1. New England Patriots
It seemed too good to be true. Pete Carroll, the Jets'
42-year-old defensive coordinator, was going to be promoted
to head coach for the 1994 season. The players
couldn't believe their good luck; good old Pete was smart,
energetic, the guy who made
practice less tedious, just one hell of a nice guy. Why, it
would be like one of their own was coaching
them.
A few of us were a bit skeptical, though. One day in
practice it was mentioned
to veteran center Jim Sweeney that players have a habit of
taking it easy when
a coach isn't tough enough on them. "Won't happen
here," Sweeney said. "The veterans won't
let anyone quit on
Pete."
You know the rest. The Jets were 6-5 and a playoff
contender that year, and then Miami's Dan Marino suckered
them with that fake-spike touchdown pass and things started
falling apart. The team went south on Carroll, losing five
straight, and 12 days
after the season, owner Leon Hess fired Carroll and hired Rich
Kotite.
Now Carroll is 45, some gray hair is starting to show, and
he
doesn't smile as much. And after two years of running the
49ers' defense he's gotten a second chance, as coach of the
AFC champion Patriots. He's replacing a whip-cracker, Bill
Parcells, who
takes over the
Jets.
"I'm not going to change my personality," Carroll
says. "I'll always be me. Guys may start wondering why
someone isn't yelling at them, but I'm different. I've
coached a lot of defenses that have kicked the hell out of
people, and I
didn't scream at
them. That's not the way I do
it."
New England players' comments on the change were for the
most part upbeat, but in some cases they bore an eerie
resemblance to '94: "I like Pete," says
quarterback Drew Bledsoe, who never hit it off with
Parcells. "There's give-and-take.
Before, there was just
take."
"Bill's yelling and screaming had worn itself
out," tight end Ben Coates says. "I don't think
his leaving will affect us. Once we're on the field, things
will be the same, just
quieter."
One thing that will be the same is that the Patriots will
get superior defensive coaching. It was defense that
carried them to the Super Bowl last year; they ranked 27th
in the league after 11 games, but during their 4-1 stretch
drive only three teams
allowed fewer yards. Add the first two playoff games, and
New England allowed five touchdowns in seven games, none in the
postseason—until the Super
Bowl.
Carroll will build on that, adding his own concepts, which
include less zone and more man coverage behind a heavy
attack on the quarterback. It's a risky way to travel, but
the guy who could make it work is end Willie McGinest, who
played like a demon
in the
postseason last year. He'll man what the 49ers call the
elephant position, always lined up away from the tight end.
On the other side will be another gifted rusher, linebacker
Chris Slade. The new faces include cornerback Steve Israel,
who played
in Carroll's nickel packages in San Francisco ("the
fastest defensive back I've ever seen," Carroll says),
and tackle Henry Thomas, a speed and stunt
rusher.
The only noteworthy offensive pickup is mammoth
drive-blocking tackle Zefross Moss, who takes over for Max
Lane. Green Bay's Reggie White beat Lane for three sacks in
the Super Bowl, thereby changing Lane's job description to
guard, the home of failed
tackles in the NFL. If those changes work out, then this
should be one of the league's more explosive attacks,
featuring Bledsoe, Coates, wideout Terry Glenn and the
gifted runner Curtis Martin, following the equally gifted
blocking fullback
Sam Gash.
There's enough talent here for a Super Bowl repeat, only
this time it'll be
quieter.
—Paul Zimmerman
SCHEDULE
SKINNY
Yes, Bill Parcells returns with the Jets on Sept. 14, but
watch out for the game preceding it: at Indianapolis. The
Pats could be ripe for an upset if they look ahead. There's
also a potentially troublesome stretch following the late
September bye week:
at Denver, home against Buffalo; at the Jets, home against
Green Bay; and then road games at Minnesota and
Buffalo.
STRENGTH OF
SCHEDULE
NFL rank: 9 (tie)
Opponents' 1996 winning
percentage: .512
Games against playoff
teams: 9
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