New England Patriots: Ranking the top 5 defenses of the 21st century
New England Patriots top defense No. 2: 2003
The Patriots 2003 defense was considered the best defensive unit in team history for quite some time, and rightfully so. Tom Brady still was finding his way, especially after a rocky 2002 season, but he probably could have been as ineffective as he was that season in 2003 because of how good this defense was. Every player seemed to put up either the best seasons of their career, or one of the best, and it resulted in their second Super Bowl in three years.
The accolades on defense were plentiful. Richard Seymour, Willie McGinest, and Ty Law all made the Pro Bowl. Oddly enough, Rodney Harrison earned All Pro honors, but wasn’t selected to the Pro Bowl. He was joined on the All Pro team by Seymour and Law.
The front seven was again led by Seymour, who probably had the best season of his career in 2003. He racked up a career high eight sacks, and somehow picked up 10 pass deflections despite playing on the line. McGinest has 5.5 sacks, 10 tackles for a loss, and scored a touchdown along the way. But it was Mike Vrabel who led the team in sacks with 9.5.
The secondary was led by Law and Harrison, with both also putting together seasons that could be considered the best of their respective careers. Law had 74 tackles, six interceptions, a league leading 23 pass deflections, and scored a touchdown along the way too. Harrison picked up 125 tackles, three sacks, three interceptions, and 11 pass deflections, making him one of the most versatile safeties in the game.
It was tough to find a weakness throughout this defense. Fringe players like Tyrone Poole (six interceptions), Roman Phifer (101 tackles), and Bobby Hamilton (46 tackles as one of the team’s top run defenders) all stepped up to play key roles in the success of the defense. The stars shined bright in 2003, but without these guys, the Super Bowl victory isn’t attainable.
The defense did admittedly fall apart a bit in the Super Bowl against the Carolina Panthers, but they held the Colts and Tennessee Titans to a combined 28 points in the AFC Divisional and Championship games. While the offense bailed them out this time around, that wouldn’t be the case for the team that ends up in the number 1 spot.