The 16 Most Important People in the Patriots' Dynasty

MarkBT

New Member
Aug 7, 2008
137
Columbus OH
here's the link. I generally take a dim view of Simmons these days, but any Patriots fan listening to this will be laughing out loud about once every minute or two. It's pretty well done, by the standards of "two guys talking about sports for two hours".
Co-sign. Listening to first half of it on the treadmill, and had to hold back laughter a few times. Hench, in particular, had some great one-liners [while discussing the 2014 AFC Divisional comeback vs Ravens] "By the way, Terrell Suggs must be enjoying this podcast."
 

tims4wins

PN23's replacement
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
37,060
Hingham, MA
They screwed up the first game they mentioned. The 2005 game vs. the Steelers was week 3, not the opener. And IIRC Matt Light went down for the season early in the game but the Pats still found a way.

Edit: they lost Rodney too

Already without three injured cornerbacks, including starter
Tyrone Poole, the Patriots lost backup cornerback Duane Starks on
the Steelers' first play from scrimmage, though he returned later.
Then, after allowing an 85-yard Hines Ward TD reception, safety
Rodney Harrison and left tackle Matt Light went down with leg
injuries.
Edit 2: Bill thought the 2003 game in Miami was MNF. Noooope.

Edit 3: 59-0 against Tennessee was 2009, not 2007. Did they do ANY research??
 
Last edited:

pappymojo

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 28, 2010
6,668
Besides Belichick and Kraft, I am not including non-players. Not because they don't deserve inclusion but because I am unable to offer much of an opinion. I also include the number of Patriot Super Bowl championships (so far) next to their names.

1. Belichick (5)
2. Brady (5)
3. Kraft (5)

4. Richard Seymour (3)
5. Ty Law (3)
6. Willie McGinest (3)
7. Matt Light (3)
8. Rodney Harrison (2)
9. Vince Wilfork (2)
10. Troy Brown (3)
11. Adam Vinatieri (3)
12.Teddy Bruschi (3)
13. Dont'a Hightower (2)
14. Julian Edelman (2)
15. Kevin Faulk (3)
16. Malcolm Butler (2)
17. Devin McCourty (2)
18. Mike Vrabel (3)
19. Rob Gronkowski (2)

Honorable mentions (in no particular order): Larry Izzo, David Patten, Wes Welker, Randy Moss, Logan Mankins, Sebastian Vollmer, Matthew Slater, Stephen Gostkowski. Jerod Mayo
 

tims4wins

PN23's replacement
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
37,060
Hingham, MA
Could probably make a new thread on this, but coming up with a top 25 wins is a fun exercise. I came up with a list of 44 games then split into honorable mention. Some of the regular season ones are debatable. Any huge omissions? I didn't list an honorable mention for the playoffs because basically every playoff win not on my list is an honorable mention by definition. Kind of crazy to only list three of the five Super Bowls but 38 and 39 were fairly meh from a playoff win perspective.
Playoff games (in reverse chronological order) - totals 11
Atlanta 2016
Seattle 2014
Baltimore 2014
San Diego 2006
Pittsburgh 2004
Indy 2004
Indy 2003
Tennessee 2003
St. Louis 2001
Pittsburgh 2001
Oakland 2001

Regular season games (in reverse chronological order) - totals 14
Arizona 2016 (Jimmy)
Cincinnati 2014 (On to Cincinnati, Brady chant)
Denver 2013 (24-0 comeback)
New Orleans 2013 (Kenbrell)
Buffalo 2009 (Brady's first game back)
NYJ 2008 (first Cassell start, LOL Jets)
NYG 2007 (16-0)
Pittsburgh 2007 (Anthony Smith)
St. Louis 2004 (Troy Brown CB)
Indianapolis 2003 (Willie)
Denver 2003 (Safety)
Miami 2003 (OT)
Chicago 2002 (Huge comeback)
San Diego 2001 (Brady's first comeback)

Honorable mention regular season (19)
NYG 2015 (27-26, nice comeback, Ghost from 53)
Baltimore 2013 (41-7, humiliation)
Cleveland 2013 (Lost Gronk, comeback, onside kick)
Houston 2012 (Lettermen jackets)
NYJ 2012 (Butt fumble, 3 TDs in 30 seconds)
Buffalo 2011 (Down 21-0 after a quarter, won 49-21)
NYJ 2010 (45-3, but lost a few weeks later)
Baltimore 2010 (23-20, great win)
Buffalo 2007 (Moss 4 TD in half)
Pittsburgh 2005 (Lost Harrison & Light, comeback)
Indianapolis 2004 (Opener, idiot kicker honks one at buzzer after Willie sack)
Buffalo 2003 (31-0 reversal of opener)
Miami 2003 (12-0 snow Bruschi pick 6, fans throwing snow)
Tennessee 2003 (Gimpy Law pick 6, bomb to Brown, game 4 ALDS against Oakland when Papi had his first clutch hit, memorable day)
Miami 2002 (Kept hope alive in last game, big comeback)
Pittsburgh 2002 (Opener, proved for real, Brady threw on like 25 straight plays)
Buffalo 2001 (Patten unconscious)
NYJ 2001 (17-16 comeback from 13-3 or 16-3 down)
New Orleans 2001 (Brady named starter after Rams loss)
 

