Since 2001 the New England Patriots have won four Super Bowls and appeared in two others. They’ve missed the playoffs just twice in that period and won 24 post-season games in total. That’s more than all but four other NFL franchises have won in their entire histories.
This is clearly the single greatest run the NFL has ever seen, and could reach an even higher level this Sunday if the Patriots can pull off a win over the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI.
But what’s the takeaway for other teams, not just in football but across the sports world? Just how do you build a dynasty in a league that promotes parity?
Here’s the Patriots’ formula, from the strategic moves that paid off to the lucky breaks they got along the way.
BUILD YOUR DREAM HOME
Remember the conversation of the Patriots moving from New England? How different would things be if the Pats were based in Connecticut?
After Foxborough Stadium became outdated, Robert Kraft — Patriots owner since 1994 — fought for Gillette Stadium and kept the team at home.
Opened in 2002, Gillette started the trend back to outdoor stadiums and away from domes. It also put luxury boxes lower and closer to the action. The tangible effect is it made the Patriots a high-revenue franchise and changed their perception around the league.
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DO YOUR JOB
Bill Belichick was hired as Patriots head coach in 2000 after reneging on his agreement with the New York Jets. Both franchises have gone in opposite directions since. In 17 seasons “the hoodie” is 201-71 for a .739 winning percentage. His one mantra to his players is the overly simple “just do your job” and it has led to 14 straight seasons of 10 or more wins. His seven Super Bowl appearances (including Sunday) and 25 post-season wins are NFL records.
Kraft taking a chance on the failed Cleveland Browns coach was a masterstroke. It’s crazy to think Bill was just 36-44 as Browns head coach from 1991–1995. Since Kraft hired Belichick there have been 146 other coaching hires around the league.
THE HIT
It’s tough to call it luck, but it was certainly an unplanned event with major ramifications. In Week 2 of the 2001 season Mo Lewis put an inconspicuous sideline hit on Drew Bledsoe that changed the trajectory of the franchise.
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ENTER THE GOLDEN BOY
Tom Brady was drafted in the sixth round of the 2000 draft. If the Pats knew he’d be this good they would have taken him with their first pick — instead they drafted six players before finally selecting Brady 199th overall.
But New England built their team off finding late-round gems, then developing those players into under-priced studs. No player embodies that more than Brady. He has now passed for 61,852 yards and 456 TDs, both fourth all-time. He’s also a ridiculous 183-52 in the regular season and 24-9 in the post-season. With four Super Bowl titles and three Super Bowl MVPs, he’s in rarefied air as the most clutch QB in the history of the sport.
TRADE DOWN AND DRAFT BIG
New England has acquired 78 draft picks from other teams since 2000, the most in the NFL. That’s because one of their hallmarks has become trading down for more picks.
In the 2010 draft they had two first-rounders and traded down with both of them. And they still managed to come out of the draft with Devin McCourty and Rob Gronkowski with their first two picks.
Trading up used to be the norm but now, following the Pats’ lead, teams often look to trade down, hedge bets and get greater value for their money.
COACH COACHES
Josh McDaniels started with the Patriots in 2001 as a personnel assistant. Then he plowed through a series of jobs — defensive assistant, quarterbacks coach, offensive coordinator — before leaving to be the top man in Denver for a couple of years. Since his return to the OC position in 2012, the Pats have been a top-four scoring offense every season since and their 29.7 points per game in that span is the best in the league.
That same year the Patriots promoted Matt Patricia to defensive coordinator, and the team has had a top-10 scoring defence each season since. Several years before that, Patricia started with New England as an offensive assistant and worked his way up — he’s been the team’s assistant offensive line coach, linebackers coach and safeties coach.
Both were brought up in the Patriots’ system over the long term. Now both are sought-after as head coaches, but have chosen to stay at One Patriots Way.
REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE
The Pats get their best players off the scrap heap. Martellus Bennett didn’t seem like a need for the Patriots when they acquired him last summer, but he provided valuable insurance when Gronkowski went down. In so doing, he had 55 receptions, 701 yards and a career-high seven TDs this season.
Malcolm Butler was an undrafted free agent in 2015 from West Alabama. LeGarrette Blount was signed in 2014 after being released by the Steelers. Dion Lewis was signed in 2015 after the Colts cut him. Chris Hogan was stolen from the Buffalo Bills in free agency.
Their best payers are players everyone else in the league could have had but passed on. New England scoops up opponents’ trash and polishes it up into diamonds. And that more than anything else is why they continue to hoist shiny jewelry at the end of the year at a rate unrivaled in all of sports.