Socci's Notebook: Patriots Hoping To Be Defined By Togetherness And Toughness
FOXBOROUGH (CBS) -- Soon after the Patriots preseason finale, some six weeks or so removed from their first practice of the summer, Bill Belichick was still a long way from understanding his team's collective personality.
Four-plus decades of NFL coaching experience taught him that as individuals come and go and new challenges arise, a club's true colors aren't revealed until well after the fall foliage begins to blush.
"I don't think you really know your team until the middle of October, especially now with limited training camp" Belichick said shortly before the Pats waded into the uncertainty of the new season at Arizona. "It's different than what it was when I was with the Giants. (We had) 50 preseason practices and, you know, you had a lot better idea."
Now on the verge of November, the Patriots are seven games into their schedule. And by late Sunday afternoon in Buffalo, they will reach the season's midpoint.
Halfway there, they won three of four games without Tom Brady. Then upon Brady's return, there was a sweep of the AFC North's Cleveland, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.
Following the latter, a rare home loss for the Steelers, special teams captain Matthew Slater delivered a message about self discovery.
"Hey fellas, that's a big-time character win," declared Slater, surrounded by teammates in the victorious visitors' locker room at Heinz Field. "We learned a lot about ourselves today. We proved a lot today."
A day later Slater was in a more familiar setting, standing before his stall at Gillette Stadium and addressing a semicircle of reporters, when he expounded on his postgame words.
"We're doing a lot of things well," Slater said. "The thing about this team that really excites me is how well we get along, how we care for one another beyond the football field; it's a unique vibe. And then I think we showed a great deal of mental toughness and fortitude (Sunday) going into a place like that and being able to win a football game. It's exciting to see us respond in that situation and, hopefully, we can continue to grow moving forward."
Though the Steelers were without several regulars, including their own star quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, Slater noted who else was missing in Pittsburgh.
"The first two road games we played (there) was a big Patriots presence there from the fans. You're not going to get that in Pittsburgh," he said of a place where the Steelers are now 56-20 under Coach Mike Tomlin. "It's a hostile environment. I think it was a time for us to really just worry about everybody that was in a white uniform and out there playing, and just take care of our business and focus on the task that we had (Sunday). I think we did a good job of that."
There was, for example, a certain grittiness revealed in the way the Pats defended deep in their own territory.
Entering Week 6 they'd surrendered touchdowns on 80 percent (8-for-10) of their opponents' red-zone opportunities. After improving against Cincinnati, they kept Pittsburgh out of the end zone on 3-of-4 drives inside their 20-yard line. Twice, in fact, the Steelers failed to score any points after Patriot fumbles.
"When you get down in there you've got to hold them to three," veteran linebacker Rob Ninkovich said of the recent point reduction, attributing it to better overall team defense and "that 'bend but don't break' mentality."
Bend but don't break. To some -- especially the hot takers and some who dial them at the end of the day -- those are four words uttered in frustration. That's understandable, especially as the Pats try to reduce their opponents' 42 percent conversion rate on 3rd down, while seeking to increase their 11 sacks and nine takeaways thus far.
But to Ninkovich, a student and practitioner of solid defensive principles, 'bend but don't break' can be worn with pride even as others speak of it pejoratively. What, after all, is the unit's ultimate objective?
"It's to prevent points from going on the board," he says. "That's your job on defense, and (to) give the ball to our offense as many times as possible. And give them the opportunity to let the best quarterback in the league get on the field. So, defensively (it's about) keeping points off the board and giving the ball to Tom."
Naturally, the Pats would prefer to put Brady on the field as quickly as possible. Wouldn't we all like to see three-and-outs, strip sacks and pick sixes on a regular basis. Just don't expect them to sell out in search of sudden change, risking striking results for the opposition as well.
New England currently has the NFL's fourth-stingiest scoring defense (yielding only 15.3 points per game). That's a number that simply won't outscore Brady and company. Staying tough of mind and body, while tightening up fundamentals in the red area generally leaves opponents trading three for Brady's six.
In Pittsburgh, Brady passed for two scores while LeGarrette Blount rushed for a pair. The big back known as "L.G.' also gained 100-plus yards for the third time and has a career-high eight touchdowns already in 2016.
Life is good, indeed, when the Pats can count on such production on the ground. Entering Week 8, they rank sixth in the league with an average of 122.7 rushing yards a game. Only Tennessee (250) and San Francisco (220) have more attempts than New England's 217 carries.
Those numbers bode well as fallen leaves collect and the autumn wind intensifies. No doubt, harsh weather awaits on the road through the second half of the season in New England. There will be moments ahead when being too raw to pass is ripe for the run.
And that's when Blount and the line he plays behind will seek to once again embody what they revealed in the Steel City; qualities that seemingly define who the Patriots are as they exit October -- togetherness and toughness.
"I think we've shown some of those things, but I think we're really going to find out about ourselves here down the home stretch," says Slater. "I hope that's who we are. I believe that's who we are. But we have a chance to show that each and every week.
Starting, here on out, Sunday in Buffalo.
Bob Socci is the radio play-by-play voice of the New England Patriots. You can follow him on Twitter @BobSocci.
