2008 Woodie Awards
The lil' dynasty that could
Bill Zureikat
Issue date: 2/18/05 Section: Sports
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Super Bowl XXXIX was a Patriot Act on which we can all agree.
It was the game that cemented the team's standing as one of the greatest of all-time.
It was also the victory that saw Tom Brady, at age 27 and still years from retirement, lock in his future induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Coach Bill Belichick will be there, too.
The coach and the QB have been the cornerstones of a franchise that has won three of the past four Super Bowls.
This dominance places the Pats in a league with the Green Bay Packers of the 1960s, Pittsburgh Steelers of the 1970s, San Francisco 49ers of the 1980s and Dallas Cowboys of the 1990s.
Each is a "dynasty" in the eyes of sportswriters, announcers and many fans.
In the strictest definition of the word, of course, none is a dynasty. But in sports vernacular, prone to hyperbole, the term's meaning has been broadened and the Patriots qualify.
This makes them the first sports dynasty of the new century - heck, the new millennium.
Adding to the excitement in New England, the Pats have wrapped their past two Super Bowl wins around the Red Sox's first World Series championship since 1918.
The Patriots' 24-21 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles equaled a feat accomplished by one other team: the Cowboys also won three Super Bowls in four years (1992 to 1995).
But that was early in the days of the salary cap and free agency, which now make it all but impossible for teams to keep many of the players who combine to win titles.
It has become almost impossible these days to keep a winning team together.
But Belichick and Patriots owner Robert Kraft have done terrific jobs of keeping key players.
These are players who find ways to win even when things are not always going their way. Sunday's Super Bowl was one such game - hardly the Pats' finest performance. Ditto for the Eagles, who kept the game close despite a rash of turnovers.
It was the game that cemented the team's standing as one of the greatest of all-time.
It was also the victory that saw Tom Brady, at age 27 and still years from retirement, lock in his future induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Coach Bill Belichick will be there, too.
The coach and the QB have been the cornerstones of a franchise that has won three of the past four Super Bowls.
This dominance places the Pats in a league with the Green Bay Packers of the 1960s, Pittsburgh Steelers of the 1970s, San Francisco 49ers of the 1980s and Dallas Cowboys of the 1990s.
Each is a "dynasty" in the eyes of sportswriters, announcers and many fans.
In the strictest definition of the word, of course, none is a dynasty. But in sports vernacular, prone to hyperbole, the term's meaning has been broadened and the Patriots qualify.
This makes them the first sports dynasty of the new century - heck, the new millennium.
Adding to the excitement in New England, the Pats have wrapped their past two Super Bowl wins around the Red Sox's first World Series championship since 1918.
The Patriots' 24-21 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles equaled a feat accomplished by one other team: the Cowboys also won three Super Bowls in four years (1992 to 1995).
But that was early in the days of the salary cap and free agency, which now make it all but impossible for teams to keep many of the players who combine to win titles.
It has become almost impossible these days to keep a winning team together.
But Belichick and Patriots owner Robert Kraft have done terrific jobs of keeping key players.
These are players who find ways to win even when things are not always going their way. Sunday's Super Bowl was one such game - hardly the Pats' finest performance. Ditto for the Eagles, who kept the game close despite a rash of turnovers.
