NFL Dynasties
1960’s: Green Bay Packers
- Titles: Five (including first two Super Bowls)
- Length of Dynasty: Seven Seasons (1961 – 67)
- Coach/QB : Vince Lombardi/Bart Starr
1970’s: Pittsburgh Steelers
- Titles: Four Super Bowls (in six years)
- Length of Dynasty: Six Seasons (1974 – 79)
- Coach/QB : Chuck Noll/Terry Bradshaw
1980’s: San Francisco 49ers
- Titles: Four Super Bowls
- Length of Dynasty: Nine Seasons (1981 – 89)
- Coach/QB: Bill Walsh/Joe Montana
1990’s: Dallas Cowboys
- Titles: Three Super Bowls (in four years)
- Length of Dynasty: Four Seasons (1992 – 95)
- Coach/QB: Jimmy Johnson/Troy Aikman
2000’s: New England Patriots
- Titles: Three Super Bowls at least (in four years)
- Length of Dynasty: Seven Seasons (2001 - ????)
- Coach/QB: Bill Belichick/Tom Brady
Love them or hate them, there’s no denying that the New England Patriots are the NFL’s dynasty of the new millennium and personally, I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.
But like all good things, the Patriots dynasty will one day come to an end and Pats fans everywhere will be reminded once again of what it’s like when your team sucks.
When we look back at the dynasties of decades past we find there are three factors that figure the most in their downfalls. Despite what many Pats-haters may believe, someone figuring out a “blueprint” like “put relentless pressure on their quarterback” is not one.
Here they are in descending order of importance:
Injuries – A back injury prevented Joe Montana from at least one, and probably two more Super Bowls. He missed all of the 1991 season and nearly all of 1992. That opened the door for Steve Young but was the end of the original 49ers’ dynasty.
The Steelers also experienced a rash of injuries in 1980 after their fourth title and never rebounded.
The Patriots were lucky last year with Rosevelt Colvin being the only major loss during the season. There’s nothing that can derail a dynasty more abruptly than an unexpected injury to a key player. I’m going to stop even writing about it to prevent any kind of jinx to my team.
Core Group Departures – The 49ers and Cowboys dynasties were the guiltiest of this. Both let players get away who formed the core of their respective dynasties. Ronnie Lott and Roger Craig both were allowed to walk south to the Los Angeles Raiders and the 49ers were never the same.
Jerry Jones decided to let Alvin Harper, James Washington, Mark Stepnoski, and Jim Jeffcoat leave via free agency in 1995 after their third, and final Super Bowl. That was the end for them.
Troy Aikman hating Barry Switzer had something to do with it too.
Some were surprised to see Tedy Bruschi resign for two more years but I was excited, and not just because I wear his jersey on game days. He is the heart and soul of this Patriots’ dynasty, even if some say he’s lost a step.
The Patriots have been skilled in the past for replacing the irreplaceable, like Willie McGinest, Adam Vinatieri, and Ty Law. Bruschi is the last link to the older generation, aka The Crappy 90s. When he leaves his signature leadership will never be replaced.
Departure of the Head Coach/Architect - Say hello to the number one dynasty killer. The Packers quickly became an average team when Vince Lombardi left, even with their core group of players still intact.
Walsh and Johnson’s teams were so soundly built they both won Super Bowls two years after their departure. However by the third year both teams missed the playoffs.
Luckily for 49ers fans they were able to quickly rebound to grab another Super Bowl under George Seifert and Steve Young, though it’s been lean times since then.
The Cowboys haven’t been so lucky.
The coach is king in the NFL and when a brilliant coach leaves, in most cases, it is back to mediocrity within three seasons. Only with a hand-picked successor who continues to run the team under the same system can a dynasty prevail for a few more seasons.
A second consecutive Hall of Fame quarterback at the helm doesn’t hurt either.
When the Hooded One and Brady leave the fun will be over for Pats fans. Brady will be 31 when 2008 starts. He should have another 4-5 seasons of high caliber play left.
Belichick is rumored to be under contract until 2013.
Perhaps someone like offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is being groomed to take over in a Seifert-like succession. Maybe fourth round pick Kevin O’Connell could prove to be a Steve Young to Brady’s Montana.
Only time will tell. We only have about five more years left, barring injuries, so enjoy it while it lasts because one day our dynasty too will be dead.
Question for you readers: Where would you rank the Patriots dynasty now? If they won another Super Bowl?
Discuss below, and if you’re going to make a Spygate comment at least make it original and funny or somewhat insightful please.
patriotspropaganda@gmail.com
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about 1 month ago
I they win another super bowl the Patriots would have to be considered one of the NFL all time great dynasties, possibly even better than the ones you mentioned (ofcourse I'm slightly biased). However it's no easy task comparing any of the leagues past dynasties to todays game, its just to different. Since the 60's the game has become almost unrecognizable, not only in the way it's played with todays emphaisis on heavy passing attacks and complicated defenses but in the way organizations run themselves. Before free agency came to be what it is today players stayed in one place for either the bulk of their careers or the entirity of them now its hard to keep major talent in one place for very long, just look at TO.
