The Brady bunch are out to make a little bit of history
LOVE them or hate them, the New England Patriots continue to defy logic. Tonight, they contest their ninth Super Bowl in 18 years; their fourth in five years and third in-arow. Each statistic is remarkable, put them together and this is history in the making.
It is quite a story. Head coach Bill Belichick has coached in the NFL since 1975 and won two Super Bowl rings as defensive co-ordinator of the New York Giants in the 1980s. He became head coach of the Patriots in 1999, and drafted an unfancied quarterback called Tom Brady the year after with the 199th pick.
Brady was named starter in the third game of the 2001 season and took the Patriots to the Super Bowl. They beat the Rams, then of St Louis, to claim a first title in franchise history. Exactly 17 years after, they play the Rams, now of Los Angeles, chasing a sixth Super Bowl to equal the record of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
To do so, Belichick must outwit the dynamic Sean McVay, who is half his age and at 33 is the youngest coach to reach a Super Bowl.
McVay has transformed the franchise. Since inheriting a 4-12 team, he has amassed a record of 26-9 in his two seasons in charge.
And his ascent hasn’t gone unnoticed by Belichick as he explained. ‘It’s wild: This season, he has basically texted me after every one of our games. After we beat Minnesota in September, he texted, “Man, you guys are really explosive and impressive and fun to watch. Congratulations – keep it rolling”.
‘To even take the time to say congrats, it’s pretty cool. That’s one of the things I like about our business, our fraternity of coaches. As competitive as it is, guys find time to share when they can. I’m still young, still figuring it out. That stuff’s been really helpful to me.’
But the Rams have their own revered coach. Wade Phillips, 71, is defensive co-ordinator and helped the Denver Broncos win the Super Bowl victory three years ago and will battle wits with Josh McDaniels, the Patriots’ savvy offensive co-ordinator.
‘Unfortunately, I get older, but Tom Brady doesn’t,’ Phillips said.
Now 41, Brady remains at the top of the game. With an unerring focus, will to win, quick release and an arm of surgical precision, the four-time Super Bowl MVP is a master of the two-minute drill, leading his side to late, come-frombehind victories against the Seattle Seahawks in 2015 and the Atlanta Falcons two years later.
A theme of the Patriots’ Super Bowl defeats is the ability to apply pressure through the middle. In 2008, he was sacked five times by the Giants with five quarterback hits; four years later the same opponent sacked him twice with six quarterback hits; last year the Philadelphia Eagles managed one sack with nine quarterback hits.
He hasn’t been sacked so far this postseason, though, and he paid tribute to his offensive line. ‘They’re just a great group. They work so well together. They got the best O-line coach [Dante Scarnecchia] in history coaching them who holds those guys to such a high standard every day. They’re the heart and soul of our offense.’
With Aaron Donald, Ndamukong Suh, Dante Fowler Jnr and Michael Brockers, the Rams are equipped to get to Brady and also to stop the Patriots’ power running game.
Running backs James White, who also serves as a receiving threat, talented rookie Sony Michel, versatile Rex Burkhead and full back James Develin have averaged 165 yards rushing in the playoffs, helping the Patriots score an average of 39 points a game.
Brady will look to favourite target Julian Edelman, who played at college against McVay. Then a quarterback and now a dynamic, ultra-reliable wide receiver, it is Edelman to whom Brady looks for on third downs. In the playoffs, they are lethal. No quarterbackreceiver combo has more yards (1,271) or receptions (105).
While Belichick and Brady should be around for the foreseeable future, there are strong rumours that another Patriots favourite will be hanging up his cleats in Atlanta. Rob Gronkowski, the 6ft 6in tight end, has had a Hall of Fame career, but one beset by back injuries.
‘Abusing your body isn’t what your brain wants,’ he said. ‘When your body is abused, it can bring down your mood. You’ve got to be able to deal with that, too, throughout the season. You’ve got to be able to deal with that in the games.’
At quarterback, the Rams have Jared Goff. The No1 overall draft pick of 2017 was inspired for the first eight games of the season, but has dropped off in the next 10.
Todd Gurley, the NFL’s highestpaid running back, has missed the last two games of the regular season with a knee injury, but McVay said on Friday: ‘He’s feeling good. A hundred per cent.’
The Rams racked up 527 points in the regular season, becoming the 11th highest-scoring team in NFL history. But none of the 10 ahead of them won the Super Bowl.
Still, expect a tight encounter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. All of the Patriots’ nine Super Bowls under Belichick have been one-score games. And if Belichick and Brady add to their haul, don’t begrudge it. Enjoy them while you can.