The New England Patriots have dropped an All-Dynasty Team. Nice! But I guess the dynasty’s over?
The New England Patriots dynasty unofficially perished when Tom Brady departed the city of champions for Tampa, the city of budget fireworks.
A team can still be very good even if it’s no longer operating in the midst of a 20-year dynasty, but still, Pats Nation has had to deal with the harsh reality this season that we’re no longer firmly in the “Good Old Days.” As if a 2-3 record wasn’t enough of an indicator, the team is now officially celebrating the end of Brady’s era by releasing an All-Dynasty team roster.
Now, are they waving the white flag on the next several years of Belichick? Hell, no. But even the most ardent fan would have to acknowledge that, without Brady’s presence, this is a different team. Therefore, the Pats came up with a clever non-Brady-centric way of naming an All-Brady team, and that roster is real and it’s spectacular.
The Patriots released their All-Dynasty team today, in correlation with an exhibit at @TheHall pic.twitter.com/keoOB4vv79
— Alex Barth (@RealAlexBarth) October 22, 2020
Now’s as fair a time as ever to simply gawk at all the talent that’s passed through these doors the past 20 years of our lives.
It’s proven difficult to properly honor every single impactful Patriot in the Patriots Hall of Fame from this time period, so this big-time catch-all definitely helps. We no longer have to wait and wait to venerate Sebastian Vollmer; now, he’s got a different place to reside.
Shoutout to Brady and Rob Gronkowski for making the list, too. Big exhale when we saw those names weren’t snubbed.
It’s hard to think of a Patriot who didn’t make either the full roster or honorable-mention section who deserves the spotlight, except for Deion Branch, bizarrely excluded from this exercise after taking home a Super Bowl MVP and long being considered one of Brady’s favorite teammates.
The big snub here is Deion Branch, who, I just realized, also didn't crack the Patriots' 2000s All-Decade Team despite winning a Super Bowl MVP.
— Zack Cox (@ZackCoxNESN) October 22, 2020
Pats only had three WR spots on that team, and those (understandably) went to Moss, Welker and Troy Brown. https://t.co/gCdC6i5bsS
With so much wiggle room in the “honorables,” you would assume they’d just be able to squeeze an extra postseason legend onto the list. I mean, we’re not talking about a freak Super Bowl MVP, either. This isn’t Malcolm Smith.
But we digress.
The harsh reality is whatever greatness comes out of Foxborough in these next few years, it’ll be a huge part of Bill Belichick’s legacy, but it won’t be the same dynastic run, and that’s OK. This power-packed list certainly serves as a good opportunity to cherish the good times, even as they’re still unfolding.
Patriots: 3 best games from Tom Brady’s first season under center
Here are the three best games from former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady's rookie season that culminated in a Super Bowl.