On Thursday night, the Apple TV series The Dynasty debuted (a few hours earlier than expected) with the first two parts of the 10 part series. The Dynasty, based on the book of the same name by author Jeff Benedcit, chronicles the Patriots’ run during the Bill Belichick–Tom Brady era. It includes interviews with multiple people who were part of or close to the team during that time, highlighted by Belichick, Brady, and owner Robert Kraft.
New episodes will be released two at a time very Thursday night/Friday over the next few weeks. Each week, as more episodes come out, we’ll take a look at the top new quotes from the interviews in each.
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The second focuses on the second half of that 2001 season and Tom Brady’s early days as the Patriots’ starting quarterback. It culminates with the Snow Bowl AFC Divisional Round game against the then-Oakland Raiders, widening the lens from Brady and looking at the team more as a whole.
From the build-up to the game itself, here are the quotes that stood out the most from Part 2…
Scott Pioli on why the Patriots drafted Tom Brady
Tom Brady #10, Quarterback for the University of Michigan Wolverines prepares to throw a pass to Running Back #32 Anthony Thomas during the NCAA Big 10 Conference college football game against the Michigan State Spartans on 26th September 1998 at the Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Michigan Wolverines won the game 29 – 17. (Photo by Rick Stewart/Allsport/Getty Images)
Pioli: “In the draft that year, one of the places that we knew we didn’t have an immediate need was quarterback…We drafted a bunch of players ahead of him but when we get to the sixth round, we’re looking at the board and Brady is over there by himself and we’re like ‘what are we doing?’ Yeah, we don’t need a quarterback, but he was the best player available.”
Interesting insight here from Pioli, who at the time was the Patriots’ assistant director of player personnel. Basically, it sounds like the Patriots ended up drafting Brady somewhat by default. They were filling other needs as the draft went on, but it got to a point where the gap between Brady and the rest of their board became so significant, they felt it would be crazy not to take him.
Ernie Adams on the media
Dec 29, 2019; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots director of football research Ernie Adams watches the Miami Dolphins during warm-ups prior to their game at Gillette Stadium.
Adams: “The media is the group that I call ‘the scribes.’ It’s just a lot of people who don’t have a clue what they’re talking about, frankly. But there are some experts in New England on football, and they all work for the coaching staff for the Patriots. If you’re not in the building, you don’t really know.”
Hearing a fan-favorite personality like Adams call out the media like this will certainly be a favorite moment for a certain and not insignificant part of the Patriots’ fan base. Adams was fantastic throughout this episode, from recalling his drive to the old Foxboro Stadium for the Snow Bowl to sharing what Bill Belichick’s reaction was to Adam Vinatieri’s famous kick (“the famous words from the head coach, ‘what happened?'”)
Bill Belichick and Tom Brady on preparation
FOXBORO, MA – JANUARY 13: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots stands on the field with head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots prior to playing against the Houston Texans during the 2013 AFC Divisional Playoffs game at Gillette Stadium on January 13, 2013 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)
Belichick: “Tom understood his role on and off the field, how to help the team. He prepared extremely hard individually on his fundamentals, his techniques. Tom, I feel like, got the best out of me because he was so well prepared that I felt like I had to keep up with his preparation.”
Brady: “I think coach saw something in me that he could work with. We had quarterback school, and there was me and coach Belichick, we’d sit in there and we’d just – we’re football junkies. Morning, noon, night, that’s all we did, was talk about football.”
Belichick: “I loved working with Tom every day. Seeing the game through the quarterbacks’ eyes and understanding what he saw. I think those are things that helped me be a better coach.”
Brady: “Coach Belichick taught me so much. I could not be the player I was without him.”
Belichick and Brady are saying these things independent of each other in separate interviews, but this still creates a heartwarming moment between coach and quarterback. Each have made similar statements individually in the past, but the way it’s presented in this episode added another level to the meaning behind the words.
Robert Kraft on clearing the field during the Snow Bowl
19 Jan 2002: A general view of the pre game ceremony before the AFC playoff game between the Oakland Raiders the New England Patriots at Foxboro Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. The Patriots came from behind to win 16-13 in overtime. Digital Image Credit: Al Bello/Getty Images
Kraft: “The snow just came continuously, and we tried to clear it by the rules – but as little as we had to. I know I’m not supposed to say that, but that’s the truth.”
Hey, they didn’t use a snowplow for the field goal. What more could you ask for?
Adam Vinatieri recalls the Snow Bowl kick
Adam Vinatieri of the New England Patriots kicks the game-winning field goal against the Oakland Raiders during the AFC playoff game at Foxboro Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts on Jan. 19, 2002. (Ezra Shaw/ Getty Images)
Vinatieri: “At that point [following the Tuck Rule call] the realization kicked in of, ‘this is going to come down to a kick in this snowy weather on you, bud.’ A 45-yarder in six inches of snow, a crazy blizzard like that, was a super, super low-percentage kick. We didn’t even have any time to really clear the field or anything. I kind of gave one little sweep with my foot and was like ‘here goes nothing.’ I just had a conversation with myself saying ‘hey Adam, man, this is going to be the most difficult kick of your life, with this much on the line, you have to just focus in and do everything right. If you miss it, you’re done man.”
To this day, this remains the most difficult kick in NFL history. Vinatieri relives his thought process leading up to it, and doesn’t do anything close to downplaying the situation. It’s crazy to think about how much was built off of a kick that was – as Vinatieri points out – ‘super low-percentage.’
Tedy Bruschi on the Snow Bowl as a turning point
16 Dec 2001: Tedy Bruschi #54 of the New England Patriots running during the game against the Buffalo Bills at the Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, New York. The Patriots defeated the Bills 12-9.Credit: Rick Stewart/Getty Images
Bruschi: “There’s a part of all of us thinking, ‘there are some things that are happening here that are destiny-like.’ I’ve felt this before, but now it’s for sure. I said, ‘oh my gosh, maybe we were meant to do this.'”
As mentioned above, the win over the Raiders was when many people nationally started truly taking this Patriots team seriously as a Super Bowl contender. Apparently, that sentiment was felt inside the locker room as well. Bruschi referring to having “felt this before” is likely a reference to the 1996 team that reached the Super Bowl.