FOXBORO -- Time to test the mettle. Time to test the grit, the toughness, the bulldog tenacity, the Blutarski Factor (i.e. "Over? Did you say 'over?' Nothing is over until we say it is!")
How do you test all that? You look at what happens when the game is on the line -- when legs are wobbly, minds are spinning, hands are sweating and choke collars are tightening. How do the New England Patriots do then?
Not bad, as you may suspect after having watched the first eight games this season. In those eight games, you've seen Asante Samuel and Ty Law return fourth-quarter interceptions for clinching touchdowns. You've seen Tom Brady hit Troy Brown for an 82-yard overtime score. On Sunday, you watched Law put a lock on Sunday's win over Cleveland with a downfield interception of a Kelly Holcomb pass.
The Patriots are closers. They're 21-0 since 2001 when leading after three quarters. They are 3-13 when trailing, which shows they come back once in a while. They are an astounding 6-0 when tied after four quarters, including the Snow Bowl win. They are 11-6 when the final margin is seven points or less. And they're 6-1 when the margin in three points or less. Lastly, they're 18-1 since '01 when leading at halftime, 5-10 when trailing, 3-3 when tied.
The point is, if they're in it, they usually win it.
How come?
"It starts with conditioning," head coach Bill Belichick said yesterday. "It's harder to play well at the end of the game if you're tired.
"Just understanding situations (is so hard at the end of the game. It's easy to sit back and say, 'Here's the situation, here's what they'll do.' But when you start adding up the multiple possibilities and combinations (opponents use), that's where an instinctive, smart football player who has experience can make some plays and be productive in those situations."
Like Law, for instance. In the minor frenzy of the final minute Sunday, the Browns had just extended the game by completing a fourth-and-14 pass for 16 yards. Now they were at their own 45 with 60 seconds left. They weren't exactly knocking at the door, but they were coming up the walk.
When the Browns came to the line, Law wasn't sure which coverage the defense was in, but he made a smart play, matching himself up with wide receiver Kevin Johnson -- the Browns' most reliable veteran and a clutch player himself. He stayed with Johnson down the right sideline and picked off an underthrown pass by Browns quarterback Kelly Holcomb.
Earlier this season against Tennessee, Law picked off Steve McNair with 2:01 remaining and returned the pass 60 yards for a score. Law helped set that play up by playing off Tennessee rookie receiver Tyrone Calico on the previous play, a first-and-10 from the New England 47. Calico caught an out-pattern from McNair for 7 yards that time. The next time -- playing with a badly sprained ankle -- Law jumped the route.
"In the end, it comes down to execution under pressure," Belichick said. "Some of it is situational football, and in the end they need to make those plays. Sometimes it comes down to a three-, four- or five-play game, and whoever can win those plays can win the game. Our team has confidence, which is good, and they don't back down to challenges or situations."
And that's why they are closers.
