(CBS Boston/CBS Local) — As you have likely heard a million times by now, or will hear a million more times by Sunday night at 11:59 p.m., this year marks the third consecutive Super Bowl appearance for the New England Patriots and their ninth in the last 18 years under Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. Some fans may be tired of seeing the Patriots in the big game, while others are likely wondering what else can be said about a team that has been in the game for half of the younger generation’s adult lives.
Well, for Phil Simms, an analyst on The NFL Today and this Sunday’s The Super Bowl Today, he finds plenty that is still interesting about the Patriots, particularly how they continue to evolve on the offensive side of the ball.
“I don’t think we could run out of things to say about the Patriots,” said Simms on a conference call Tuesday. “I make lists of topics that I want to talk about, and I put down the Patriots offense and fill up two pages, with each line being another thought. You can almost do the same thing with the defense, the coaches. They are an endless subject, and I think ideas we can talk about are constantly there.”
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Fellow analyst Nate Burleson agrees and says that this year’s run feels different, particularly because there was plenty to doubt about their play during the regular season. But, once again, come playoff time, they have shown themselves to be the class of the AFC.
“Later in the season, I think we all kind of thought that the Pittsburgh Steelers were surging and this may not be the Patriots year,” said Burleson on the same call. “Then they get into the playoffs and remind us just how great they are. Going into this game, the storylines have been different. Even though the result is the same, with us seeing them in the Super Bowl for the ninth time.”
You can see just how much the guys still have to say about Brady, Belichick and the rest of the Patriots when The Super Bowl Today begins its coverage of the game at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Sunday afternoon leading up until 6:00 p.m.