DJnVa

Dorito Dawg
SoSH Member
Dec 16, 2010
53,850
I know he's probably too high, but I love that McCourty is on that list.

And like was said in the article about him, some of it is from a locker room POV, and that's something that's hard for us to know about.
 

loshjott

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 30, 2004
14,943
Silver Spring, MD
Could probably make a new thread on this, but coming up with a top 25 wins is a fun exercise.

Snip all the details.....
This is just for the Brady/Belichick years?

If not, I submit that the AFC CG win in Miami in January 1986 is a top 5 win for the franchise. Until the most recent 2 SB wins I had it #2 after SB 36. Now it's down to 4 but still up there.
 

bigq

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
11,086
I guess he wouldn't crack the top 16 but David Givens was really good in high pressure situations in the post season for two consecutive seasons that culminated in Super Bowl victories.
 

Dollar

Member
SoSH Member
May 5, 2006
11,087
Could probably make a new thread on this, but coming up with a top 25 wins is a fun exercise. I came up with a list of 44 games then split into honorable mention. Some of the regular season ones are debatable. Any huge omissions? I didn't list an honorable mention for the playoffs because basically every playoff win not on my list is an honorable mention by definition. Kind of crazy to only list three of the five Super Bowls but 38 and 39 were fairly meh from a playoff win perspective.
Playoff games (in reverse chronological order) - totals 11
Atlanta 2016
Seattle 2014
Baltimore 2014
San Diego 2006
Pittsburgh 2004
Indy 2004
Indy 2003
Tennessee 2003
St. Louis 2001
Pittsburgh 2001
Oakland 2001

Regular season games (in reverse chronological order) - totals 14
Arizona 2016 (Jimmy)
Cincinnati 2014 (On to Cincinnati, Brady chant)
Denver 2013 (24-0 comeback)
New Orleans 2013 (Kenbrell)
Buffalo 2009 (Brady's first game back)
NYJ 2008 (first Cassell start, LOL Jets)
NYG 2007 (16-0)
Pittsburgh 2007 (Anthony Smith)
St. Louis 2004 (Troy Brown CB)
Indianapolis 2003 (Willie)
Denver 2003 (Safety)
Miami 2003 (OT)
Chicago 2002 (Huge comeback)
San Diego 2001 (Brady's first comeback)

Honorable mention regular season (19)
NYG 2015 (27-26, nice comeback, Ghost from 53)
Baltimore 2013 (41-7, humiliation)
Cleveland 2013 (Lost Gronk, comeback, onside kick)
Houston 2012 (Lettermen jackets)
NYJ 2012 (Butt fumble, 3 TDs in 30 seconds)
Buffalo 2011 (Down 21-0 after a quarter, won 49-21)
NYJ 2010 (45-3, but lost a few weeks later)
Baltimore 2010 (23-20, great win)
Buffalo 2007 (Moss 4 TD in half)
Pittsburgh 2005 (Lost Harrison & Light, comeback)
Indianapolis 2004 (Opener, idiot kicker honks one at buzzer after Willie sack)
Buffalo 2003 (31-0 reversal of opener)
Miami 2003 (12-0 snow Bruschi pick 6, fans throwing snow)
Tennessee 2003 (Gimpy Law pick 6, bomb to Brown, game 4 ALDS against Oakland when Papi had his first clutch hit, memorable day)
Miami 2002 (Kept hope alive in last game, big comeback)
Pittsburgh 2002 (Opener, proved for real, Brady threw on like 25 straight plays)
Buffalo 2001 (Patten unconscious)
NYJ 2001 (17-16 comeback from 13-3 or 16-3 down)
New Orleans 2001 (Brady named starter after Rams loss)
Nice list, but including games like Arizona 2016 and Houston 2012 but *not* Super Bowl 38 seems crazy to me. That game was probably one of the best Super Bowls ever, at that time (since surpassed by a ridiculous number of great Super Bowls in a short period of time.)

