E-Mail This Article to a Friend This year’s Patriots: Better or worse? BY CHRISTOPHER YOUNG

Both teams went a remarkable 14-2, and qualified for the NFL playoffs. Each secured a first-round bye despite a mystifying loss during the regular-season campaign. Both overcame a wave of injuries by plugging holes with no-names or out-of-position players.

And one team’s legacy is secure, while the other’s remains to be seen.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the 2005 New England Patriots. Meet the new boss — same as the old boss?

That’s what we are here to determine, or at least to evaluate. How does the team that is heading into this year’s edition of the NFL post-season compare to last year’s championship squad?

Last year’s Patriots team, as we all know, bounced back from a 2-2 start to reel off 12 straight wins and two more in the playoffs before capping that stunning season with a last-second victory over the Carolina Panthers in the Super Bowl. The team had opened the season in Buffalo. Still emotionally stung by the last-second release of defensive captain Lawyer Milloy, the Pats came out flatter than Ricardo Montalban at the end of The Naked Gun and lost, 31-0. Three weeks later, New England went to our nation’s capital riding a modest two-game win streak and lost to the Steve Spurrier–led Redskins, 20-17. Washington would go on to lose 10 of its next 12 games and finish in the NFC East basement, while the loss in DC would ignite the Patriots to a dozen wins and ultimately the title.

This year’s team — while not significantly different personnel-wise from its predecessor — picked up right where last year’s squad left off. Despite having a bull’s-eye on their chests from the outset, the Pats ran off six more wins to extend their victory streak to 21 before falling on Halloween afternoon to the Steelers, a team that would eventually finish 15-1 and capture home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. While one can’t forget the Pats’ improbable 29-28 loss to the Dolphins in week 14, the setback really didn’t cost New England anything in terms of playoff seeding, and may well have been the kick in the pants the team needed after assuming victory for so long. Still, although the loss in South Florida was followed up by an impressive victory in the Meadowlands a week later over the playoff-hungry Jets, it did put a chink in the aura of invincibility and gave Patriot Nation a brief sense of foreboding as the team approached the post-season.

Last year’s squad became a juggernaut beginning in week five, and by the time January arrived, nobody around here could even remember what a Patriots loss felt like. No matter the competition — the Colts, Titans, and the best the NFC had to offer — New England seemed predestined to win. The team had forgotten the whole concept of the flip side.

So was that team better by virtue of its air of unconquerability? After all, it had Ted Washington, Damien Woody, Dan Klecko, Bobby Hamilton, and Tyrone Poole; they’re all either gone or on Injured Reserve this season, and therefore unavailable.

Ah, but don’t forget this year’s additions: Corey Dillon, Vince Wilfork, Keith Traylor. And the return of linebacker Rosevelt Colvin, who missed the bulk of 2003-’04 to injury. Dillon in particular has been a godsend to the running game, which has also been greatly enhanced by the subtraction of the serviceable Antowain Smith. No longer are the Patriots one-dimensional; in fact, they employ the run more often as a first option than as a cross-’em-up alternative to the potent passing game. With so many upgrades on the offensive side, how can this year’s team be viewed as subpar to last year’s champs?

Well, defensively the current team still seems vulnerable, especially in its pass defense. While no one ever felt comfortable with the likes of former Patriot Otis Smith in coverage, the idea of Peyton Manning or even Drew Brees picking on Earthwind Moreland, Randall Gay, or Troy Brown in a big game gives local fans serious pause. Cornerback Ty Law’s (imminent?) return from a broken foot should help solidify the situation, but it’s still a liability if a pass-happy QB gets enough time to exploit the deficiencies in the secondary.

For the longest time, I have quietly criticized head coach Bill Belichick for not choosing to head to the grocery store and shop for some more depth at the CB position once Law went down. But he is obviously better in tune with the state of affairs than I, as demonstrated by his record of 14 consecutive wins in the NFL’s toughest division.

This year’s Patriots may not be riding the same wave of we-can’t-lose as last year’s squad, but the addition of Dillon is the main reason why this year’s team is better overall. The recuperations and returns of Law and Richard Seymour will be critical to the team’s continued success despite suspect pass coverage. Indy and San Diego still have deficiencies — especially on their own defenses — that New England should be able to exploit. And while the NFC teams will provide a necessary foe when the big game in Jacksonville comes along, that opponent will be lucky to keep the deficit within a double-digit margin.

In short, this year’s Patriots are better than last year’s Super Bowl winners, and most of this year’s competition is flawed. So what’s the problem?

You know what it is. It’s Pittsburgh, whose recent Cinderella story mirrors the Patriots’ trajectory of years past. Local fans should take serious note.

This year’s Patriots are super again, but they may not be super enough.

"Sporting Eye" runs Mondays and Fridays at BostonPhoenix.com. Christopher Young can be reached at cyoung[a]phx.com