The majesty of a professional is to make something look easy.
You are embracing and denying the reason all in the same breath. You are staring directly at the forest and can't see it.
Bob Kraft is the creator of opportunity.
Bill Belichick is the architect of the plan.
Tom Brady is the plan's executioner.
This doesn't work without all 3. It is a unique happenstance of opportunity and ability. But without the conviction and faith to remain loyal to the relationship these 3 have forged, it is just another winning franchise. And not the model of excellence they have created that everyone else marvels.
To ascend to a dynasty, you need a Brady. He was the perfect piece of clay for Belichick to mold. But Brady has his own collection of skills that make him achieve his own success. He is not the best at much physically. And we've seen more intelligent football minds behind center. But he has a Joe Montana quality. He is the right player at the right time; not just for the Patriots' organization. In the game.
Belichick can win with anyone. He understands people, strategy and how to adapt. His mantra IS flexibility. Belichick is the true "quiet man". Always listening and adapting. He is a strong communicator. He says just enough at the exact precise moment. He is the Bobby Fischer of football.
Bob Kraft is the driving force behind the Patriots. He yields an unassuming power. He doesn't seem remarkable in any single facet. Until you realize that the Patriots have quietly went from a relatively unremarkable franchise to pushing the limits of known success. Mistaking that BB and TB are responsible for all of this is a huge miscalculation.
A real owner is moving pieces behind the scenes so his organization acquires the necessary influence to sustain its own success. Not easy to do when you have never been regarded as a football power. I would like to find a better word, but "shrewd" comes to mind. What Jerry Jones has accomplished as an owner off the field with his bravado, Kraft has accomplished more in his own relative silence.
Make no mistake, Kraft is probably one of the most influential modern owners. You don't sidestep the problems the Patriots have faced in the media if you don't have the league on some form of a string. The Patriots and The NFL have become a symbiotic existence.
To look at the Patriots and chalk it up to players and dumb luck, one would be missing the sheer amount of power, money, influence, opportunity and intelligence it takes to enact a dynasty of this magnitude and duration. Players come and go. This is a dynasty. It transcends players on the field. It takes powerful and intelligent people to reach this level of success.
Most organizations are fortunate for the stars to align for a single Super Bowl birth. Since Kraft became CEO in 1994, the Patriots have been to 10 Super Bowls and won 6.
Most organizations win because of a great QB, a great HC or a great Owner. They have all 3.
The Patriots have rewritten excellence in the modern era. It is an Olympic feat of accomplishment.
