SUPER BOWL LIII
Sunday, February 3, 2019 at 6:30 p.m., televised by CBS
The New England Patriots have set all kinds of records during this Belichick-Brady era. Just thinking about what they managed to accomplish, and how long they managed to stay on top in an era designed for parity, boggles the imagination.
Here are some of the accomplishments:
This year, the Patriots qualified for the playoffs for a record 10th straight time. They managed to do this by winning their division for an NFL record 10 straight seasons.
They qualified for a conference championship game for a record-smashing eight straight time, which means that they were the first team in NFL history to win at least one postseason game in eight straight seasons, also far and away a record.
From 2003-2018, the Patriots earned double digit wins for each regular season (at least 10 wins or more), matching the record set by the 49ers from 1981-1998. San Francisco did that with two starting quarterbacks in two distinctly different eras, and with several different coaches. Barring injury and suspensions to Brady, the Patriots enjoyed most of that success with one quarterback and one coach. They also won more games in a shorter time span than any other team during this stretch. Also, they have avoided losing more than two games in a row at any point dating back all the way back to the 2003 season, which the Niners did from 1981-1998.
From 2010-2018, the Patriots tied the Indianapolis Colts for most consecutive seasons with at least 12 wins during the regular season.
From 2001-2018, the New England Patriots qualified for and won more postseason games - far more - than any other NFL franchise in any other era. They played in 40 games, and won a record 29 playoff games during that era, which is more than all but five NFL franchises currently have won in all of their history. And, of course, the Patriots may still have a chance add to that.
Also from 2001-2018, the New England Patriots qualified for more Super Bowls than any other franchise, and all during such a relatively short span of time. Currently, no other franchise has even been to nine Super Bowls in franchise history, while the Patriots have reached 11 in all, with all but two coming during the Belichick-Brady era.
From 2003-2017, New England enjoyed more regular seasons with 13 wins or more than any other franchise in league history. They were 13-3 in 2011 and 2017, 14-2 in 2003, 2004, 2010, and 2016. Of course, they also went 16-0 in 2007. Overall, that translates to seven seasons with a regular season record of 13-3 or better (13-3 is usually regarded as an excellent regular season) in a span of 15 seasons. No other team can even come close to approaching that level during such a time span. In addition, the Patriots finished with a 12-4 mark in five of those other seasons, in 2006, and then from 2012-2015. Again, no other team in league history can compete with such numbers.
Bill Belichick stands as the only coach in NFL history to have been the most recent coach to lead two different teams to their most recent playoff wins. He has won plenty, obviously, with New England. But he also was the last head coach to have led the Cleveland Browns to a playoff win, when they defeated the New England Patriots, of all teams, who were then coached by his old boss and mentor, Bill Parcells.
Belichick has won more games - both more regular season and playoff games - than any other coach in league history in a span of time of less than two decades (he has coached the Patriots 225-79, and with a playoff record of 29-10 during that same stretch. He is the only head coach in NFL history to have reached the Super Bowl nine times, and won more Super Bowls than any other coach in league history.
Tom Brady has enjoyed more success as an NFL quarterback than anyone else ever has. He has reached an NFL record 14 Pro Bowls, 9 Super Bowls, 5 Super Bowl wins, more playoff appearances and more playoff wins than any other quarterback in any era. His overall won/loss record is an astonishing 207-60. All of that with one team.
There are other incredible distinctions, as well. During the Belichick/Brady era, the Patriots have enjoyed 18 straight winning seasons, second in NFL history to the Dallas Cowboys, who had 20 straight winning seasons. At one point, they earned an NFL record 21 game winning streak, from the 2003-04 season to well into the 2004 season. They also enjoyed another 18-game win streak in 2007-08, when they established a then North American sports record by getting off to an 18-0 start, since surpassed by the NBA's Golden State Warriors with that 24-0 start in 2015-16. But 18-0 remains the best start in NFL history. It should be noted that the Pats also got off to a 10-0 start in 2015, and have had other massive win streaks during this era of Belichick and Brady.
Consider this: the Patriots have made it to four of the last five Super Bowls. The only other team that managed to do that was Buffalo, and they lost all four of those Super Bowls. New England has won three of the four, and that has earned them another unique distinction, and the one distinction that, above any other, really speaks of the level of excellence of these Patriots. By winning their third title of this decade, during which they made it to five Super Bowls overall (they won XLIX, LI, and LIII, and lost XLVI and LII), New England clinched "Team of the Decade" status for a second straight decade. This, too, is something unlike anything that we have seen before. Let's face it: it seems highly unlikely that we will see it again. In this era specifically designed for parity, those are some things that just seem incredibly unlikely, and it takes a special level of talent to achieve that. Belichick is that kind of special coach, and Brady is that kind of special quarterback. These men possess more than just generational talents. In both cases, they have made clear and compelling arguments that they are the greatest at what they do in the history of this sport, period.
These are some simply amazing accomplishments! So, why do so many people hate New England? Who are there so many detractors, so many haters, who insist that the success that the Patriots enjoy is systematically tainted, that they will and should always be identified as cheaters? Why are there still so many people who absolutely insist that Tom Brady is not the GOAT, even though he not only has far more Super Bowl rings and overall Super Bowl appearances than any other quarterback? In short, why do so many not only not relish in this team's success, but actively try to detract from it?
