New Faces, Same Results for Pats D

by Thomas GeorgeFiled under: Patriots, NFL NotebookFOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Patriots defense was supposed to be green this season minus seasoned fixtures like Mike Vrabel, Richard Seymour, Rodney Harrison and Tedy Bruschi. Even now, it is often considered a bunch of rookies getting baptized on each blitz.Wrong.New England started just one player with fewer than three years experience in its 27-21 victory over the Ravens on Sunday at Gillette Stadium -- and, actually, eight of the 11 starters are in at least their fifth pro season.The Patriots' defensive starters average 6.4 seasons of NFL experience, with an average age of 27.9 years.The idea that the Patriots overhauled their defense and turned to a baby-faced group is nonsense.New Faces, Same Results for Pats D originally appeared on Fanhouse NFL Blog on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments