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New England Patriots 2003-04 Playoff Team

By James Alder, About.com

Regular Season Record:

14-2

All-Time Playoff Record: 13-10

Previous Playoff Results: Click Here

Strengths:

The New England Patriots are a very well coached football team. Their defense allowed a league low 14.9 points per game during the regular season despite suffering a rash of injuries to the unit early in the season, and they are solid against both the run and the pass.
The passing defense ranks near the middle of the pack, but that is more a result of teams giving up on the run, not only because of the effectiveness of the run defense, but because the opposition is often playing catch-up and is forced to put the ball in the air.

Weaknesses:

New England's passing attack is pretty solid, but their running game ranks near the bottom of the league. During the regular season, they managed just over 100 yards per game. Antoine Smith and Kevin Faulk have shared the load in the backfield and neither has had an impressive season. Between the two, they totaled 1280 yards with just three touchdowns between them.

Overview:

The Patriots, who won their last 12 regular season game, are the hottest team in football heading into the playoffs and they are playing tremendous football. Their defense is rock solid despite the injuries, and they are on a roll having given up just 29 points in their last four games.

On offense, quarterback Tom Brady has provided the big throws when the team has really needed them. He doesn't get shaken easy, and he consistently keeps the chains moving.

New England has to be the favorite heading into the playoffs, and you can bet head coach Bill Belichick will have his guys ready to play. This team has the formula in place to win it all, and I expect the Patriots to do no worse than the AFC Championship game.

Team Roster:
Offense
12 Tom Brady, QB
6 Rohan Davey, QB
19 Damon Huard, QB
31 Larry Centers, RB
21 Mike Cloud, RB
33 Kevin Faulk, RB
35 Patrick Pass, RB
32 Antowain Smith, RB
83 Deion Branch, WR
80 Troy Brown, WR
87 David Givens, WR
81 Bethel Johnson, WR
17 Dedric Ward, WR
84 Fred Baxter, TE
88 Christian Fauria, TE
82 Daniel Graham, TE
46 Brian Kinchen, TE
67 Daniel Koppen, C
65 Damien Woody, C
68 Tom Ashworth, OT
76 Brandon Gorin, OT
72 Matt Light, OT 25
63 Joe Andruzzi, OG 28
59 Wilbert Brown, OG 26
71 Russ Hochstein, OG 26

Defense
97 Jarvis Green DE
91 Bobby Hamilton DE
96 Rick Lyle DE
55 Willie McGinest DE
98 Anthony Pleasant DE
90 Dan Klecko DT
93 Richard Seymour DT
94 Ty Warren DT
92 Ted Washington NT
48 Tully Banta-Cain LB
54 Tedy Bruschi LB
58 Matt Chatham LB
51 Don Davis LB
53 Larry Izzo LB
52 Ted Johnson LB
95 Roman Phifer LB
50 Mike Vrabel LB
24 Ty Law CB
38 Tyrone Poole CB
22 Asante Samuel CB
26 Eugene Wilson CB
34 Chris Akins S
30 Je'Rod Cherry S
23 Antwan Harris S
37 Rodney Harrison S
39 Shawn Mayer S

Kicker/Punter
4 Adam Vinatieri K
13 Ken Walter P

Coaching Staff
Bill Belichick – Head Coach
Charlie Weis – Offensive Coordinator
Romeo Crennel – Defensive coordinator

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