It may be hard to believe but the New England Patriots once boasted the NFL's top defense, and were the prototype of what an effective defense should be like.
The Patriots once had an undefeated season in 2007, where they were ranked fourth in total yards and points against. Then in 2008, they were 10th in total yards and eight in points against. They were once again successful in 2009 as the team was 11th in total defense and fifth in points against.
Things began to take a turn for the worst during the 2010 season, after losing most of their defensive veterans in the years prior. They ranked 25th in total defense and were eighth in points against in 2010, 31st and 15th in 2011 and 25th and ninth in 2012, according to NESN.
Now, however, there's a possibility that the Patriots can return to their defensive dominance of the past as they're now stocked with a list of talented players.
The current defense is made of talented first-rounders and proven veterans. Jerod Mayo, Vince Wilfork, Dont'a Hightower, Chandler Jones, Aqib Talib and Devin McCourty were all first-round picks, and veterans Adrian Wilson, Tommy Kelly, Rob Ninkovich and Brandon Spikes have all played at a high level in the NFL.
With a long lasting history of putting players in the best positions to succeed, the Patriots are sure to make some noise on defense this season. Though comparisons to the defense of 2007 may be a bit of a stretch, the defense of 2013 is sure to be a drastic improvement over the 2010-12 defenses that have struggled against the pass and rushing the runner.
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