His anxiety is heightened by the fact Sunday's opponent, the New York Giants, recorded 53 sacks this season, tops in the NFL. New York leveled Brady only once in the regular-season finale, but Scarnecchia fully expects that Osi Umenyiora, Michael Strahan, and the boys will be gunning for him.
"There isn't a line coach in the world that wouldn't confess to thinking the worst," Scarnecchia said. "You watch the film and you see the defense, and you say, 'This could be bad.' If you don't consider that vision [of the quarterback going down], you shouldn't be here."
The Patriots provided excellent protection for Brady in 2007. He was sacked just 21 times, an economic number that produced three Pro Bowl selections: Matt Light, Logan Mankins, and Dan Koppen.
"We're not terribly big and we're not terribly talented," Scarnecchia said, "but we're very good at seeing the game through the same set of eyes."
They are his eyes, dark and narrow and focused on technique and detail. Nobody has been a Patriots coach longer than Scarnecchia, and after 24 seasons in New England, he can afford to be forthright. He is not afraid of anyone or anything. Job security is an afterthought. He survived a 2-14 season in 1981 the same way he has managed through this 18-0 campaign: with a disarming frankness.
"He's not afraid to yell at you when you play bad," reported Koppen. "He's been in the league a long time. He's never satisfied. He really does try to make us be perfect."
Nobody is immune from Scarnecchia's barbs, not even Brady. As Scar noted wryly yesterday, "You want Tom to stay within the confines of the pocket. He can't run out of sight in three days."
During his Patriots tenure, Scarnecchia has coached everyone from Hall of Famers (John Hannah) and Pro Bowlers (Brian Holloway, Bruce Armstrong) to converted college wrestlers (Stephen Neal).
Neal might be an integral part of the offensive line now, but he came to the Patriots on the defensive side of the ball, and, according to Scarnecchia, was an unmitigated disaster.
