ATLANTA — In this week’s NFL Notebook, we look at the guy who could be most responsible for the Patriots' run of good health down the stretch and into the playoffs, how each team is handling the possibility of crowd noise in Sunday’s Super Bowl, and the fact the Pats can claim a clean sweep of all the major award winners if they can beat the Rams. But first, an appreciation of the work of New England’s newest Hall of Famer, Ty Law.
1. When I first started covering the Patriots in 2001, Ty Law, Lawyer Milloy and the rest of New England’s defensive backs ran the dominoes table in the corner of the locker room. It was exclusive company, and off-limits to the prying eyes of the media. One thing you could tell, even from a distance? It didn’t matter who was at the table when Law wanted some action — when he wanted to play, they cleared a spot for him. Why?
“Ty’s Ty,” explained one defensive back. “He’s the man.”
Yes, Law had an aura about him. He radiated the necessary swagger and confidence that makes every great cornerback. You knew when Law wanted a spot the dominoes table, and he bought that same essence to the field. Like every great corner, he demanded attention, and he consistently delivered — 53 picks in the regular season, tied with Deion Sanders. Multiple All-Pro honors. Three Super Bowl rings. And now? One gold jacket after being voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2019.
The truth of the matter? Darrelle Revis was sensational for one year, and Stephon Gilmore has done right by the No. 24 this past season. But since I’ve started covering the team, Law was the best cornerback I ever saw in a New England uniform. The pioneer of what I came to know as cat coverage. (“I’ve got that cat, you got that cat, you got that cat,” he once explained, pointing at imaginary receivers on the other side of the room.) Smart, tough, physical, and with an extraordinary ability to play his best games when it mattered most.
And now? He’s a Hall of Famer.
There’s so much to remember about Law’s career: It’s easy to recall the three-pick game he had against Peyton Manning in the 2003 AFC title game, and his ability to spark a rule change that helped offenses and receivers. (Hello, Bill Polian!) But I have two other memories: One, his pick-six against Steve McNair with 1:49 left in the fourth quarter against the Titans on Oct. 5, 2003. The narrow victory was the first in a win streak that would last for more than a full calendar year. But that victory was only secured when Law stepped in and took it to the house.
And two, the pick-six in Super Bowl XXXVI against Kurt Warner. It seems a million years ago, but a rewatch of that one shows that throughout the early stages of that game, it became clear the Patriots could play with the Rams. But it took a lightning bolt of a play by Law to make you really believe the upset was possible.
Law had a spot cleared for him at the dominoes table when he was a player. Now, he’ll have a spot cleared for him in Canton this summer. A well-deserved honor for a special football player.
2. Law will go in with Champ Bailey, Pat Bowlen, Gil Brandt, Tony Gonzalez, Kevin Mawae, Ed Reed and Johnny Robinson. Three defensive backs in one class is interesting. (I know there was some feeling Law might have been a bit anxious this time around because Bailey was campaigning for a Hall berth, and two defensive backs is usually a lot.) But it should make for a fun induction ceremony. (You can bet Robert Kraft, Bill Belichick and others will make the trip to Canton for that one.)
