For much of the offseason, it was believed that the Patriots' defense was going to be their biggest strength, as it had been for most of the last few seasons. But based on what we saw during the preseason, it was clear that wouldn't be the case. It was the special teams that could determine the fate of this year's team.
The biggest reason for that was the return of special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer, who impressed so much during his first season with the team last year that Mike Vrabel chose to keep him around on his coaching staff.