My guess is that it is not simply about the scandals that seem to follow this team around. Other franchises with similar controversies are not so readily and systematically identified with similar disparaging and all-encompassing images to tarnish them. Nobody remembers that the Falcons boosted their noise levels during home games, although just imagine if that had been the Patriots in Foxboro! Who remembers Bountygate, when New Orleans head coach Sean Peyton told his players to go after and hurt certain members of opposing teams? Again, imagine if that had been the New England Patriots? Indeed, there have been others, as well. Going back some years, I remember feeling absolutely outraged by the 49ers in the 1980's and 1990's, as they used to leg whip opponents, which is illegal. Also, they used a method of going around the salary cap that, at best, seriously bent the rules, if not outright broke them. But hardly anybody remembers that. Yet, I bet that decades from now, when this Patriots dynasty is long done and only talked about, people will still bring up those two scandals in particular, "Spygate" and "Deflategate."
And people will still be trying to diminish Brady's accomplishments, specifically, as a quarterback. Some say that he is merely a "system quarterback" who benefited from Belichick's genius, fail-proof schemes and system. Some say that he lacks the toughness, that would not have stood out so much in earlier, more physical eras in NFL history. Some attack him personally, suggesting that he is arrogant, a spoiled, entitled little brat. Many relish in his failures.
Indeed, this might be the thing that, in many people's minds, hurts his legacy the most. Every quarterback, and indeed every athlete, experiences some professional disappointments. But Montana's failures, for example, did not come on the biggest stage. He only made it to four Super Bowls, which is less than half the amount that Brady qualified for. Yet, since he won all four, there is this air of invincibility about him, this notion that he was invincible, that nobody could beat him. Brady lost three Super Bowls, and one of them was a historical level, crushing disappointment that prevented his previously undefeated New England Patriots from being immortalized in history as the greatest team in NFL history.
My best guess is that it is a combination of all those things. Plus, people get sick of the same old faces and team colors winning one championship after another. Perhaps that was my own problem with the San Francisco 49ers years ago, and probably that is the reason that the Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Yankees (a team that I used to like) now sicken me. That, and their obnoxious, overly entitled fans, of course.
This season, the New England Patriots became only the third team in NFL history to qualify for a third straight Super Bowl. For whatever the reason, the other two NFL franchises to have managed this accomplishment were also AFC East teams, as the Dolphins did it in the early 1970's, and the Bills famously reached a record four straight Super Bowls in the early 1990's.
Furthermore, they became the first losing team in a Super Bowl one year to return the next year since those Buffalo Bills did it in 1993. Relatively few teams historically bounce back from a Super Bowl loss to get back shortly thereafter and win it again. Kansas City lost Super Bowl I, and won it three years later. The Colts lost Super Bowl III, but won it two years later. Dallas lost to the Colts, and won it the next year. And the Dolphins lost Super Bowl VI, only to win the next two Super Bowls. More recently, the Denver Broncos lost Super Bowl XLVIII to the Seahawks in a blowout, and went back two years later to win. Count that up, and you have five teams. The Patriots have done that twice, recently. They lost the Super Bowl rematch to the Giants in XLVI, and returned three seasons later to stun the Seahawks with the fourth quarter comeback. Then, the Patriots lost last year to the Eagles, and came back to defeat the Rams, with what has to be considered one of the finest defensive performances in Super Bowl history. They also became the first team since the Miami Dolphins in 1972 to bounce back from losing the Super Bowl one season, and winning it the next. You might think it would happen more often, but it does not. It is a rare show of resilience, and it is telling that almost no one is surprised that New England managed to do it.
Indeed, this has been an era of excellence for the New England Patriots franchise that has been unique in not only NFL history, but in sports history. Few teams have ever remained as entirely relevant, and frankly, elite, as the New England Patriots have done now for the better chunk of two decades. They are considered one of the favorites to win it all literally every single season. My guess is that so long as Robert Kraft remains the owner, Bill Belichick remains the head coach, and Tom Brady stays on at quarterback, that should continue, even though none of them are getting any younger.
They will no last forever, even though for some people, it probably feels like they already have. But you can almost hear the clock ticking, right? Brady in particular is 41, and if he plays next season, he will enter it as a 42-year old starter. When's the last time that you saw a 42-year old starting quarterback? I remember reading once that Brady felt that he could play until he was 45. Frankly, it is starting to feel more and more like a distinct possibility. But, success is not ever really assured, and surely, sooner or later, this era will end.
For now, even though this is probably not a popular approach to take, I for one, am admiring their incredible accomplishments, and their truly remarkable perseverance.
Thought I would share a link to an interesting article that suggests that Patriots haters should stop hating, and begin appreciating the greatness, the hard work and meticulous attention to detail and precision that fuels the success that New England has earned. It was interesting, and again, I would recommend it:
It's time to appreciate this Patriots dynasty as the greatest in sports play by Ian O'Connor ESPN Senior Writer February 3, 2019:
No comments:
Post a Comment