New England Patriots: Tom Brady didn’t win enough with team
The New England Patriots should have won more Super Bowls during the Tom Brady era.
New England Patriots fans are understandably euphoric that the Patriots in the inimitable Tom Brady era won a record-tying 6 Super Bowl titles. But what if I said that it should be a disappointment? Because it was.
Now I can hear the Patriots’ fandom blowing gaskets all over New England if they read this. But if you don’t believe me, how about the top New England Patriots’ beat writer feeling the same? That would be the inimitable Tom E. Curran. The best of the best.
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"Let’s get greedy. You enjoyed those six Super Bowl parades, right? What if I told you there could have very, very, very easily have been four more."
"Google it yourself. It’s all on YouTube. Anyway, the Patriots win that, they go to the Super Bowl and undress Carolina, which was a paper tiger team that season anyway. There. Ten Super Bowls. Oh, and yeah. We already went over Malcolm Butler last week. So 11."
So let’s get this straight, the best New England Patriots sports writer is on the record saying that the Patriots could very have, may very well have, and I’ll say, should very well have won 4 or 5 more Super Bowls in the Brady era.
It’s great having the best of the best on your side when you’re about to make a pretty controversial argument.
Combining Brady with good backs won Super Bowls
Patriots fans were rightfully basking for nearly two decades in the glory of winning 3 and then 6 Super Bowls during the Brady era. Yet, many, if not most, ignored or were oblivious to the fact that bad personnel decisions cost them more. Maybe many more titles.
When Brady hit his stride in the early 2000s, the sky was the limit for the team for the foreseeable future. They had a great, though beginning to age defense and an adequate offense. Combining Brady with a top running back was lethal to the Patriots opposition.
Even a dependable back with short-yardage capability would do. In the early Super Bowl years, they had backs that were a huge asset to Brady and the offense.
Antowain Smith was the one in 2001-2003. He was big, bruising back who got you the tough yards when you needed them. This got better in 2004 when they actually made a good trade for superb running back Corey Dillon.
That year, Dillon blasted through anyone and everyone for 1635 yards on the ground. He was great but wear and tear took its toll. Dillon wasn’t nearly as effective in 2005 and 2006. And neither were the Patriots.
Having a good back and a big back should have been the boilerplate for all the years the team was fortunate enough to have No. 12 at the helm. It wasn’t.
From 2006-2019, the Patriots only had 3 years with a back with 1000+ yards. In 2010, BenJarvus Green-Ellis with 1008. In 2012, Stevan Ridley with 1203 and in 2016, LeGarrette Blount with 1161. The Patriots won the Super Bowl against Atlanta after that season with the very underrated Blount.
In 2014, their leading rusher was Jonas Gray with a measly 412 yards rushing. That pathetic statistic should again have had Brady suing the Patriots for non-support.
It’s not rocket science for personnel departments to understand that an offense with the best quarterback in history only needs the complementary pieces on offense to win big every year.
You need an offensive line first. Then pass catchers who are capable.
But a strong running game is essential every year to provide a diversionary threat. Too often the Patriots didn’t give Brady one or more of these assets. Especially running backs.
So, as in 2019, they failed to do what they should have, win the biggest games.