I’m done trying to provide explanations for the New England Patriots.

It was three years ago they presented themselves to the nation as a team and defeated the heavily favored St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI.

Since that day I have been unable to decipher the exact science of winning they have perfected during the past four seasons.

Every win they rack up, every touchdown they score seems easier than the last and is done in the same ho-hum, workman-like fashion.

Their field general is a former sixth-round draft pick who came out of the University of Michigan with hopes of simply hanging on to Drew Bledsoe’s jock for his career, but has instead transformed himself into one of the best big game quarterbacks of all-time.

No receiver stands taller than six feet.

The all-time leading postseason receiver in team history now plays defensive back.

The team’s top Hall of Fame candidate at this juncture is a kicker from South Dakota that had to send his own tape to coaches in order to sniff an NFL job.

Their starting defensive backfield could be deemed “Three Rejects and a Switch.” One guy no one wanted, one former Pro Bowler who was a salary cap casualty, one small school college player no one knew well enough and one guy most Illini fans are familiar with that changed positions.

Most people would be hard pressed to identify one of their offensive linemen.

Even a malcontent running back, who begged his way out of Cincinnati, has become enamored by the Patriots’ brand of team, not individual, football.

Why no names? Because that’s how each Patriot would want it.

Each player has a story that makes him an important cog in the success of the team, but put together, these Patriots amount to one thing.

No flashiness. No superstars. Simply the highest quality of team football.

The team is a direct reflection of their head coach Bill Belichick, a resilient man who had his reputation tarnished a bit during a stint in Cleveland. He was accused of pushing his players away, but in New England is now embraced by his players and placed upon a mantel with other legendary coaching icons.

Belichick trusts all of his players to do the job and they in turn trust him enough to do anything, even change positions, to help the common cause.

The team never craves attention, instead choosing to fly under the radar of media coverage and allow their play on the field to do the talking.

And once again as we approach the showdown in Jacksonville for Super Bowl XXXIX, the attention is again diverted from the Patriots by Terrell Owens’ situation and the finally over-the-hump Philadelphia Eagles.

This will undoubtedly be the toughest match of the past three Super Bowls for the Patriots.

The St. Louis Rams with their offensive firepower and defensive ineptitude. The Carolina Panthers with their stout defense, but inconsistent offense. Neither was the complete package.

But the Eagles’ attack will come from all angles.

In the air on the right arm of Donovan McNabb, on the ground and from a blitzing defense that suffocated Daunte Culpepper and Michael Vick in consecutive weeks.

I don’t know how, but something tells me the boys from Foxboro will be ready.

Even if the Pats’ don’t come out victorious in Super Bowl XXXIX, their place in history has already been cemented.

In an age of controversy and scandal in sports, the Patriots are a model for what athletes and organizations should aspire to be like.

Consistent, successful and team-oriented.

After three years of sifting through the memories I have of this team and trying to come up with the best way to describe their success, only one comes to mind.

Super.