During Pete Rozelle's time as the Commissioner of the National Football League, he had few ambitions higher than that of achieving parity in the League he so loved. Rules were shaped and reshaped in his 29-year tenure in an attempt to ensure that every team in the NFL would have the opportunity to compete for a title, and to prevent the type of dynasties that had previously held sway over professional football - the dynasties once enjoyed by the Packers, Cowboys, Steelers, and 49ers of the football world. The desire for parity played a role in every key NFL decision - from revenue-sharing to free agency to the order of the draft - and few could argue with the results. In fact, only one team has managed to create anything close to a dynasty over the last ten years of the League's history: the New England Patriots.
Since 2000
A glance at any list of Super Bowl Winners over the last ten years reveals that the Patriots are really the only team to escape the gravitational pull of parity and soar into the stratosphere. Under Bill Belichick's leadership, the Patriots have appeared in four of the last ten Super Bowls and won three of those contests. Their appearances in the title game are double that of their nearest competitors, the Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers, making the Patriots the only true dynasty of the age of parity. Under Belichick, the Patriots have won their division six of ten times, won their conference four times, and managed a winning record of one-hundred and sixteen wins to only forty-five losses. That remarkable streak of success also includes an undefeated regular season campaign in 2007.
How do they do it?
Some have attributed Belichick's winning ways to what they say is an underrated quarterback in Tom Brady. Others simply believe they have benefited from an imagined decline in the across the board level of talent in the NFL. Most scoff at both notions. While Brady has been an effective field general for the team, there is no arguing with the fact that it is Belichick's overall coaching and management system that has allowed the Patriots to prosper in the age of parity.
A system in action
Any study of the Patriots during the period from 2000 to present has to begin with the team's attitude. Winning is the main focus of the squad, and there is little time for the ego and self-interest that drives the players of so many other franchises throughout the NFL. Modern football has become an ego and pride-driven enterprise, but Belichick has managed to weed this out of his team. Everyone knows their roles, and is committed to obtaining the same goals: divisional, conference, and Super Bowl victories.
It is this form of thinking that has enabled the New England franchise to keep the concept of dynasty alive and to ensure that their team is truly among the best in the current NFL.
Since 2000
A glance at any list of Super Bowl Winners over the last ten years reveals that the Patriots are really the only team to escape the gravitational pull of parity and soar into the stratosphere. Under Bill Belichick's leadership, the Patriots have appeared in four of the last ten Super Bowls and won three of those contests. Their appearances in the title game are double that of their nearest competitors, the Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers, making the Patriots the only true dynasty of the age of parity. Under Belichick, the Patriots have won their division six of ten times, won their conference four times, and managed a winning record of one-hundred and sixteen wins to only forty-five losses. That remarkable streak of success also includes an undefeated regular season campaign in 2007.
How do they do it?
Some have attributed Belichick's winning ways to what they say is an underrated quarterback in Tom Brady. Others simply believe they have benefited from an imagined decline in the across the board level of talent in the NFL. Most scoff at both notions. While Brady has been an effective field general for the team, there is no arguing with the fact that it is Belichick's overall coaching and management system that has allowed the Patriots to prosper in the age of parity.
A system in action
Any study of the Patriots during the period from 2000 to present has to begin with the team's attitude. Winning is the main focus of the squad, and there is little time for the ego and self-interest that drives the players of so many other franchises throughout the NFL. Modern football has become an ego and pride-driven enterprise, but Belichick has managed to weed this out of his team. Everyone knows their roles, and is committed to obtaining the same goals: divisional, conference, and Super Bowl victories.
It is this form of thinking that has enabled the New England franchise to keep the concept of dynasty alive and to ensure that their team is truly among the best in the current NFL.
About the Author:
Freddie Brister is a huge fan of all sports and recommends checking out his New England Patriots Watch and Boston Red Sox watch at his shop.
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