mayoclinic
Sith Apprentice
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- Feb 28, 2010
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The recent draft, along with a PM exchange with Patsfanroach, has caused me to reflect about how special this team is and how lucky we are to be fans of this team in this era.
BB has largely rebuilt the defense into one of the youngest, fastest and most talented units in the NFL. Sure, there will be some growing pains and there are some areas to finish up, but in spite of the lack of a pass rusher and DL in the draft I think that we have one of the most talented defensive nuclei in the NFL.
The offense has put up 500 point seasons twice in the past 4 years usng 2 completely different approaches. All signs suggest that the Pats are not content to "stand" Pat, but are actively working to rework their offensive approach to be more diversified and more physical. The past two drafts have seen BB lay the framework for completely rebuilding the offense as well. The TE and RB positions are now completely overhauled from 13 months ago, and the foundation has been laid for the future OL for at least 3 out of the 5 starting positions.
Finally, the Ryan Mallett trade offers the first real glimpse to a post-Brady future for the Pats. Realistically, I think that most of us have not really envisioned a post-Brady era in which the Pats could continue to be perennial contenders. Mallett may turn out to be Ryan Leaf II, or he may end up being trade fodder in a few years. But there is no doubt that he is one of the more physically talented pro QB prospects to come around in a while, and giving him the opportunity to learn under TB and BB and develop without intense scrutiny and pressure at least offers the possibility that he could end up becoming Steve Young to Tom Brady's Joe Montana.
Which brings us to the 49ers. I went to college in the Bay area in 1979 and lived there until 1985, getting to witness first hand the rise of the 49ers dynasty. Prior to Bill Walsh the 49ers were a bit of a laughing-stock, and they came out of no-where in 1981 to win the Super Bowl. For the next 15 years they were a perenniel contender, winning 5 times. Some years were relative disappointments, but they were never out of contention. They managed to completely overhaul their roster twice during that time. They had the most stable and smartest ownership and front office in the NFL during that time, from owner Eddie DeBartolo to team president Carmen Policy to Walsh himself, and all of his proteges. But Bill Walsh burned out after 8 years, Montana started slipping after about a decade, and the DeBartalo family finally impoded in the late 1990's, leading to the current fiasco under the York-DeBartolo offshoot.
The Patriots have come close to duplicating what the 49ers did, and in some ways are poised to shatter their accomplishments. Consider:
- Robert Kraft has been the team owner since 1994, and has provided the most stable ownership framework in football. He is a league statesman, and shows no signs of slowing down.
- Bill Belichick has run the team - in all facets - since 2000. Again, he shows no signs of slowing down. Unlike Bill Walsh, who looked exhausted by 1988, or Bill Parcells, who couldn't stay in one place for more than 7 years, BB seems to relish the challenge of climbing the mountain every season and actually seems to be re-invigorated by the rebuilding process. I got the sense that he really enjoyed seeing the youngsters develop last year, and that he's having more fun than ever. He tore down the photos of the championship players at Gillette last year, and there's no resting on laurels.
- Tom Brady has been the unquestioned leader of the team for a decade now. He just won his 2nd MVP with a record-setting season, and shows no signs of deteriorating. He says he wants to play for 6-10 more years, and drafting a young Turk QB may be just the thing to get the ultra-competitive Brady to spur himself on to even greater heights. And if he changes his mind and decides to walk away, or if his skills start to erode in a year or two, we just may have a viable alternative in place.
Logic says all good things must come to an end, and at some point it will all come crashing down. But right now it seems like the Patriots are able to just keep reloading and rebuilding, step by step. 4 more picks in the first 2 rounds of 2012 say that the process will continue next year ... and most likely the next year ... and the next. We are probably 1-2 OLs and 1 WR from completing the rebuilding of the offense for the next 5-10 years, and 1 DL and 1 OLB from doing the same with the defense.
Of course there's no guarantee that the Pats will win another Super Bowl under Belickick-Kraft-Brady, but we should be leading contenders for the next 5 years and possibly much longer. For those who are disappointed by our recent draft, I'm not so sure that people appreciate just how extraordinary this team is, and how fortunate we are. There must be some serious good Karma at work here.
