For all you pundits who have already filed your preseason predictions, trying to come up with any club other than the New England Patriots — because the Pats just can’t possibly do it again — I’ve got some bad news.

The simple fact as near as I can see, people, is that the road to Super Bowl XL in Detroit will once again pass through Gillette Stadium in Foxborough.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’m completely aware that Charlie Weis is now in South Bend, Romeo Crennel is in Cleveland, Ty Law has joined the Jets, and Tedy Bruschi and Ted Johnson will be leading cheers from somewhere other than their customary LB spots this year. But you know what, guys? Bill Belichick and Scott Pioli appear to have the answers for all that and more.

Granted, no team in NFL history has won three consecutive Super Bowls. In fact, of the clubs that have won back-to-back Super Bowls (Green Bay: I-II; Miami: VII-VIII; Pittsburgh: IX-X and XIII-XIV; San Francisco: XXIII-XXIV; Dallas: XXVII-XXVIII; and Denver: XXXII-XXXIII), none has ever made it back to the Super Bowl the following year. Three of those clubs — the Packers, the Steelers after SBs XIII and XIV and the Broncos — failed to make the playoffs the next season, and only the 49ers and Cowboys made it back to their conference title games, where they, of course, lost. But none of those clubs were these Patriots.

Only a fool would suggest that the loss of Weis to Notre Dame is anything short of huge. But that fool would probably be the first to point out that Weis was missing in action or severely limited throughout the 2001 season due to complications from gastric bypass surgery, when the Patriots won their first Super Bowl with Belichick serving basically as his own offensive coordinator and the principal developer of then second-year QB Tom Brady. That would appear to be the most significant reason the 2005 Patriots didn’t tab a new offensive coordinator.

That Crennel was one of the best NFL defensive coordinators is another fact beyond debate. And he will be missed. But there are two other facts to be considered. New defensive coordinator Eric Mangini has been with the Patriots since Belichick took over in 2000 and has been groomed for this job ever since Crennel became a top head-coaching candidate following the 2001 season. And Mangini has studied not only at the feet of Crennel, but also Belichick, who is almost universally revered as the finest defensive mind in the game. Mangini will be just fine, thank you.

Bruschi will be missed, to be sure, but the simple fact is that, with both of them healthy, Chad Brown has been a better linebacker than Bruschi ever was. And while no one can provide the emotional and inspirational leadership Bruschi has given this team, can any of you imagine him being far from the Pats’ locker room or sideline should his teammates need him? Furthermore, Rosevelt Colvin, who is the most physically gifted of any of the Pats’ linebackers, figures to be close to 100 percent for the first time since his 2002 season with the Bears, and free agent Monty Beisel from the Chiefs adds some much-needed youth and enthusiasm. The bottom line is Willie McGinest, Mike Vrabel, Colvin, Brown and Beisel will still make up the best group of linebackers in the NFL.

As for Richard Seymour, while other teams can’t seem to get out of their own way when it comes to unhappy campers and contract squabbles, the Patriots conducted a clinic in avoiding turmoil with their star defensive tackle. One day into his holdout, the Pats sat down with Seymour and said, “We need you in camp, and you’re right, you’ve earned the right for a little more money.”

By guaranteeing Seymour no more than an extra $1.2 million for this season, they got him in camp and ready to play for an amount closer to what he’s actually worth — without having to extend or renegotiate his contract, which has him bound to the Patriots through next season. More importantly, Seymour made the clear statement that winning is still more important than money if you’re a Patriot because, while he got a little more, he’s still guaranteed far less than other players of his stature at his position.

The hits don’t stop with Seymour. By adding WRs Tim Dwight and David Terrell and getting a healthy Benjamin Watson back at tight end, New England should be even more explosive on offense this year and could be devastating in the red zone with Terrell and Watson. On defense, just having another year under the ample belts of Ty Warren and Vince Wilfork could make the Pats’ front line near impenetrable with a happy Seymour as the anchor. So why, now, are the Patriots in trouble?

Yes, every one of the other 31 clubs in the league will be gunning for them, but I don’t think that’s anything new for the Patriots at all. And I don’t see a single reason why New England shouldn’t be favored to be the champs again.

The above content is featured from our Pro Football Weekly print edition — Issue 07.