The debate may go on about which team between the Patriots’ 2003 and 2004 was the better team, but after going through the numbers, it’s hard not to appreciate how dominant the 2003 group was on the defensive side of the football.

What they accomplished was pretty impressive.  They finished the season having allowed just 238 points during the regular season, including three shutouts (12-0 against Dallas, 12-0 against Miami, 31-0 vs Buffalo).  They led the league in points-per-game allowed with 14.9, along with finishing with an NFL-best 29 interceptions.

Ten players finished with interceptions that season, with Ty Law and Tyrone Poole leading the way with six.   Here’s a look at the list:

Ty Law: 6
Tyrone Poole: 6
Eugene Wilson: 4
Tedy Bruschi: 3
Rodney Harrison: 3
Asante Samuel: 2
Mike Vrabel: 2
Aric Morris: 1
Willie McGinest: 1
Larry Izzo: 1

The secondary that season had quite a year, finishing with 121 passes defended, 13 better than the next team in that category, which was the Houston Texans with 108.  That’s the most of the Belichick era, and the fourth highest total over that same span behind the 2001 Browns (130) and the ’05 and ’06 Eagles (129 and 124, respectively).

Law led the league in passes defended that year with 23, while Poole was third with 21.

The group up front was solid as well, with New England finishing the year ranked 4th in rushing yards per game allowed with 89.6, also their best performance of the Belichick era.  Ted Washington and Richard Seymour did a good job inside, while Jarvis Green (2.5 sacks in the postseason) Mike Vrabel (3 postseason sacks), Tedy Bruschi, rookie Ty Warren, and Roman Phifer were some key names from that group who made significant contributions during the postseason.

Rodney Harrison enjoyed a terrific first season in New England, finishing 2nd in the AFC during the postseason with 24 tackles and was tied with the Colts’ David Macklin with 2 interceptions, which was the 2nd most behind Law’s league-best three.  Harrison also had three passes defended, along with a forced fumble.

As we all know, Harrison’s arrival preceded the end of Lawyer Milloy’s career in New England.  Everyone knows the story of the 31-0 opening loss to the Bills and the subsequent media reactions that followed.  There’s always the famous “they hate their coach” comment by ESPN’s Tom Jackson, which Harrison later said wasn’t the case.

That was a tumultuous time, and the week before the Super Bowl that season, Harrison reflected on what it was like when he first arrived, where he admitted he wasn’t well-liked in the locker room.

“When I first came in, I really didn’t make any friends. I made enemies. No one really wanted to talk to me once I got in the locker room,” said Harrison, who ended up in the Patriots Hall of Fame. “I didn’t care about that. It wasn’t about me making friends. It was about me proving to people that I still had gas in my tank and that I can still play. As I spent some time with the guys, I realized they respected me and wanted me here. After that, I calmed myself down.”

Overall, he said he was always fueled by the doubters who didn’t believe in him.  That season ended up being a memorable one, and one that made him a valuable asset in the years to follow until he finally walked away from the game.

“Once again, it was about people not believing that I was able to do it,” said Harrison. “I was too small, I wasn’t good enough to play in the Big 10 or any of the other schools I wanted to go to. I think that’s why I play with such rage. No one has ever given me credit or any sense that I was able to play at this level or even the college level. They always doubted me and that’s just driven me to prove people wrong.”

That he did, and he was a big reason for their success in a season that capped off their second championship.  It’s a defense that will be remembered as one of the best during Belichick’s tenure, with a group that, looking back on paper, didn’t appear impressive at first, but collectively simply played really well together. They even managed to do it with additional players like defensive backs Eugene Wilson and Asante Samuel, who were both rookies at the time.

Looking back, those players were all big reasons why that was definitely one of the more memorable defenses in Patriots history.

Titans Tried to Avoid Law

The postseason leading up to the Super Bowl was where this group shined.  In the Divisional Round against Tennessee, the Patriots managed to come away with a 17-14 victory, with the temperature at Game Time officially listed as 4°.

