This may be the sweetest SB because it could realistically be the last. With Patricia and McDaniels headed off, Brady's age, and whatever you make of the media stuff... one more SB win would be a great way to end an incredible run.
the patriots have won before with various different coaches not names Patricia and McDaniels. Brady is ageless
Agree. Love Josh and Patricia, but they're not named Tom or Bill.
The Patriots have a good team full of talented players and "team first" guys who are held accountable. They have the proper amount of depth and hungry players who step in when someone gets hurt. They have a very good offensive system with the right players for the right plays at the right times.
But let's not make this too complicated..... it's Tom and Bill.
It's silly to discount all those factors -- McDaniels was with the Pats for all 5 championships and Patricia for 3; Brady is getting old; etc. But if we're keeping it simple: One or both of Tom and Bill will be gone soon. It's one of our last trips, if not the last. Don't make this more complicated than it needs to be.
The "soon" part is what everyone is wondering about. Is soon next year, or 6-7 years. People started to say that Brady wouldn't play til 40. Now they're saying he won't play til he is 45. Using conventional wisdom, it makes sense that Brady should have been done by now, and has at most 2 more years left.
If you used conventional wisdom in the past, you would have said that Brady wouldn't have won so many of these tight games in the 4th quarter.
Belichick can do whatever he wants after Brady retires. He's not going anywhere until that day comes.
I think we'd end up disrespecting conventional wisdom by assuming more than 2 years. But I've got no doubt at all that Brady will be great for as long as possible. If a religious movement revolved around his legacy, I'd apply to join with enthusiasm.
There's a theory of 'cognitive reserve' used to explain how differently people respond (behaviorally) to brain injury or disease. It boils down to "use it or less it," with people sustaining better late-life function with more engagement in things like school/work, exercise, social activities, healthy eating, etc.
But, when the high CR group falls, they fall hard and fast. I think the same may be true of athletes - a physical reserve that acts as a compensatory mechanism for as long as possible (shielding any larger, core issues), but once that fails you are kaput. I'm not a football expert, but Peyton Manning's decline seemed that abrupt to me.
Again, no hard feelings toward Tom. I'm still not sure he wasn't the motivation behind Benjamin Button. But the day is comin', big green_bball, and we need to start our preparations.