The New England Patriots are ring experts and wring experts.
Not only have they won three Super Bowl rings this decade, but they also have an uncanny ability to wring great performances out of former star players who arrive in hopes of recapturing the magic — and maybe winning a championship.
They did that with Corey Dillon, Randy Moss, Rodney Harrison, Junior Seau and others.
This season, they want to do the same with longtime Jaguars standout Fred Taylor, who spent his first 11 seasons in Jacksonville before being released in February and rushed for 11,271 yards — third among active players — with 62 touchdowns.
Now that he’s on the inside, Taylor recognizes some differences about his perceptions of the Patriots and how they really are. He seems most struck by the play of quarterback Tom Brady.
“Playing these guys a few times in the playoffs, you look over and say, ‘We can beat that team. What do they do that we don’t do?'” Taylor said. “But then you get here and you see [Brady’s] passion, the way he studies, how demanding he is of his players, the leadership. Right in front of you, it just jumps out, and you see why he’s a proven winner.”
Taylor is one of many familiar faces in new places this season.
WR Terrell Owens, Bills: How will the T.O. show go over in Buffalo? So far, so good. But that’s his pattern; he’s always a dream teammate in his first season with a franchise before things go sideways.
LB Bart Scott, Jets: Scott was a smart acquisition for the Jets, who get an outstanding player who can help with the coaching transition from Eric Mangini to Rex Ryan, Scott’s longtime defensive coordinator in Baltimore.
QB Matt Cassel, Chiefs: Cassel went from career backup — with the Patriots and at USC — to the man of the moment. He did an outstanding job filling in for Brady last season, and now he gets an offense he can help build from scratch.
DT Albert Haynesworth, Redskins: A one-man wrecking crew in Tennessee, Haynesworth got a $100million contract from the Redskins with the expectation that he’ll be a balance-shifter in the NFC East. Will he be a dream pickup or another Dan Snyder fantasy football fizzler?
QB Jay Cutler, Bears: Lots of teams were vying for the services of Cutler, among them the Redskins, Lions and Buccaneers. But the Bears got him. Now he gets a chance to prove he can elevate the franchise, even though he won’t have those excellent Broncos receivers or that line that protected him.
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TE Tony Gonzalez, Falcons: Great catch for the Falcons. They picked up the only tight end in NFL history to make 10 Pro Bowls. Gonzalez and the Chiefs have been synonymous for years, but they agreed it was time to move on.
WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Seahawks: In his last two seasons in Cincinnati, Houshmandzadeh caught a combined 204 passes with 16 touchdowns. He was courted by the Bengals and Vikings but decided to move back to the Pacific Northwest (he attended Oregon State) and surely will be Matt Hasselbeck’s favorite target.
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