Maintaining the Dynasty

Let me start by saying that I am a die hard Pats fan, born and raised.  Super Bowl XLIX saw near tears, shouting, cheering, and jumping around the living room at my household and it feels so good to, once again, be Super Bowl champions.

With their Super Bowl XLIX win under belt, the New England Patriots have entered an undeniable territory of revered status as one of the greatest NFL teams of all time.  It is no secret that the vast majority of this success has come under head coach, Bill Belichick and 3-time Super Bowl MVP and 4-time Super Bowl champion quarterback, Tom Brady.  This dynamic duo is indisputably one of the greatest pairings to ever set foot in the NFL.  In fact, I would dare to say that these two are THE greatest—individually and as a pair.  Through intelligence, strategy, and an exceptional attention to detail, Belichick and Brady have gone 4-2 in the Super Bowl within the last 15 years.  What a record.  It is through this success that many football fans have made the decision that the New England Patriots have earned the right to be called a dynasty within this league.  The question that comes to many at this time is this:  How long can such greatness be maintained?  

When it comes to Belichick and the Patriots, it seems as though anything can get done and the greatness can come from anywhere.  After all, Brady was a sixth round draft pick.  Yet, today he is considered by most, and rightfully so, the greatest quarterback of all time.  What about Malcolm Butler? If you don’t know this name by now you have some catching up to do.  Butler, the New England Patriots rookie out of the University of West Alabama, a division 2 football team, was New England’s hero 2 weeks ago at Super Bowl XLIX.  The rookie made more than one exceptional play during the game but stood out most when he made one of the greatest Super Bowl plays in NFL history with his game winning interception on Russell Wilson’s throw from the 1 yard line in the 4^th quarter.  It seems as though greatness can truly come from anywhere in this league and this seems to be especially true under the coaching of Bill Belichick, the arm of Tom Brady, and the reigns of the New England Patriots. 

With 15 years of playing as an NFL quarterback behind him, many football fans believe that Tom Brady’s career is coming to an end.  However, it seems to me that Brady has always found a way to defy the odds and continuously proves to be, simply put, better than everyone else.  Skeptics continue to put limits on the champion quarterback and I have to think, why bother? The way that I see it is that Tom Brady is still playing as exceptional as ever and at 37 years old, appears to still have enough in him to continue to excel at what he does best—football.  

With a coach like Bill Belichick, who officially holds the record for most post season wins, and a quarterback like Tom Brady, an NFL legend, it is impossible to say that the success of the Patriots will not continue. As long as the team is able to retain a skillful offense and defense that is willing to work hard and put in the necessary time, anything can happen under Belichick and Brady’s dynamic pairing of elite greatness.  How could anyone doubt the New England Patriots at this point? Records broken and adversity overcome, this team is an NFL dynasty and is being led by two of the NFL’s greatest.  

So, how long can they keep it up? 

I’m counting on forever.