Patriots learned well from 49ers
Rookie owner’s S.F. visit paved way to dynasty
In 1994, shortly after he purchased the New England Patriots, rookie owner Robert Kraft went west to learn from the best.
Kraft arranged a meeting with 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo, who was presiding over a dynasty. Then-49ers president Carmen Policy recalls Kraft posed a flurry of cogent questions in his quest to replicate the 49ers’ success.
“This was a man that was coming about as far west as you can come in this country,” Policy said. “And he was saying, ‘I want to see how you guys have done it. I’m going to come into this new world and try to learn everything I can. And try to be the best that I can.’ And you’ve seen what happened.”
Indeed, 24 years later, one thing appears to be clear about Kraft’s visit to the Bay Area: He took excellent notes.
Policy recalled Kraft’s visit before the Patriots meet the Eagles on Sunday in Super Bowl LII, seeking their sixth championship in 18 seasons. With a win, the Patriots’ claim as the NFL’s greatest dynasty — a distinction some still argue belongs to the 49ers — would be further bolstered.
In their 17-season run since Brady became the starter, the Patriots would be 6-2 in Super Bowls (if they beat the Eagles), 7-4 in conference title games and 28-9 in the playoffs (.757 winning percentage). In their 14-season run (1981-1994), the 49ers went 5-0 in Super Bowls, 5-4 in conference title games and 19-7 in the playoffs (.731).
The pro-49ers crowd would note that San Francisco never lost a Super Bowl during its run and won those games by an average of 19.8 points. (Patriots’ winning margin: 3.8 points.) In addition, unlike the Patriots, who have had head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom
Brady as constants, the 49ers sustained their success while changing head coaches (Bill Walsh to George Seifert) and quarterbacks ( Joe Montana to Steve Young).
The pro-Patriots crowd would highlight New England’s decided edge in Super Bowl appearances and the altered NFL landscape in which free agency and the salary cap have promoted parity: No other team has won more than two Super Bowls in the past 20 seasons.
And although it’s notable that the 49ers navigated significant changes, the Patriots’ constancy is perhaps more impressive.
Even former 49ers center Randy Cross, one of four players to start in each of Walsh’s three Super Bowl wins, says Belichick’s dominant stretch is almost unrivaled. In seeking a worthy comparison, Cross invoked Paul Brown, a Walsh mentor who — including Cleveland’s time in the All-America Football Conference — guided the Browns to seven championships and 11 title games from 1946 to 1957.
“What (Belichick) has put in place is, in league history, one of the most remarkable things we have ever seen,” Cross said. “What he’s doing is comparable to me to what Paul Brown did. I mean, Bill Walsh did it for a decade, and it kind of consumed him after a while. Belichick is doing it now going on almost two decades at the same place.”
So which dynasty is better? Cross declined to delve too deeply into the subject. But he did cite the unbeaten Super Bowl record of those 49ers teams, and he said the short attention span of the socialmedia age means all things current are often deemed greatest.
Policy suggested another Patriots’ title could be significant. And he admitted his respect for New England doesn’t mean he’s wildly celebrating all its success.
“You do have to sit back and say, ‘This is special,’ ” Policy said. “On the other hand, there’s the natural feeling of envy that comes from sitting as a spectator and viewing the great accomplishments of this franchise.
“When you’ve been on top and you feel as though perhaps, just perhaps, that there’s a legitimate argument that yours may have been the most prominent — the dynasty of the dynasties — the fact that you’re going to be displaced is not comforting. So it’s bittersweet, in a way.”
Amid such angst, there is also appreciation for the similarities between Walsh, the “Genius” with the cutting-edge West Coast offense, and Belichick, the defensive mastermind who also won two Super Bowls as a coordinator with the Giants.
Cross has a unique perspective. After spending 10 seasons with Walsh, he served as the color analyst for Patriots preseason games for Belichick’s first 13 seasons in New England (2000-12) and was a frequent observer during training-camp practices.
He marveled at Belichick’s ability, similar to that of Walsh, to identify players who had the qualities to fill very specific roles, such as a situational pass rusher or a power running back to close out games. The result: The Patriots often had the best team, if not the best talent.
“A lot of that sounds just like Football 101 and will be dismissed by some,” Cross said. “But when you do this for nearly two flipping decades, it’s not Football 101 — it’s like sports nuclear medicine. Because it’s right there for everybody; it’s not like it’s proprietary information. He and his people just do it better than anyone else.”
Those 49ers and the Patriots also benefited from the unsentimental eyes of a head coach with complete personnel authority. It explains why players such as Montana, Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott and Roger Craig didn’t finish their careers with the 49ers. Similarly, franchise fixtures Ty Law, Lawyer Milloy, Willie McGinest and Richard Seymour were deemed expendable by Belichick.
“They identify a player’s use-by date as well as anybody,” Cross said. “It’s one thing to identify it; it’s another to stand by it. After our second Super Bowl, I’d just finished my ninth year, and Bill told me, ‘You know, I think you could play another six, seven years in this league, but you’re probably going to play another three or four years here, though.’ I was like ‘Huh, OK. That’s interesting.’
“Is it cold-blooded? Yes. Is it loyal? No. But loyal doesn’t figure into it.”
When it comes to quarterbacks, even the most ardent 49ers loyalists might concede the throne to Brady if he captures his sixth Super Bowl — two more than Montana — on Sunday. On the ongoing Brady vs. Montana question, however, Policy says DeBartolo will never be swayed.
“You could have a QB in the NFL win eight Super Bowls and then leave the game and cure cancer,” Policy said. “And Eddie would still think Joe Montana is the best.”
Policy laughed as he shared DeBartolo’s stance, but turned serious when discussing the 49ers vs. Patriots debate.
Twenty-four years ago, he respected Kraft for seeking advice as he found his way in the NFL. And he now respects him for implementing those lessons learned during their visit.
“We’re realists, and we appreciate greatness,” Policy said. “If you’ve been there, shame on you if you can’t recognize it and appreciate it in someone else.”