3. Defense looks to get over the hump

The Patriots defense came up short in crunch time in each of the last two seasons -- the Colts drove down the field at the end of the AFC Championship game two seasons ago, and the Giants put together a game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XLII. Partially because of this, it wouldn't be a surprise to see some schematic changes that could help get the unit over the hump. One potential area of intrigue could be the fusion between the ideas of Bill Belichick and new assistant coach Dom Capers, as Capers is highly regarded for producing innovative pass-rush schemes. A better pass rush naturally would help a secondary that must replace Asante Samuel.