PHOENIX — The New England Patriots linebacker crew has a motto about its approach.
“Smart, fast and nasty.”
Good, accurate and snappy. But one other adjective is needed to characterize the heart and soul of Bill Belichick’s defense.
Old. Really old.
“Mind over flesh,” Junior Seau, the elder statesman of the crusty group at 39, said when asked just how lousy he feels when he awakens every morning during his 18th season in the NFL.
It has been 181 games since he last played in the Super Bowl. Seau has counted. He was a 26-year-old superstar for the San Diego Chargers in 1995 when they were hammered by the San Francisco 49ers. Some linebacker crews don’t total 181 games as a group. But these are the Patriots. Belichick loves the grizzled old vet. That’s why he pulled Seau off of Pacific Ocean shores to come back. Belichick just knew Seau would fit his crew.
Seau slipped seamlessly into the mix with fellow graybeards Tedy Bruschi and Mike Vrabel. Bruschi is 34, Vrabel 32. Bruschi is in his 12th season, while Vrabel is in his 11th. Both Bruschi and Vrabel have been with New England during its Super Bowl parade in the past decade. The Patriots are preparing for their fourth Super Bowl in seven years, Sunday against the New York Giants. Seau replaced venerable linebackers in the Belichick system such as Willie McGinest and Chad Brown.
New England added pass rusher Adalius Thomas to the crew last spring as a big-ticket free agent from Baltimore. Yet, Thomas is a pup by comparison at 30.
“I trust my linebackers and know they will always be part of the defense,” Belichick said. “They are all reliable, veteran guys.”
And they thrive in Belichick’s system.
“Bill’s defense is perfect for a veteran,” Seau said. “He really trusts us to make plays and not make mistakes. It’s a very good place to be.”
When history tells the story of the dominant team of the 2000s, the first chapters will be about Belichick and his quarterback Tom Brady. However, the linebackers have to come up next.
While Seau has his place, it all starts with Bruschi and Vrabel, the constant in the middle of the vaunted, yet understated defense.
“Those are special,” Brady said. “They’ve been here for everything.”
Vrabel and Bruschi are similar players and people. Quiet and tough. No Patriots team would be super without either Vrabel or Bruschi, and both likely will join Seau in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. With likely fourth Super Bowl rings awaiting, Vrabel and Bruschi will carve out special places in NFL history.
In their typical single-minded way, neither will look that far ahead to potential enshrinement.
“If anyone on this team seriously answers this question, I’d be seriously surprised,” Bruschi said. “And if anybody does, let me know. Then I’ll have to talk to them.”
The gritty, old New England linebackers are aligned.
“Every day I come to work with Tedy, I’m inspired,” Vrabel said. “The same with Junior. . . . Football is important to them. They put a lot into it.”
Year after year.
Bill Williamson: 303-954-1262 or bwilliamson@denverpost.com