Law was clearly the focus of the Titans’ game plan.  He essentially shut down one side of the field against Tennessee’s offense, with then-Titans quarterback Steve McNair opting to go after rookies Asante Samuel and Eugene Wilson, along with throwing at veteran Tyrone Poole by using motion plays and attacking that side of the field. Titans wide receiver Derrick Mason did a good amount of the damage, finishing the game with 7 catches for 90-yards and a touchdown. Wilson was repeatedly seen trying to corral the veteran wide receiver.

Head coach Jeff Fisher made sure that the Titans offense continued to attack them all night, each time with one of them struggling to try and make a play.

It kept Law from getting his name called for much of the evening. Apparently, McNair and Fisher hadn’t forgotten how the last game had ended when Law intercepted McNair and returned it 65-yards for a touchdown to seal the 38-30 win back in October. While Law started Saturday’s game, fans may have forgotten he was even on the field after the Titans obviously felt they would be better served to attack the other side of the secondary.

Law finished the night without even a tackle or a pass defensed, and it proved to be a wise game plan for Tennessee as they continually experienced success on the other side of the field.  Aside from Law the only other bright spot from the secondary came from veteran safety Rodney Harrison, who finished with an interception and a pass defensed and was also seen making several big hits throughout the game.

Fortunately, New England’s offense did enough to come away with a win.

Law’s Three Picks Stun Peyton Manning

Coming into the AFC Championship game, the Colts were considered the best offense in the league and were averaging over 400 yards per game that season, along with over 30 points per game.  They had beaten the Chiefs 38-31 the week before, but Peyton Manning ended up facing a Patriots defense that made his life miserable.

Law got the best of him in that game, picking him off three times, with Rodney Harrison also coming away with an interception.  Harrison’s turnover was huge because it came as the Colts marched down the field on their opening drive and were threatening to score, but Harrison came up with the turnover as the Colts faced a 3rd-and-3 at the Patriots 5-yard line.

New England took the ball back 13 plays the other way and ended up with a field goal, which gave them a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter.

Harrison also forced a fumble late in the first half after the Colts had gotten into New England territory, with Tyrone Poole recovering the ball and ending a shot for the Colts to put up points ahead of halftime.

However, the day was Law’s, who got Manning again in the third quarter and again in the fourth, with the final one coming as Manning and the Colts were threatening again deep in Patriots territory.

“They were killing us – spreading us out and hitting us in our soft spots,” Law said after the game. “So we were just like, ‘Look, let’s just bring it.’ If we are going to lose, we are going to lose it bringing it. Make them throw the ball quick and match up on the receivers and things like that. You have opportunities to make plays either way, but we just made it a little bit too easy when we were in a soft zone.”

Sapp: Patriots Have No Chance

Some may recall former Buccaneers defensive lineman Warren Sapp, who didn’t feel the Patriots had a shot heading into their Super Bowl match-up against the Panthers.

Sapp said they had “No Chance,” primarily because New England offensive lineman Damien Woody was injured and the club didn’t have much faith in Russ Hochstein, who had stepped in for him.

In an appearance on ESPN’s “Pardon the Interruption,” Sapp explained the Patriots would lose because the Carolina defensive line would dominate the Patriots’ offensive line, saying, “I don’t think it’s even a fair match-up.”

“I don’t know how they’re getting it done,” he said.  “I’ve seen Russ Hochstein blocking, he couldn’t block neither of you two fellas,” said Sapp referring to Hochstein being able to match up against the two hosts of the popular ESPN show.

When asked if Brady should have been considered as a possible NFL MVP instead of winners Peyton Manning and Steve McNair, Sapp said ‘No Way’.

“Peyton Manning and Steve McNair absolutely define what an MVP is,” said Sapp. “Peyton Manning with his numbers and Steve with how he carries his team.”

“Tom Brady manages the game unbelievable, [he] throws one of the best out balls I’ve ever seen and does a great job for his team over and over and over again. But he’s not the MVP of the league.”

Brady’s ability to just win still didn’t impress Sapp. “That’s in college,” said Sapp about Brady’s record. “[In College they] give you a chance to win the Heisman because you lead your team to 30 some straight wins or something like that. But in the NFL, no. You’ve got to put up some numbers and you’ve got to be the most dominant guy at your position [to win the MVP] and those two beat him out.”