Also in the case of the Patriots I find it easy to believe they could get one, possibly two, more titles before the Brady/Belichik era ends. As long as those two are together I feel you can never count them out.
about 1 month ago
Great article! I would rank the dynasty maybe third all time. The media is making too big a deal of it. However, it is harder to win in today's game.
about 1 month ago
What every New England Patriots fan needs to know is that Belichick's tape jammed during the Super Bowl.
from about 1 month ago
ummm i sense jealousy...jets fans are jealous b/c they suck and they cant beat the pats.
about 1 month ago
4 would vault them into a tie with the Steelers and Montana's 49ers. (OK, behind the 49ers if you count Young's Bowl as part of their dynasty.) It passes the Cowboys.
about 1 month ago
no. jets fans are jealous b/c we didn't think of it first, lmao. but seriously, i saw belichick trying to get the tape out of the camera at halftime. he was pretty frantic.
from about 1 month ago
lol...honestly tho its mangini being a bitch. ya belichick broke the rules but at the same time mangini only said something after the pats beat the jets. if he was that much against it he should hav said something before that,he knew that the pats were doing it but he waited until after the pats beat him
about 1 month ago
haha look people, David saw what he saw, and i trust his word.......
about 1 month ago
well I never defended Mangini snitchin...
I will say this. The most ironic thing in the whole season was when the Pats beat the Giants at the end of the regular season. After the game there's jibber jabber and then they pan to the shot of the Pats going through the tunnel. 2 shots. One of Brady and then Belichick. In both you see them and the Jets logo right there in the background. That summed up the whole year I think, lol.
We'll see how the Pats respond this year. My Jets won't be over .500 but there's no way the Pats get back to the Super Bowl with that secondary.
from about 1 month ago
honestly dude, the jets could be decent by their standards. they made a lot of off-season moves,especially to bulk up that offensive line. their biggest problem is at QB. but if they get that figured out they could be a surprise team.
from about 1 month ago
the jets are 2 years away.
from about 1 month ago
David, I hope you are wrong.
from about 1 month ago
we'll be 8-8 or 7-9 next year because the secondary isn't ready and the lines have to mesh together. not too sure if vernon will be anything. clemens is my boy but if he can't beat out chad before the season starts then we need a new QB, and that'll set things back. I saw last year coming and I just think it's too much to ask for a huge jump next year, so if things stay on course the year after could be our next playoff year.
about 1 month ago
You mention Montana's "back injury" like it was old age creeping up on him or something. In fact, he missed the entire 1991 season while recovering from the ass-whooping the Giants and Leonard Marshall in particular put on him in the 1990 NFC Championship Game. It took him almost two years to recover from that hit.
And yes, for me it is all about the Giants, so go ahead and say it if you want because I don't care.
BTW, those 1970's Steelers teams would wipe up the floor with these Patriots.
from 24 days ago
I can't believe you are serious. Look at weight of linemen. The 2007 Dolphins walk over the Steel Curtain
If you mean to equalize for "training methods" and improved steroids then the question is what rules. If the 2008 rules Moss runs by CBs that can't touch him when D linemen try to decide if they can tackle Brady. If 1975 rules, several Patriot players wind up in the hospital.
about 1 month ago
Your biggest fear: What will bring the Patriots down? Answer: Hubris. This is the core of "spygate". They may even win a SB or two before they are done, but they (and the "they " is a broad generalization covering the "feel" of the team from a casual fans perspective), they will and seem to have been becoming "full of themselves", this is manifest in the spygate fiasco..the feel is that they think they are above the law...and this taints their SB record and winning record..not so much that they "cheated", the consensus seems to be that everyone spies...but that they got off easy, they "paid the fine and walked away" from something that should be a bigger deal than it is..."bigger" meaning removal/denial of SB trophies..the mantra "everyone's doing it" should not hold water, but it seems it does. This is the core of hubris, when you think you can get away with the worst case scenerio of "everyone's doing it"...but really, did they need the help? That is the question which can't be answered, so ...on we go...hubris and your Patriots will fall like most dynasties in history,that and realistically,core depature..not everyone is Brett Favre
about 1 month ago
Another killer for this dynasty is that the camera runs out of batteries and the cord is not long enough to stretch into the opposing coaches' bedrooms.
from about 1 month ago
My Top 5 Coach's Whose Bedrooms I'd Like to See Into, if such a cord existed:
5. Andy Reid - something tells me he's kinky as hell.
4. Mike Nolan - control freak. bondage perhaps?
3. (tie) John Gruden/Tom Coughlin - anger issues.
2. Bill Parcells - they don't call him "The Big Tuna" for nothing.
1. Bill Belichick - he systematically destroys his lady while recording the whole thing.
about 1 month ago
The Patriots are contenders for several more years with Belichick, Brady, and Moss. Belichick basically garentees a tough defense and Moss and Brady is an offense carrying threat. This year they can stop focusing on a perfect record and just focus on a championship which should be a hell of a lot easier with their easy schedule.
from about 1 month ago
You guys are playing in a division that wants your head. Even if the JETS and Bills don't split a series with you, they are going to play you hard and wear you out. I could easily see a 10 -6 season for the PATS.
about 1 month ago
When do division rivals not want each others heads? 10-6 is playoff material anyways.
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