Super Bowl LIII Running Thread

That's a weird facet of their dynasty, because the best team they had (2007) didn't win the Super Bowl.
I think the 2004 team is generally considered a Top 10 team all-time -- when they came out with the "America's Game" series around 2005 or so and ranked the top 20 Super Bowl teams, the 2004 Patriots were No. 9 -- but they technically weren't even the best team in the AFC that season. The Pats were 14-2 and the Steelers finished 15-1 and beat the Pats pretty soundly in the regular season.

I think it also hurts them that they've never finished a season off with a dominant Super Bowl win. The thing that separates most of those teams in the top five or 10 all-time -- the 1989 49ers, '85 Bears, '72 Dolphins, '84 49ers, '92 Cowboys -- is that they absolutely destroyed the competition on the biggest stage and made a statement that they were head and shoulders above the competition.
The Patriots have never done that.

 

'73 Dolphins > '72 Dolphins

 

Without having looked up the stats, is Gronk — right now — a Hall of Famer? Feels like he gets injured a lot, missed the playoffs entirely a couple of years (including 2016 when they won the SB) and I don't think he's topped more than 800 yards in a season more than what, three or four times? Compare that with someone like Tony Gonzalez, who had something like 14,000 yards in 12 seasons and Gronk seems to me like someone whose potential has far surpassed his actual production.

Now, if he stays healthy for four or five more seasons and produces the way we know he can when healthy, he'd be a lock. But there's a chance he retires this year or next. Maybe he makes it, but I'm not sure he's a "in," at this point.

 

Pats' D will hold and bump Rams' receivers all over the field, knowing the refs won't call a bunch of penalties and slow up the game.

Same approach as vs. the Rams the last time around.

 

Brady has 5 rings. Does any Pats’ player have 4? How many of have 3? It’s a 2 man dynasty.
In the 5 Super Bowl winning teams the Patriots never had offensive lineman as an All Pro or even make a pro bowl team in their winning season.

 

Gronk: 9 seasons, 521 catches (130th), 7,861 yards (1o4th), 79 touchdowns (28th). 5 Pro Bowls, 4 First-Team All-Pro. I am going to guess he will be first-team all-decade for the 2010s. Also there is his blocking, which you can't really quantify by traditional measures.

 

The Hall of Famers from the Pats will end up being Brady, Belichick, Kraft, Gronk, Law and Seymour. Vince Wilfork has a shot.

 

Not even a question. 1973 Dolphins would have beaten the "perfect" team by two scores.

 

That should go both ways. The Rams secondary isn't going to shy away from jamming anyone off the line.

 

Some of that is that championships Nos. 3 and 4 came 10 years apart. That's a full career for most players. Even among those who have had long careers with the Patriots, most seem to have retired or left the team just before the second run of titles (Kevin Faulk, Matt Light) or came along just after the first (Stephen Gostkowski, Matthew Slater). Others, like Tedy Bruschi, Willie McGinest and Mike Vrabel, had long careers but bowed out in between runs.
It speaks more to the longevity of Brady and Belichick than anything. A lot of guys have three rings since those first three were clustered together.

 

Where do those numbers compare to other TEs of similar resumes? They sound similar to a guy like Jimmy Graham. Are we putting him in if he retires today? Are we putting in Greg Olsen today? I wouldn't.

Certainly 521 receptions, 7,861 yards and 79 TDs is more valuable for a TE than a WR, but those numbers are underwhelming when you compare him to Antonio Gates or Tony Gonzalez. Hell, speaking of Chiefs TEs, I'd take Kelce on my team over Gronk all day. I'd probably take Jason Witten, too.

To be clear, if Gronk can have three more seasons at or near his top production levels, he's a no doubter. But I don't think he's close to a HOFer today, and I'm not sure he plays three more seasons, much less three seasons at peak production.

 

An interesting thing to watch, though, will be how tightly the refs call pass interference after that debacle in New Orleans. You've got to think anything remotely close to PI or holding is getting flagged.