The Super Bowl

Perhaps not, but there is a definite need for a degree mill deodorant, since they certainly stink up higher education!

 

For the NFL, the standard by which dynasties are measured still has to be the '60s Packers: 5 NFL championships from 1961-1967.

It is worth remembering also that the Pats are the second team to go 3 of 4. The Cowboys weren't a dynasty then, and the Pats aren't now.

Wait til next year, Jack. If they win it again, then maybe we can all climb on the dynasty bandwagon.



marilynd

BTW, the gold standard for pro sports has got to be the Yankees, 17 World Series wins in the 30 years between 1923 and 1953. Now, that's a dynasty!

 

The Patriots look like a dynasty to me. Maybe not as big a dynasty as the Lombardi-era Packers, but a dynasty nevertheless.

I mean, three superbowl trophies in four years. It's hard enough to get to the superbowl in the first place (ask the Seahawks), let alone to stay at the top of the charts and victoriously return over and over for a four year span (and possibly more). It's even more impressive because it was done despite salary caps and free-agency.

Put it together with the Red Sox winning the world series (!!!), and cops like Bruce oughtta be investigating it. Beantown is the center of the sports universe! It just ain't natural.

 

Bill:

Perhaps we have differing definitions of what constitutes a dynasty.

I will give you this, however. When the Cowboys won their third in four years, it was clear that they were played out and that, short of a massive infusion of great young talent, they would not be back to the SB anytime soon.

Last Sunday, the Pats looked strong and motivated. They did not at all look to me like a team that had played itself out. They may very well have one or two more SB's in them.

In deference to the 60's Packers, 70's Steelers, and 80's 49'ers, I'm just not ready to crown them yet.



marilynd

 

YES, it is nice living in the Boston,.....New England area if your a sports fan!! Were all hoping this will last a bit longer, for we all know things like this do not last forever, and who knows when your home sports teams will ever get back to the championship game again?!

We, Bostonians certainly know how it feels to know the down, losing seasons of our home teams, just look at the Red Sox, 86 years in between World Series Championships.

Anyway, we are certainly enjoying being on top!!

Not that I'm bragging!

Rich Hartel
A.A. in Theological Studies, Trinity College of the Bible (present)

 

With the current restrictions of free agency and the salary cap, there is no doubt that the Patriots are a sports dynasty. Vince Lombardi didn't have to worry about Paul Hornung or Bart Starr bolting to another team for more money.

One of my co-workers & I always joke about it....Bill Belichick is running a full-fledged cult in Foxboro. We call them the "Kool-Aid drinkers".

People like Willie McGinest & Ted Johnson have constantly renegotiated their contracts to stay here under the cap, and others like Tedy Bruschi, Corey Dillon, and Rodney Harrison have come out and said that they will not play anywhere else, they'd retire first.

 

Starr and Hornung would have been designated franchise players. They wouldn't have had a chance to bolt.

It is worth pointing out that free agency works both ways. If you're on the cusp, adding the right player or two can put you over the edge. It worked for the 49ers in 1994 and, arguably, for the Cowboys in 1995. Few would doubt, despite his absence in the playoffs, that Owens improved the Eagles' offensive threat.

I lived in Boston for a couple of years and developed an appreciation for all of their sports teams, including the Pats (though as an oldster, I must admit that I prefer the red jerseys). I was living in Boston when the Celtics won the NBA against the Suns. Now, that was a championship game!

Now, if only the Celtics could get up off the mat . . . .

Dynasty is not just about dominance but rather longevity of dominance.

marilynd

 

That's exactly my point.....before free agency, EVERY player was a franchise player, because they couldn't leave. Whatever team drafted you, owned you, until you were traded, released, or retired.

That takes on a whole new meaning these days. If you want to talk about dynasty in the true sense of the word, there have only been three sports dynasties; the New York Yankees, the Montreal Canadiens, and the Boston Celtics.

However, given the rules about salary cap & free agency now in place, you have to admit that this Patriots team is the closest thing to a football dynasty that we've ever seen. No other repeat championship team has had to deal with these restrictions. The Cowboys had free agency happen in the middle of their 90's run, but it didn't really affect them during their Super Bowl appearances.

My prediction: The Patriots will be the first team to ever three-peat in Super Bowl 40 in Detroit.

 

I agree. This is a clear possibility. Those who are not fortunate enough to live in the Boston area may not be aware that the biggest story going regarding the Patriots is their loss of both their Offensive and Defensive coordinators (to Notre Dame and the Browns, respectively). A major factor in the Patriots ability to three-peat will be the efficacy of their replacements. I'm confident that Bellachick has been preparing for this day for some time and he has already made his choices.
Jack

 

Actually, it did. A number of important players jumped ship after the second SB, including Maryland and the middle linebacker Norton, who jumped to the 49ers, who won the next SB (a personal three-peat in his case). There were significant coaching changes too. But they were able to pick up enough talent, including Deion, to win SB 30. It works both ways.

I hope the Pats do three-peat. Someone will do it sooner or later. Why not the Pats? If they do, they will, IMHO, truly then be a dynasty.



marilynd

 

I will say this--and then I'll get off this bandwagon.

If the core players on the Pats are taking pay cuts and restructuring their contracts in order to stay together, then continued success, in my view, would make them not only worthy of the term "dynasty" but also of a level of respect which is so lacking in professional team-sports today.

Striving for a special place in the history of the sport, rather than short-term monetary gain, is especially admirable in today's hired-gun atmosphere.

marilynd

 

A story in todays Boston Globe states that Eric Mangini, the Patriots DB Coach for the past few years has been selected to succeed the departing Defensive Coordinator Romeo Crennel. It's further reported that in accepting the postion, Mangini turned down more lucrative offers from both the Browns and the Dolphins.