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However, for those of us who were remember the downswing after Fairbanks left and the Ron Meyer mess, it was a great ride.
Still one of my all time favorite wins, finally beating the Dolphins in the Orange Bowl. Robert Weathers had a pretty good game that day.
I remember it well -taped the game on a crappy VHS tape that I kept for years afterward (it may still exist but it's probably of an unwatchable quality). Even the late Mosi Tatupu scored in that game.
Beating Miami in Miami felt like beating the Yankees in NY in Game 7.
My God, the things I tried to convince myself were harbingers of glory...
The great coach was Ray Berry.
The great QB was Tony Eason.
It is so good to have finally gotten the real thing.
It is interesting to note that Berry is, in my opinion, the 2nd Greatest Coach in Pats history. He's not even in the same Solar System as Belichick, but he's 2nd in winning % amongst those who coached more than 50 games with the Pats (believe it or not, Pete Carroll is actually 2nd in winning % if you don't apply the 50-game minimum). He's 3rd in wins behind Mike Holovak but the difference is only 4 wins and Holovak coached 20 more games. He's the only coach other than Belichick to win at least 3 playoff games, the only other coach to take them to the Super Bowl.
This is not to say that Berry was a great coach...unless you measure him by Jets coaching standards
I can't speak to Holovak as I wan't born yet so I'll leave him out of the discussion. I have no reason to doubt that he was a great coach.
Berry was an outstanding coach. His downhill slide was due to the fact that Joe Mendes took over for **** Steinberg as the top personnel guy and their drafts stunk from 86-90.
Well, I can't say that I ever saw a Holovak-coached game either since I didn't jump on the bandwagon until 1976. I also didn't mean to mock Berry with that comment - he was a very good coach but I think that my understanding of what makes a "great" coach is permanently skewed by what has happened here the last 10+ years.
Great point about Steinberg - he built that '76 teams as well (should have been our first Super Bowl winner!). I'm trying to remember, didn't he leave in the early 80's and then come back?
Bucko Kilroy and Chuck Fairbanks get most of the credit for building the 70s Patriots.
Steinberg joined the Pats in 81 I think and gets the credit for building the 80s Pats. Once Chucky Sullivan lost $20m on the Jackson tour, they cut way back on scouting, admin and Steinberg left to go to the Jets.
It is interesting to note that Berry is, in my opinion, the 2nd Greatest Coach in Pats history. He's not even in the same Solar System as Belichick, but he's 2nd in winning % amongst those who coached more than 50 games with the Pats (believe it or not, Pete Carroll is actually 2nd in winning % if you don't apply the 50-game minimum). He's 3rd in wins behind Mike Holovak but the difference is only 4 wins and Holovak coached 20 more games. He's the only coach other than Belichick to win at least 3 playoff games, the only other coach to take them to the Super Bowl.
This is not to say that Berry was a great coach...unless you measure him by Jets coaching standards
I still sometimes allow myself to think that Eason might not have gone full Nancy, and the Patriots might have had a shot in the Super Bowl, if Dawson hadn't gotten injured.
That was a wild year, and one hell of a linebacking corps.
I still sometimes allow myself to think that Eason might not have gone full Nancy, and the Patriots might have had a shot in the Super Bowl, if Dawson hadn't gotten injured.
That was a wild year, and one hell of a linebacking corps.
I still sometimes allow myself to think that Eason might not have gone full Nancy, and the Patriots might have had a shot in the Super Bowl, if Dawson hadn't gotten injured.
That was a wild year, and one hell of a linebacking corps.