In the four years since their last Super Bowl, the New England Patriots re-invented themselves, particularly on offense. Instead of the spread, the team was carried by the two tight end set featuring Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. What did not chance since 2007, was the success of the offense. While the 2007 squad had arguably the best offensive unit of all time, the 2011 version was pretty formidable in its own right.
The Patriots, after starting the year 5-3, went on an eight game winning streak before entering the playoffs as the conference’s number one seed.