PatsFanSince74

Before some of our fellow Posters consign this team to the trash heap and run its ownership out of town, let's compare the Patriots' performance over the last five years with three of the other great Dynasties of the SB era. The bottom line is that, while we have great memories of those teams, it wasn't a straight line for any of them and they all had rocky periods.

Pats 2001--2005
SB Appearances: three
SB Wins: three
Regular Season W/L Pcgt: .725
Missed Playoffs: Once (eliminated on last day of season)
Worst Record: 9--7

'49-ers 1981--1994
SB Appearances: four
SB Wins: four (took them 13 freakin' seasons to get number four and NFL history still thinks of it as one of the great runs of all time)
Regular Season W/L Pcgt: .736
Missed Playoffs: Three Times
Worst Record: 10--6 (Four times) and 10-5-1 once

Cowboys 1970--1978
SB Appearances: five
SB Wins: two (as in "T-W-O")
Regular Season W/L Pcgt: .734
Missed Playoffs: Once. Got in on Wild Card three times

Redskins 1982--1991
SB Appearances: four
SB Wins: three (in NINE years)
Regular Season W/L Pcgt: .704
Missed Playoffs: Three times
Worst Record: 7--9

And, the above was before the cap and "parity." So, let's take a deep breath and get a little perspective:

We're 2--1, not 0--3.

Our Offense is adapting to some big changes made, IMHO, in the interests of being stronger in the future and not having to wait 26 YEARS between SB wins like the Steelers.

We're still gonna win the Division. We're gonna make some noise in January.

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It is what it is. It wasn't what it wasn't.

BPF

I am not worried at all, we always start slow and finish strong.

Patsrooter

I notice you didn't mention in this time span the Steelers won the SB 4 times and were given the title "team of the decade". I'm not a Steelers fan I just thought it was an interesting ommision.

PatsFanSince74

I don't like any of those other teams, but I REALLY don't like the Steelers, so it was definitely subconscious, but you're right and here's the data:

Steelers 1974--1979
Superbowl Appearances: Four
Superbowl Wins: Four
Regular Season W/L Pctg.: .761
Missed Playoffs: Zero times
Worst Record: 9--5

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It is what it is. It wasn't what it wasn't.

ironwasp

The one point I would make here is that those other dynasties were made in the pre-salary cap era and so the 49ers, for example, were able to keep Montana, Rice, Taylor, Craig etc on the roster for a number of years, pay them as Superbowl-winning veterans and Pro-Bowlers expected to be paid and still pick up high quality free agents every post-season to sustain their strength.

There's no question it's harder now to keep that sort of quality together. I look at the match-ups each weekend looking for value in the odds and it can be very hard to pick winners: look at the varying fortunes of New Orleans and Carolina. All the teams are a lot closer together as the NFL has reached the type of parity it yearns for.

That's not to say that this is a dynasty on the wane or otherwise - I don't think it is - but keeping the show on the road over five years has become murderously difficult, and it reflects well on the organisation that five years down the road from Superbowl XXXVI, the club is still considered a contender even.

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PatsFanSince74

I absolutely agree. It's why BB is, IMHO, a first round HOF'er and compared by many to Lombardi, Halas and Brown.

__________________
It is what it is. It wasn't what it wasn't.

T-ShirtDynasty

No, no, of course you're not. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

PatsFanSince74

Pshaw! And I took him at his word. Shame on me.

__________________
It is what it is. It wasn't what it wasn't.

the taildragger

one of smartest threads ever (and those teams didn't have to deal with turnover or parity).

But I've found it's asking too much for most of us to take a historical/enlightened perspective on this team.

Sadly many of us will take all of this for granted until those banners are the last thing around to remind us of the glory days (and keep in mind Kraft hung those banners up there for us/FANS/marketing/etc...the players/coaches don't live in the past and hate them -- Dear Mr. Kraft, please remove the banners until your team is tired of adding more rings to your collection...they're still hungry...stop giving them reasons to feel satisfied!).

we'll continue to boo the players and coaches when they aren't leading every game at halftime.

we'll continue to give ZERO credit to opponents who play flawlessly against us...it's merely WE who SUCK.

we'll continue to leave games way too early so we can get home faster than the hardcore fans who stick by these guys each and every week...even if they're bound to lose...but especially if they're within 2 scores!!!

we'll blast our QB's body language -- how dare he put his head down after an incompletion!!! Why is he not skipping to the sidelines after a disastrous series?? (YOU CAN'T GO JOHN GRUDEN ON ROOKIES! It's not a question of vets who aren't giving it their all -- Tom will be the first guy to get in their faces in that case. His "PROBLEM" is that he wants to win to a fault...it's amazingly immature for someone his age to care so much about winning a football game...but he does and you should count yourself lucky. He's going to look frustrated, pissed off, resigned to the fact that it's going to be a lot slower transition this year than HE wants. REALITY: you actually WANT your qb to look frustrated when things aren't going as scripted.)

One recent concern I've had is that the Pats seemed to be assuming the worst institutional characteristics of the Yankees...where the pressure to be perfect eventually makes you play NOT TO LOSE -- leading to consistent underachievement.

This team won championships because they were out to prove themselves every week, not afraid of mistakes, not sitting back on their heels bracing for everyone's best hits but trying to impose the hits themselves. A team that got a kick out of surprising itself had run out of surprises.

Last year they feared themselves more than teams feared them...why?, it's cliched, but they obsessed over their losses more than they thirsted to win.

The leaders on this team (you could hear it with Rodney on EEI Monday and TB after the game) are clearly trying to take the team back to the mentality of '01/'03. It's an exciting prospect given how much more talented we are now.

Let's give them a chance to make it work.

Lay off the rookie kicker -- I realize we're all dying to jump all over the kid but it's not like he's off-target.

Lay off the QB -- believe it or not, he's getting more out of this offense than anyone else would be and he'll get them improving faster too (these analysts who write/say "this is not the same Tom Brady" will be the first ones back on the bandwagon)...it won't happen next week!

And lay off the playcalling -- this is a far more limited O right now than it will be come playoff time...then you'll find the playcalling "mysteriously" improve...just like the defensive playcalling mysteriously improved last year when the D got healthy.

If you want to be pissed about something...try China, or some blowup chinese mascots. Our coach "could care less about china" (memo to Bill: that's not what Bob's looking for). Seriously, we better get some MAJOR reciprocity from the League on this...i.e. future scheduling considerations -- an extra bye week...in week two of the playoffs!

ATippett56

The San Francisco 49ers won four Super Bowls from 1981 thru 1989.

http://www.profootballreference.com/teams/sfoindex.htm