NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
With Holes to Fill, Brady's Bunch Will Have to Dig Deep
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Wednesday, September 6, 2006
Believe it or not, Bill Belichick has friends outside of football, and he allowed one of them to stop by practice one day during training camp. Jon Bon Jovi showed up at the Gillette Stadium complex in Foxborough, Mass., this summer to observe the Patriots and chat with Belichick, whom he met when Belichick coached with the New York Giants, Bon Jovi's favorite team.
The visit prompted someone to ask Belichick his favorite Bon Jovi song, and the coach, usually stoic, actually bit.
"Oh, boy. That's a tough one," Belichick said. "You're putting me on the spot there. I'd have to go with 'Livin' on a Prayer.' "
Fitting, because Belichick and the Patriots may need a little help from a higher power this season. Star wide receiver No. 1 Deion Branch? Holding out. Star wide receiver No. 2 David Givens? Signed with the Tennessee Titans. Place kicker Adam Vinatieri, football's answer to Mariano Rivera? Signed with the Indianapolis Colts, the Patriots' most formidable challenger. Super Bowl hero Willie McGinest, the man who always seems to make the big play when it matters most? Reunited with former Patriots defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel in Cleveland. Tedy Bruschi? Out with a broken wrist. All that, and the Denver Broncos finally proved Tom Brady isn't incapable of losing in January.
But still, they're the Patriots, the team that has inspired multiple books, a "60 Minutes" special and three Super Bowl parades. At this point, despite last season's playoff loss, it would be hard to bet against Brady, Richard Seymour, Belichick and 51 guys grabbed at random off public transportation at rush hour.
The regular season, like last, will resemble a grind, not the waltz it was two seasons ago. The Patriots added Reche Caldwell to help replace Givens, but if Branch doesn't sign, that leaves the great (but ancient) Troy Brown as Brady's No. 1 target. Linebacker Monty Beisel struggled last season, his first in New England, and he figures to play a prominent role if Bruschi misses significant time with injuries.
The Patriots did add the freshly un-retired Junior Seau, the type of player who seems destined to play for these Patriots. He should fit in well with fellow veteran and hardscrabble middle man Mike Vrabel.
