Couple an anemic offense led by an inexperienced quarterback that averaged 17.3 points per game the previous season with a defense that got torched because it couldn’t rush the passer (finishing near the bottom of the league in sacks) and you’ve got yourself a team that few would expect to compete for a playoff position, let alone win a Super Bowl.
Only, they did win the Super Bowl. And they’ve remained one of the favorites every year since for well over a decade.
They were the 2001 New England Patriots, and their similarities to the 2014 Houston Texans extend far beyond the offseason hiring of defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel.
Struggling Pass Rush
Crennel inherited a Patriots defense that already had some solid pieces in place, but needed to improve a pass rush that finished in the league’s bottom five, registering a meager 29 sacks. Despite their troubles rushing the passer, they boasted Pro Bowl talent on both the defensive line (Willie McGinest) and in the secondary (Ty Law), while fiery sixth-year linebacker Tedy Bruschi was the squad’s emotional centerpiece.
The Texans present a similar challenge for Crennel and his staff, as they too finished near the bottom of the league in sacks (31 in 2013) despite the presence of Pro Bowl talent on the defensive line (J.J. Watt) and in the secondary (Jonathan Joseph). The wildcard for Crennel on this Texans‘ squad is the much anticipated return of Houston’s own fiery sixth-year linebacker, former Defensive Rookie of the Year and Pro Bowler Brian Cushing.
Building Through the Draft
Both teams used high draft picks in each of the first two rounds of the NFL Draft to improve the lines on both sides of the ball. New England selected Georgia defensive lineman Richard Seymour in round one, followed by Purdue offensive lineman Matt Light in round two. Seymour and Light made a combined ten Pro Bowl appearances in their careers and were stalwarts of each of the Patriots’ three championship teams.
The Texans can only hope for similar production from their first and second round picks, South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney and UCLA offensive lineman Xavier Su’A-Filo. Clowney is an athletic freak whom many expect to develop into one of the league’s most fearsome pass rushers, while Su’A-Filo brings a level of toughness too often absent on a Texans offensive line that has steadily declined over the last two seasons.
Uncertainty at Quarterback
The Patriots began their 2001 campaign much as the Texans ended theirs in 2013, with a statuesque, overpaid quarterback under center. With both teams averaging 17.3 points the previous season, the Texans cut ties with quarterback Matt Schaub, who kept finding his way back on the field (under now-former head coach Gary Kubiak) despite one lackluster performance after another, while the Patriots were content to give Drew Bledsoe another shot after posting mediocre numbers in 2000.
The Patriots’ fortunes would forever change when a Week 2 injury to Bledsoe opened the door for second year signal caller Tom Brady, a 6th-round draft pick who had thrown exactly three NFL passes prior to the 2001 season. Despite having been ranked 25th in Sports Illustrated’s Training Camp Power Rankings, Brady led the Patriots on an improbable run through the AFC that ended in an upset victory over the heavily favored St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI.
The Texans don’t need an injury to face uncertainty at the quarterback position: they’re already staring it straight in the face. They enter the 2014 campaign with last season’s part-time starter Case Keenum (who failed to win a single game) and free agent acquisition Ryan Fitzpatrick, who has thrown 51 interceptions in his last two and a half seasons as a starter. Not surprisingly, the Texans, like the ’01 Patriots, are expected to finish near the bottom of the standings yet again (Bleacher Report has them ranked 30th in their Post-Draft Power Rankings).
Can late round draft pick Tom Savage, a fourth-rounder with limited experience even at the college level, surprise everyone by taking the league by storm and leading the Texans on a Brady-like run all the way to Super Bowl XLIX?
Well…probably not. Then again, stranger things have happened.
Just ask the 2001 New England Patriots.
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