Patriots locked in to a proven approach

HOUSTON >> Ten words have driven Patriots coach Bill Belichick since he arrived in New England 17 years ago. And they are 10 words that he leans on whenever he is queried about what’s gone into making his team an annual threat to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.

“I do what I think is best for the team,” he says.

For the better part of those 17 seasons, that approach has worked out well for the Patriots.

They will make their seventh Super Bowl appearance under Belichick on Sunday when they take on the Atlanta Falcons. Along with quarterback Tom Brady, Belichick already is part of the winningest coach/quarterback combination in NFL postseason history, taking 24 games together.

The 64-year-old coach has done it by having an uncanny ability of getting his teams to buy into a program that has become known as the “Patriot Way.”

“A lot of people talk about the ‘Patriot Way’. There’s not a straight definition of it, but here you know that we’re going to work every day,” linebacker and defensive captain Dont’a Hightower said. “Around here you’re either getting better or you’re getting worse. That’s kind of the mantra that’s kind of bestowed around here.”

It’s a program that’s led to four Super Bowl rings for Belichick and Brady. And this year’s team is strong enough to bring them a fifth title.

The reasons are plentiful, but it starts with the experience at the top.

Belichick is preparing for his 36th playoff game, and is an expert at shielding his team from distractions . Brady’s fourgame “Deflategate” suspension couldn’t send them off track. Neither could the surprise departures of defensive stalwarts Chandler Jones and Jamie Collins.

Brady said playing in a place that doesn’t tolerate allowing outside drama to creep into its walls has helped everyone inside the Patriots’ bubble to lock in. For him, it’s crystalized so that even at this stage in his career he’s experiencing a “once in a lifetime” opportunity.

“You can’t take these things for granted,” Brady said. “We’ve been very blessed, as part of this organization, for the guys that have been on these teams to make it this far, but it’s a very steep mountain to climb.” What will aid that journey

that doesn’t tolerate allowing outside drama to creep into its walls has helped everyone inside the Patriots’ bubble to lock in. For him, it’s crystalized so that even at this stage in his career he’s experiencing a “once in a lifetime” opportunity.

“You can’t take these things for granted,” Brady said. “We’ve been very blessed, as part of this organization, for the guys that have been on these teams to make it this far, but it’s a very steep mountain to climb.”

What will aid that journey Sunday is a combined passing and rushing attack that may be the best the Patriots have had under Belichick.

Brady is continuing to defy his age at 39, ancient for a football player. He threw for 28 touchdowns and helped the Patriots set a record by throwing just two interceptions during the regular season. He has two picks in the playoffs, but they have been blips compared to the five touchdowns and 671 yards he’s compiled this postseason.