BB has largely rebuilt the defense into one of the youngest, fastest and most talented units in the NFL. Sure, there will be some growing pains and there are some areas to finish up, but in spite of the lack of a pass rusher and DL in the draft I think that we have one of the most talented defensive nuclei in the NFL.
The offense has put up 500 point seasons twice in the past 4 years usng 2 completely different approaches. All signs suggest that the Pats are not content to "stand" Pat, but are actively working to rework their offensive approach to be more diversified and more physical. The past two drafts have seen BB lay the framework for completely rebuilding the offense as well. The TE and RB positions are now completely overhauled from 13 months ago, and the foundation has been laid for the future OL for at least 3 out of the 5 starting positions.
Finally, the Ryan Mallett trade offers the first real glimpse to a post-Brady future for the Pats. Realistically, I think that most of us have not really envisioned a post-Brady era in which the Pats could continue to be perennial contenders. Mallett may turn out to be Ryan Leaf II, or he may end up being trade fodder in a few years. But there is no doubt that he is one of the more physically talented pro QB prospects to come around in a while, and giving him the opportunity to learn under TB and BB and develop without intense scrutiny and pressure at least offers the possibility that he could end up becoming Steve Young to Tom Brady's Joe Montana.
Which brings us to the 49ers. I went to college in the Bay area in 1979 and lived there until 1985, getting to witness first hand the rise of the 49ers dynasty. Prior to Bill Walsh the 49ers were a bit of a laughing-stock, and they came out of no-where in 1981 to win the Super Bowl. For the next 15 years they were a perenniel contender, winning 5 times. Some years were relative disappointments, but they were never out of contention. They managed to completely overhaul their roster twice during that time. They had the most stable and smartest ownership and front office in the NFL during that time, from owner Eddie DeBartolo to team president Carmen Policy to Walsh himself, and all of his proteges. But Bill Walsh burned out after 8 years, Montana started slipping after about a decade, and the DeBartalo family finally impoded in the late 1990's, leading to the current fiasco under the York-DeBartolo offshoot.
The Patriots have come close to duplicating what the 49ers did, and in some ways are poised to shatter their accomplishments. Consider:
- Robert Kraft has been the team owner since 1994, and has provided the most stable ownership framework in football. He is a league statesman, and shows no signs of slowing down.
- Bill Belichick has run the team - in all facets - since 2000. Again, he shows no signs of slowing down. Unlike Bill Walsh, who looked exhausted by 1988, or Bill Parcells, who couldn't stay in one place for more than 7 years, BB seems to relish the challenge of climbing the mountain every season and actually seems to be re-invigorated by the rebuilding process. I got the sense that he really enjoyed seeing the youngsters develop last year, and that he's having more fun than ever. He tore down the photos of the championship players at Gillette last year, and there's no resting on laurels.
- Tom Brady has been the unquestioned leader of the team for a decade now. He just won his 2nd MVP with a record-setting season, and shows no signs of deteriorating. He says he wants to play for 6-10 more years, and drafting a young Turk QB may be just the thing to get the ultra-competitive Brady to spur himself on to even greater heights. And if he changes his mind and decides to walk away, or if his skills start to erode in a year or two, we just may have a viable alternative in place.
Logic says all good things must come to an end, and at some point it will all come crashing down. But right now it seems like the Patriots are able to just keep reloading and rebuilding, step by step. 4 more picks in the first 2 rounds of 2012 say that the process will continue next year ... and most likely the next year ... and the next. We are probably 1-2 OLs and 1 WR from completing the rebuilding of the offense for the next 5-10 years, and 1 DL and 1 OLB from doing the same with the defense.
Of course there's no guarantee that the Pats will win another Super Bowl under Belickick-Kraft-Brady, but we should be leading contenders for the next 5 years and possibly much longer. For those who are disappointed by our recent draft, I'm not so sure that people appreciate just how extraordinary this team is, and how fortunate we are. There must be some serious good Karma at work here.
