Where do Patriots Rank Among Best Ever?

[SF Dolphin Fan]

Talk radio hasn't been very fun to listen to lately. All the talk is about New England and Tom Brady and their place in history.

Watching teams from the past, I don't feel the Patriots are on par with the great teams of all-time. Certainly what they have done is impressive, especially in the salary cap era when you can't keep all the players you want to. Thinking back to the great teams of the 1970's would the Steelers have won four in six years if they had to manage a salary cap? Doubtful. It's certain they couldn't keep the great defense together. Tough choices would have to be made.

It's amazing too how close New England is to 3-6 in super bowl games. The recent wins over Seattle and Atlanta had more to do with those teams losing the game than the Patriots winning it. In both cases, bad coaching decisions opened the door for the Patriots. To the Patriots credit, they took advantage. But, would we be talking greatness with a 3-6 record?

Unlike dynasties of old, the Patriots have never won a super bowl easily or convincingly. The 49ers had three blowout super bowl wins where there was no question they were the best team. Dallas under Jimmy Johnson had two super bowl blowouts. Miami had a blowout in super bowl VIII. You could make an argument that the Patriots could have lost every super bowl they played in.

Listen, the Patriots are great. Tom Brady is great. There's no denying that. But as someone who has watched football since the early 1970's, I just don't see them matching up against the all-time great teams.

 

[Sons Of Shula]

Belichick is GOAT.

Patriots have been a dynasty since the turn of the century. 16 years ago . . .

 

[susser2000]

I think Belichick and Brady are the best Coach/QB combo ever and Belichick is the best coach of all time. This dynasty is one like we've never seen; they've been a Super Bowl favorite since Brady came into the league. Most teams take a while to gel, but this team just reloads and repeats; this is why I credit Belichick with their success. Brady is good, but Belichick is the best.

 

[SF Dolphin Fan]

Good points. The length of the dynasty is definitely impressive. From that point of view, no team has ever dominated that long. Most past dynasties were during a 5-6 year stretch. I think the 49ers may have been the longest prior to New England's spanning two great quarterbacks in Montana and Young.

I guess I do need to look at it from a salary cap, watered down aspect a little bit. Teams can't load up on depth the way they used to, which is why a team like Minnesota started 5-0 and missed the playoffs when offensive line injuries decimated the team. Would be more impressive, though, if the Patriots had some no doubt titles under their belts.

I definitely think Bellichick is in the discussion for best coach of all-time and, as much as it pains me to say it, I think he may be. As to Brady, I don't think he's the best quarterback ever. If you are talking super bowls, than yes. But that argument puts Bradshaw up there and he probably isn't top 30 all-time. In a way, Bradshaw's success is much like Eli Manning's. Manning is elite in the post season, but I don't think he's top 30 all-time.

As far as the qb argument goes, I look for attributes like decision making, ball placement, leadership, durability, deep ball, athletic ability, ability to extend plays, arm strength, clutch performance etc.. Brady is top drawer in most of those categories except for athletic ability and ability to extend plays. His deep game is good, but not elite. Aaron Rogers is a qb I can't find fault with. He matches Brady is just about every category, but gets a lot of big plays by extending the play. Does that make him better? Same with Roger Staubach going back to the 1970's and 1980's. Similar quarterbacks.

 

[Adam Strange]

Most dominant team ever.

It was extremely impressive back in the early 90s when the Bills had the conference locked down for four straight years. Well, absent a down year here or there, the Patriots have had the conference locked down for 4 times as long-- and they've actually won 5 Super Bowls and 7 AFC championships in that time.

I doubt even the youngest member of this message board ever sees another team that's as dominant as this one has been. And they're not done yet.

 

[SF Dolphin Fan]

Most dominant team ever.

It was extremely impressive back in the early 90s when the Bills had the conference locked down for four straight years. Well, absent a down year here or there, the Patriots have had the conference locked down for 4 times as long-- and they've actually won 5 Super Bowls and 7 AFC championships in that time.

I doubt even the youngest member of this message board ever sees another team that's as dominant as this one has been. And they're not done yet.

I get that from a longevity standpoint. But do you think this Patriots team would beat the great San Francisco teams or Dallas teams? They certainly wouldn't match-up talent-wise, which is probably unfair since we are talking salary cap and different rules of putting a team together.

Best of this era, no doubt, New England gets that title. But best ever? I don't see that.

 

[Tailgater]

The Pats are by far the greatest team of the salary cap league bar none.

Almost every team they play have a more 'talented' roster, but they continue to outplay., outcoach almost everyone.

Could they beat those overloaded Dallas / SF teams? Maybe, but probably not. Superstars / HOF players on each of those teams, in large quantities.

Patriots, over 16 years, have HOF players (or potential HOF'ers) in Brady, Gronk, maybe Law someday. That's about it. Simply amazing.

 

[DisturbedShifty]

The Pats are by far the greatest team of the salary cap league bar none.

Almost every team they play have a more 'talented' roster, but they continue to outplay., outcoach almost everyone.

Could they beat those overloaded Dallas / SF teams? Maybe, but probably not. Superstars / HOF players on each of those teams, in large quantities.

Patriots, over 16 years, have HOF players (or potential HOF'ers) in Brady, Gronk, maybe Law someday. That's about it. Simply amazing.

You know, I was gonna be an ass just because you're a Pats fan. But you're probably the first Pats fan that is level headed about your team that it makes it hard to be an ass. Lol. This is by far the most unbiased opinion I have sever seen from a Pats fan about the Pats. Well done sir.

 

[BahamaFinFan78]

Honestly, this is hard to do. It is easier to compare a single season Pat's team with another team from a single season. The only constant the last 16 years is Belichick and Brady. So it has not been the same team for the last 16 years. Where would this season's team rank all time. I don't even think top 10, but I could be wrong.

 

[Mike13]

#1. No question.

The Pats are by far the greatest team of the salary cap league bar none.

Almost every team they play have a more 'talented' roster, but they continue to outplay., outcoach almost everyone.

Could they beat those overloaded Dallas / SF teams? Maybe, but probably not. Superstars / HOF players on each of those teams, in large quantities.

Patriots, over 16 years, have HOF players (or potential HOF'ers) in Brady, Gronk, maybe Law someday. That's about it. Simply amazing.

To be fair your team was only outcoached and outplayed within the last few minutes of the game two weeks ago. And lets not forget the luckiest catch in Superbowl history.
But for the most part you are correct.