HOUSTON — Super Bowl XXXVIII will be remembered for many
things: Adam Vinatieri's winning field goal, Tom Brady's masterful
2-minute skills, Jake Delhomme's gutsy play and Janet
Jackson's...well, let's not go there.

If the National Football League were anything but a
what-have-you-done-for-me-lately league, the game Sunday at Reliant
Stadium would linger in the public's memory for months to come.

It will be hard to forget the bare-naked facts of a game that
took off after Jackson took some of it off and some guy dressed in
an official's uniform took it all off. But the fact is that in the
ever-changing NFL, attention will soon turn to next season.

The college-scouting combine in Indianapolis begins in two
weeks, and free agency starts a month from today, and if the New
England Patriots and Carolina Panthers don’t catch up with
the rest of the league in prepping for these activities,
they’ll be free to watch the Super Bowl XXXIX halftime from
the comfort of their own homes.

It is quite a tribute to Patriots coach Bill Belichick and his
top personnel man, Scott Pioli, that the organization has won two
of the last three Super Bowls. The thrilling 32-29 victory over the
Panthers on Sunday capped a remarkable season in which the Patriots
won their final 15 games.

Expectations will be high next season for Belichick, who has
established himself as the best head coach parity could create. The
defensive guru has created the model for success in an era in which
you don’t know from one year to the next who will be on
top.

With two Super Bowl victories in three seasons, the Patriots are
close to becoming a dynasty. One more Super Bowl, and Belichick can
be mentioned in the same breath as Bill Walsh, Jimmy Johnson and
Bill Parcells. One more Super Bowl, and the Patriots can be
included in the debate regarding great championship teams.

"I don’t want to get into all of that,” Belichick
said early Monday after a night of celebration. “The NFL is
so competitive, 32 teams on a level field banging their heads to
get here. It’s hard to think that way.”

It’s also hard to imagine that the Patriots won’t be
in the thick of things next year. They won their last 12
regular-season games despite suffering a slew of injuries,
including a broken hip to their top free-agent purchase last
off-season, linebacker Rosevelt Colvin.

Six rookies played a major role in the team’s success and
with two first-round draft choices this season - one the result of
trading quarterback Drew Bledsoe to the Buffalo Bills - they could
conceivably become a better team next season.

Of course, it’s hard to repeat in the NFL and it’s
questionable whether the Patriots will be able to win so many close
games again next season. Their salary cap situation isn’t
horrible, but they do have 20 players scheduled to become
unrestricted free agents, most of them role players.

The key free agents are running back Kevin Faulk, center Damien
Woody and nose tackle Ted Washington. There’s no way the
Patriots will let Washington go, but they’ll probably have to
pay a pretty penny to keep him around.

With two first-round selections in the draft, Belichick can
either keep both and add depth or package the two and try to move
up for a big-time running back or linebacker. It’s scary to
think how good the Patriots would be with a 1,500-yard rusher in
the backfield.

The Panthers, meanwhile, enter next season with a healthy cap
and the knowledge that they are every bit as legitimate as the
Patriots. Their primary objective during the off-season will be to
sign quarterback Jake Delhomme, who has one year left on a
two-year, $4 million contract, to a long-term extension.

“I don’t know if I can take any solace in getting
this far,” Delhomme said. “I hope we’re not
forgotten and you always want to come back here again. Deep down in
my heart, I think we will be.

“I hope we’ll be in Jacksonville [at the Super Bowl]
next year fighting again.”

In addition to signing Delhomme, the Panthers must also try to
sign receiver Steve Smith, a restricted free agent, to a long-term
deal. Starters Kevin Donnalley, Reggie Howard, Greg Favors, Deon
Grant and Jeno James are all unrestricted free agents, but all four
members of the team’s dominating defensive front four are
signed long term.

During last off-season, coach John Fox spent a lot of money
upgrading his offense, adding Delhomme and running back Stephen
Davis through free agency and starting right tackle Jordan Gross in
the draft. This year, his focus might switch to defense, where the
Panthers could use some help in the secondary.

Though rookie cornerback Ricky Manning Jr. established himself
as a player, the Panthers are lacking in a shutdown cornerback and
might be in the market for a Charles Woodson or Champ Bailey. If
the Patriots exposed a weakness, it was the Panthers’
inability to handle big receivers.

One thing is certain for both New England and Carolina: The
competition will be fierce for Super Bowl XXXIX.

There just won’t be much time to celebrate now that the
big game is over.
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