There have been great franchises and great teams, but nothing compares to New England’s sustained success.
In Super Bowl lore, there is this….
There were three minutes and thirty seconds left in the 4th quarter of the Super Bowl. Tom Brady and the New England Patriots were down by eight points with the ball on the New England 9-yard line.
Tom Brady (photo, Sports Illustrated)
On the first play of the drive, Brady threw a deep pass to Hogan. Incomplete. On the next play, Brady threw again to Hogan, putting the Patriots on the 25-yard line. After an 11-yard reception from Malcolm Mitchell, Brady threw a bullet to Julian Edelman. The ball was tipped and in the air, Edelman dove to the ground, and caught it!
Now the ball was on the New England 41-yard line. Brady took the snap and threw deep to Amendola, complete, to put NE on the 21-yard line. One minute and fifty-seven seconds are left!
A short pass to James White brought the Patriots to the 8-yard line. A 6-yard pass to White meant that the Patriots were two yards away from a touchdown! Brady handed the ball to White. He pushed through the line for a touchdown!
The Patriots had come back from a 25-point deficit but still had to convert a 2-point conversion to tie the game. The stakes? NE was two yards away from forcing overtime in what would be the greatest Super Bowl comeback in NFL history.
Brady ran a side pass to Amendola. He scored! The game is tied 28-28.
(to be continued below….)
Background
The New England Patriots have been playing at an elite level and are re-defining greatness. It all started when Robert Kraft selected Bill Belichick to coach the New England Patriots.
Robert Kraft (photo, Newsday)
In 1994 Robert Kraft purchased the struggling New England Patriots for the then record cost of 175 million dollars. Since then, Kraft has turned the Patriots into a 3.8 billion dollars behemoth.
In 2000, Kraft selected Bill Belichick to be his head coach. In Bill Belichick’s first year, he made a surprising choice in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL draft. Despite having three quarterbacks on the roster and having just signed Drew Bledsoe to a 10-year, 100 million dollar contract, the Pats drafted another quarterback–this one out of from Michigan with the 199th pick. His name was Tom Brady.
When Brady met Kraft, he told him “I’m the best decision this organization has ever made.” That shows the level of Brady’s confidence and determination–even though this brash 22-year-old, fourth-string player hadn’t made it through his first training camp.
But it wouldn’t take long for Brady to crack the starting lineup. In Week Two of the 2001 season, the Patriots were playing the New York Jets. With 5:03 remaining in the fourth quarter, Bledsoe was hit by Jets’ linebacker Mo Lewis as he tried to get out-of-bounds. Bledsoe returned for one more pass, but the pain was significant, and Brady ran onto the field.
That moment changed history. Brady became the starter, and Bledsoe was traded to Buffalo in the off-season.
Through the years, Brady has scaled the heights of NFL stardom. He holds the passing touchdown record for the regular and postseason (590 touchdowns). Brady has led the Patriots to 16 divisional titles and 30 playoff games. But Brady’s greatest accomplishment is the number of times (9) that he has taken the Patriots to the Super Bowl. He has led them to victory six times and received the MVP award four times.
Although a great player, Brady credits his team. He realizes that none of his success would have been possible without his teammates and coaches.
(and we go to overtime….)
….The Patriots win the toss and decide to receive the ball. Brady has to guide his team 75 yards to bring another Lombardi Trophy to New England. To start the drive, he throws a short pass to James White. Next, Brady airs it out to Amendola. The Pats are at their 45-yard line. After a deep pass to Chris Hogan, the Patriots were inside the 40-yard line.
Brady throws a bullet to Edelman for 16 yards, and a run by James White brings New England to the 15-yard line. Brady tosses it to James White, who runs it in for the score!
The New England Patriots had come back from a 25-point deficit to win Super Bowl LI.
What a comeback!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfEUDJdskCo
Will The Dynasty Fall?
Tom Brady and Bill Belichick continue to win despite the odds. Every year people doubt Brady and his ability to lead a team. But Brady takes negativity and turns it into motivation to get better.
So just what is the Kraft-Belichick-Brady legacy? It’s an NFL dynasty unlike no other.
