Tom Brady and Bill Belichick go for fourth ring vs. defending champs

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The Patriots came in drenched from the driving rainstorm after easily making it to Super Bowl XLIX and now the music was blasting in the locker room, the players were wearing their AFC Championship T-shirts and their ears were still ringing from the fans chanting, “Brady! Brady! Brady!”

Tom Brady and Bill Belichick have one more game to win to embrace the Vince Lombardi Trophy for the fourth time, but the first time in 10 years. Those two are all that remain from the first title following the 2001 season. The 2004 Patriots are the last team to repeat and now they can stop the Seahawks from repeating as Super Bowl champions.

“I don’t think of us stopping them,” Patriots owner Robert Kraft said. “I think of us trying to win our fourth Super Bowl.”

The Patriots completely overpowered the Colts, 45-7, in the ninth AFC title game for Brady and Belichick. Belichick broke a tie with Don Shula by making it to his sixth Super Bowl, the most ever for a head coach. Brady, too, now will have the most Super Bowl starts for a quarterback with six, breaking a tie with John Elway. Belichick also picked up his 21st playoff victory, the most ever for a head coach, one more than Tom Landry.

New England has become the model franchise, but it’s been a long time since the last championship. They are not unhappy the Seahawks put on a stirring comeback to beat the Packers – in reality, the Packers choked – because it’s always much sweeter to beat the best team.

After the way the Colts played Sunday – Brady threw three TDs and LeGarrette Blount ran for 148 yards and three scores, giving him seven against the Colts in the playoffs the last two years – there is no doubt Denver would have defeated Indy last week if Peyton Manning was healthy.

The Seahawks are trying to become the Patriots of this decade. Brady was overlooked in the draft and picked in the sixth round. Russell Wilson was an afterthought going in the third round. They are both incredibly resourceful players. You want the ball in their hands with the game on the line, as Wilson proved in the NFC title game.

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll coached the Patriots from 1997-99, the bridge in New England between Bill Parcells and Belichick. Carroll was the head coach of the Jets for just the 1994 season before he was fired. Belichick was the HC of the NYJ for one day in 2000 before he quit.