Chapter 7 Summary

Tom Brady recalled that the 2002 season had started off very well early on. He actually thought that they could go undefeated after a strong opening victory against the Steelers. The Patriots had four new additions to the team, and the new stadium had been completed that spring. But Belichick was very disappointed with the results of the free market talent. Several players just weren't performing, and t he 2002 picks hadn't turned out nearly as well as the previous picks in 2001. He had one player who could make good plays but was disappointing overall. Belichick also had issues with a defensive tackle named Steve Martin who didn't impress him on the field and would gossip embarrassingly to the press. Martin was fired several games later for making disparaging remarks about the opposing team.

The season quickly turned for the worse and "last year nostalgia...