So what makes the Patriots so great?

[JDM]

The reason he may be one of the best owners in the league is he stays the hell out of the way on personnel decisions, and gives BB control.

He does have some involvement actually. But in terms of personnel he's generally more of a partner than a boss. Sure, he has veto power, but in all but extreme circumstances he lets bill do his job.

 

[Oldschool739]

I think the reason why they have been so good for so long is because they have the best coach, quarterback, & owner in the league. While most people focus around brady/belichick I think kraft should get as much credit. Personally I think he is by far the best owner in the league.

BB is one of if not the best game planner of all time and Tom is a great qb, but they beat a totally unprepared and injured team yesterday that was coached like a high school team.....No big accomplishment...
We been limping and staggering all year long.....They won't look so great when they have to go to Denver, if they make it that far......I don't think anyone is stopping Peyton from that 2nd Lombardi this year anyway.....

 

[HammerDown]

Since when did Rolling Stone become a go to source for sports material?

This article isn't "sports material." It's investigative journalism, for which Rolling Stone has been winning awards for decades. But by all means, if you don't like the story, kill the messenger.

"They made the whole thing up. Don't believe a single word of it! Aaron Hernandez was as innocent as the driven snow until the moment he started murdering people. The Pats never knew anything."

 

[sonnyblack65]

You forgot to include:

Play in a dumpster fire division that includes 3 Cleveland browns as your competition. Thus for the past decade, you enter every season with 5-6 guaranteed div wins. Then all you have to do is win the majority of your home games and you make the playoffs every year.

Plus it helps when you know the defensive signals of your competition as they call them. That helps too.

Dynasty!!!

No we got rid of that cheater Pete Carroll ago. I remember one they when they used to practice at Bryant College in Smithfield RI 1/2 mile from work. I am appraising a car down the street, and a Caddy Seville pulls right beside me and asks where the highway was. Look over and see its Pete and he' lost.

 

[winter32842]

I personally don't like Kraft. I think, he is too cheap. He let so many good players get away because of the money. Brady always takes less money, so Kraft can spend that money to get more decent players but Kraft does not do that. It is a slap in the face to Brady.

 

[wingsauce7]

So what makes the Patriots so great?

-They have the most clutch, ice water in his veins QB of all time. They didn't do shit until TB arrived.

-They are the consummate "system" team where next man up truely works.

-They know how to find teams' weaknesses and exploit them.

 

[JDM]

I personally don't like Kraft. I think, he is too cheap. He let so many good players get away because of the money. Brady always takes less money, so Kraft can spend that money to get more decent players but Kraft does not do that. It is a slap in the face to Brady.

The patriots are right near the cap every year. They spend the money intelligently, but it's not like the money doesn't get spent.

 

[sonnyblack65]

I personally don't like Kraft. I think, he is too cheap. He let so many good players get away because of the money. Brady always takes less money, so Kraft can spend that money to get more decent players but Kraft does not do that. It is a slap in the face to Brady.

Kraft isnt cheap, who did they let get away? If player x is worth 10 mill thats what they will pay him. Welker for exam. was offered more money than he signed for off-season, but he listened to his agent and wanted $10 mill a year for a slot receiver , yeah right. See what Edelman is doing?. Welker seemed to forget it was the Patriots that made him who he became. Miami had little use for him, kick returns mainly

 

[JDM]

I wouldn't have taken Wes back half price. We needed to move on.

 

[Brahmsian]

I think the reason why they have been so good for so long is because they have the best coach, quarterback, & owner in the league. While most people focus around brady/belichick I think kraft should get as much credit. Personally I think he is by far the best owner in the league.

"Best" may be coming on a bit strong, but he is one of the best anyway.

How do you distribute the credit for the Patriots' persistence in playing hard regardless of the score? Kraft can't claim all of that, can he?

 

[JDM]

Players playing hard is the coach(/GM for focusing on effort guys?)

 

[eric5577x]

Sure the AFCE maybe a week Div, but you act like this team is wining the Div at 8-8 and are the 4th seed. Nope, they are constantly a 1 or 2 seed with a 1st rd bye and sometimes home field advantage. Do you know how you get the 1 and 2 seed in the playoffs? You win games played against other teams in the league. You don't make is to SB and AFCECG by being a shitty team and winning your Div....Some of you act like this team is only in the playoffs cause they play in the AFCE.....

 

[JDM]

They have averaged between 11 and 12 wins since Belichick took over.

 

[HammerDown]

"Best" may be coming on a bit strong, but he is one of the best anyway.

How do you distribute the credit for the Patriots' persistence in playing hard regardless of the score? Kraft can't claim all of that, can he?

Easily 99% of the credit goes to BB. Love him or hate him he's the best we'll see in our lifetime. Kraft is good at partying with rockstars, hanging out with women 1/4th his age and profiting from Americans eating his low-quality, processed cheese product.

Let's stop pretending like Robert Kraft is holy.

 

[JDM]

I'm damn well far from holy so I won't judge that. I'd love to live a few days in his shoes, though.

As an owner, he truly is one of the better ones in the league. He has some input, but he lets BB do his job, like he hired him to do.

 

[HammerDown]

So what makes the Patriots so great?

-They have the most clutch, ice water in his veins QB of all time. They didn't do shit until TB arrived.

-They are the consummate "system" team where next man up truely works.

-They know how to find teams' weaknesses and exploit them.

At the top of that list I would say week-in-and-week-out they're the most prepared team that week. I can think of a time or two where they slipped up, weren't prepared or took a team for granted and got exposed but it's very, very rare. How often do you hear a Patriots fan doing what almost all the rest of us do and scream about poor coaching?

 

[wingsauce7]

I give Brady more credit than BB. Great QBs make great coaches..Ask Mike Shannahan. the one losing season BB has had at NE was the year TB didn't play?

 

[ChicagoIrish]

Bill Belichick is a mastermind.

Players come and go in New England, but Belichick always has them prepared. I can count on one hand how many times this guy has been out coached.

 

[HammerDown]

I give Brady more credit than BB. Great QBs make great coaches..Ask Mike Shannahan. the one losing season BB has had at NE was the year TB didn't play?

Meh. Plug any above-average QB into that role and they do what he did. Matt Cassel proved that. Stepped in and excelled. How many AFC Offensive Player of the Week Awards did he win and how many yardage records did he set for those back-to-back games. Brady's been surrounded by a dominant OL and league-best receiving corps his entire career yet it's been 10 yrs since he won shit.

 

[JDM]

Really? League best receiving corps?

I think you're confusing him with a certain other hall of famer on that one.