Makin' plays

2009: Not a pretty sight.

"I just can't get this team to play the way we need to play. I just can't do it. It's so frustrating."

That's Bill Belichick talking to Tom Brady in 2009 as the two stood on the sidelines together in the final stages of the Saints crushing the Pats on a Monday night. It's my favorite scene from "A Football Life.'' Belichick is often portrayed as an egomaniac who takes all the credit when the team wins and dumps all the blame when the team loses. Which is about as far from the truth as you can get. He knows that a coach is only as good as the players on the roster. In 2009, the players just weren't good enough. And the coaching wasn't good enough to help them improve. The 2009 Patriots just couldn't make the plays when they needed to.

That's what winning and losing comes down to in the NFL. Which team can make the plays at the key moments in the game. It's always been that way. That's what makes football so fun to watch. It's like watching a violent chess match. And there are moves in each game that change the momentum. The teams that win are the ones that have more players who can step up and make those plays.

The 2009 Patriots did not have nearly enough of them. The 2001, '03, and '04 Pats had more than I can quickly count. The 2011 Patriots -- like last year's team -- has what seems like a large number of playmakers. In a stat from last year that is often lost among the offensive numbers, the Pats D lead the league in picks and were second in total turnovers. That's making plays.

The playmaking starts with Brady, of course. He has a lot of help on offense. A lot. Welker. Branch. Woody. Bennie. The two-headed tight end monster. On defense the Pats have had Big Vince and Mayo leading the way for a few years. But in '09 there wasn't much else. Now, with players like Chung, Wright, Bodden, Haynesworth (when he actually plays), Ellis, Spikes, and Ninko, Vince and Mayo have lots of help. The defense is still giving up too many yards, but they are making the plays when they have to. That's a combination of a good game plan and having guys that can get the job done when put in the right spot.

The 2-0 Pats go into Buffalo in what is an unexpectedly big divisional battle. It's big because the 2-0 Bills have been making plays for the first time in a long time.

It's all about making plays.