Apparently, beating both players en route to a Super Bowl appearance didn’t prove anything to Sapp. Unfortunately for Sapp, he spent that February 1st watching from the sidelines while Brady went on to win his second ring in three years.

Defense Gets Some Help From Brady Against Panthers

Sapp’s comments proved to be ironic.  The defense needed some help in that Super Bowl battle against Carolina, and Brady held his own against a pretty good quarterback in Jake Delhomme, who managed to put up 323 yards and three touchdowns that evening.  However, Brady matched Delhomme and went far above being just a game manager, throwing the football 48 times while putting up 354 yards and three touchdowns of his own en-route to a 32-29 win.  The Patriots also finished the day with 481 yards of offense.

Defensively, Harrison led the way with nine tackles in that game, while he and Law also finished with one pass defended as the defense also held Carolina to just 4-of-12 (33%) on third down.  Mike Vrabel also forced a fumble late in the first half that Richard Seymour recovered, which set up New England’s first touchdown of the game.

The veteran safety also had an iconic moment, with Harrison suffering a broken arm on Carolina’s final drive.  With the Panthers in the hurry-up, Harrison couldn’t come out and stayed in the game, even making the tackle on the next play, which worsened the injury.

With Harrison out of the line-up, the Panthers hit a 31-yard pass to Ricky Proehl and two plays later, Proehl was in the end zone for the touchdown, which knotted the score at 29-29.

Fortunately, Brady again engineered another game-winning drive, with Adam Vinatieri drilling the 41-yard field goal that ended the night.

As for Harrison, the toughness he showed that night is something he’ll forever be remembered for, and he certainly went on to become a beloved player in this region.

Harrison Made His Presence Felt Early In New England

Fans may also remember that Harrison’s arrival in New England wasn’t immediately met with adoration from his fellow players, a fact that he obviously admitted at the end of his first season.  The veteran got into some squabbles during training camp, including against fellow teammates Troy Brown and Kevin Faulk after making his presence known by some big hits on each of the two players.

At the time, Belichick dismissed it as part of Harrison’s competitive nature.

“We know how competitive Rodney is, and we have a lot of other competitive players, highly competitive players on defense,” said Belichick following a practice that July.  “So I think he’s a good addition into that group. Mixing it up in training camp, that’s part of training camp. It’s hot. Everybody’s tired. There are some short fuses, and that’s going to be part of it.

“But in the end, we are all wearing the same jerseys on Sunday afternoon. We’re a team, and we’ve got to work with each other and compete against each other. But at the same time,e we’ve got to take care of each other and really put our energy into our opponents. That’s who the true opponents are, not ourselves. But there’s a fine line on that in training camp, because everyone is trying to earn their job and establish their level of play. It is competitive. So sometimes it turns into a little thing.”

Harrison’s approach and intensity were two qualities Belichick admitted he liked about him, saying he wished all his players had the same competitiveness.

“I think when he steps on the field, he has a business attitude. Rodney prepares well,” he said of Harrison.  “Football’s important to him, and he’s going out there to do a job. That’s his job. I don’t have any problem with that. I wish all of our players had a good, competitive approach to the job at the highest level. Some guys you are trying to push up to a higher level, competitively. Other guys, maybe you have to slow them down just a little bit. Sometimes it’s a little bit easier to put the brakes on than step on the gas.”

We’ve heard a lot of talk about Tom Brady mentioning the fact that he was a sixth-round pick because he didn’t necessarily possess the physical attributes to be taken higher.  But one thing that Harrison did point out leading up to the Super Bowl was that it wasn’t about where a player was taken that mattered.  It was the heart and determination, which are two intangibles that simply can’t be analyzed on paper.

“Who really cares? It doesn’t matter if you’re a first-round draft pick,” said Harrison. “A bunch of people say this guy has the height and size for a first-rounder, it doesn’t matter. That’s just paperwork. This guy has intangibles. He has the heart, the determination. He’s tough, he’s gritty and he wants to win. Look at the road he took. It doesn’t matter that he wasn’t a first-rounder. Look at me, I wasn’t a first-rounder; this is my tenth year. It’s about what you have inside. You can’t judge a person’s heart.”

Days later, that’s likely one of the reasons why the Patriots won their second championship.