on-one matchups.
Rob Gronkowski is unstoppable
Take a defense that allowed 11 of its 19 touchdowns to tight ends and couple it with Rob Gronkowski; a guy who parties as much as he reaches the end zone.
Seattle doesn't have an answer for "Gronk." They can bring Chancellor or Sherman to match Gronkowski's size but that didn't work too well when he notched six reception for 61 yards in a 2012 meeting. And it's not like Sherman can put all his focus on a tight end when Brandon LaFell - or whoever Brady primarily focuses on - is left open.
Take the Seahawks' Week 2 meeting in San Diego. Antonio Gates is a big bodied tight end that took advantage of Seattle's linebackers and secondary to the tune of three touchdowns and 96 yards on seven receptions.
Gronkowski, like Gates, doesn't have to do much to torch Seattle.
Overlooked Pats wide receivers
New England's wide receiving corps is clearly outmatched. That doesn't mean they won't make an impact.
Both Danny Amendola and Julian Edelman thrived hitting short crossing routes and can do so if plays man-to-man coverage. That'll be especially helpful if the Patriots target cornerback Jeremy Lane, who played sparingly this season and didn't play to the "Legion of Boom" moniker.
If the Patriots are to win, they'll have to move the ball in the air, and that includes utilizing their undersized receivers. Denver did it to perfection in Week 3 when Emmanuel Sanders and Wes Welker combined for 16 receptions and 199 yards against Seattle.
Comparing Denver's receivers to New England's is a stretch, sure, but their quarterback situation isn't. Brady and Manning are opportunists. They breakdown and exploit secondaries. In Brady's case that means his receivers will have to beat defenders off the snap with their quickness.
The defensive line finds a way to slow Marshawn Lynch
There is no stopping "Beast Mode." The Pats can only hope to contain him.
Vince Wilfork has already called Lynch the best he's ever played. "He's proving it in the passing game, running game, blocking, you name it," Wilfork said. "I don't think there is any other running back out there that has that many explosive runs, yards after contact." And Wilfork is right.
Of Lynch's 1,306 rushing yards this season, 829 came after contact. He led the league in touchdowns (13), ranked fifth in yards per game 81.6), and racked up over $110,000 in fined doing it. Lynch gets stronger as the game goes on, earning an extra yard per carry from the first half to the second. He's targeted more in the second half, averaging 11 yards per reception to 8.4 in the first two quarters.
The Patriots can drop a safety in the box when they sniff a run, but that's extremely risky given Russell Wilson's excellence at the read-option. It'll be up to Wilfork and his d-line to penetrate Seattle's offensive line before Lynch can make any major damage.
Read part one: "5 Ways the Seattle Seahawks Will Make History to Become Back-to Back Champions."
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