Another fun list would be "top losses of the era". The regular season loss to the Rams in 2001 would go on there because it showed the team they could compete with the best in the league, Seattle 2016 was a classic, and San Francisco 2012 was an insane comeback that fell short due to Kaepernick heroics.
 
Last edited:

tims4wins

PN23's replacement
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
37,060
Hingham, MA
Top losses would be fun. 2014 at Lambeau was another good one. Could also argue that Halloween 2004 was a good loss in Pittsburgh in terms of the motivation it provided

Edit: to your first point, when I think of great wins, I think of either winning as an underdog, or a big comeback, something of that nature. The Carolina game holds a special place in my heart because I was there. Any Super Bowl victory is obviously a great win. But looking back it doesn't feel like one of their great wins of the era. YMMV
 

soxfan121

JAG
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 22, 2002
23,043
Nick Caserio started with Patriots in the fall of 2001 as a personnel assistant. He then served as offensive coaching assistant, area scout, director of pro personnel, wide receivers coach, and director of player personnel.

Josh McDaniels started with the Patriots in the fall of 2001 as a personnel assistant. He then served as a defensive assistant, quarterbacks coach, and offensive coordinator until he departed for Denver in 2009. He returned in 2012 as quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator.

The John Carroll duo are definitely in the top 10 somewhere.
 

NortheasternPJ

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 16, 2004
19,272
I guess he wouldn't crack the top 16 but David Givens was really good in high pressure situations in the post season for two consecutive seasons that culminated in Super Bowl victories.
How many other players have caught a pass, went unconscious and were smart enough to go out of bounds before fumbling it?

Plus he randomly showed up at one of our college parties and was a normal guy so I've got a soft spot for him. Sucks his career ended the way it did.
 

Eric1984

my real name is Ben
SoSH Member
Jun 14, 2001
2,767
Wasn't that David Patten, not Givens (who wasn't drafted until after the following season)?
 

NortheasternPJ

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 16, 2004
19,272
Wasn't that David Patten, not Givens (who wasn't drafted until after the following season)?
You are 100% correct, i got my history of Davids mixed up. That said I still loved Givens and was sad to see his quick exit from the NFL. At least he got some pay day out of it.
 

bigq

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
11,086
Wasn't that David Patten, not Givens (who wasn't drafted until after the following season)?
Yes it was Patten who was knocked unconscious but it was Givens who had the tough end to his career in Tennessee when he blew out his knee. Givens also caught a TD pass in 7 consecutive post season games. It would be remarkable to see that feat repeated.
 

Eric1984

my real name is Ben
SoSH Member
Jun 14, 2001
2,767
Both guys were clutch postseason performers (in addition to getting knocked unconscious vs. Buffalo in the regular season, Patten had huge TD catches in both the AFCC and the SB that year). I loved Givens too. I was sad to see him go.
 

Mooch

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
4,494
The 2002 season opener against Pittsburgh doesn't get nearly enough love and respect. Certainly it established the Patriots as a non-fluke as well as the first glimpse that Brady could carry a team as a starting QB. It was also the first game at Gillette Stadium as well as one of the greatest uses of a jumbotron ever: Before the game, they played the clip of Kordell Stewart's comments after the AFC Championship game the year before saying "Sometimes the best team doesn't always win," sending the Pats fans into a frenzy. By the time the game was well in hand late in the 4th quarter, they played it again. One of the most fun sporting events I've ever attended.
 

RG33

Certain Class of Poster
SoSH Member
Nov 28, 2005
7,199
CA
The 2002 season opener against Pittsburgh doesn't get nearly enough love and respect. Certainly it established the Patriots as a non-fluke as well as the first glimpse that Brady could carry a team as a starting QB. It was also the first game at Gillette Stadium as well as one of the greatest uses of a jumbotron ever: Before the game, they played the clip of Kordell Stewart's comments after the AFC Championship game the year before saying "Sometimes the best team doesn't always win," sending the Pats fans into a frenzy. By the time the game was well in hand late in the 4th quarter, they played it again. One of the most fun sporting events I've ever attended.
God, I hated those fucking Steeler teams. Stewart, Cowher, Gildon, all the trash talk -- all of the attempts to take away from the Patriots victories. That game was fucking awesome.
 
Mar 1, 2009
557
Wes Welker is under appreciated here. He was mentioned but I'm surprised he's not making all of your lists. The Patriots ability to force a defense to respect the entire field of play wouldn't have been near as effective without the dynamic that he brought to the offense. If we're going to recognize Jules we should be giving similar props to Wes.
 

jaytftwofive

New Member
Jan 20, 2013
1,182
Drexel Hill Pa.
They screwed up the first game they mentioned. The 2005 game vs. the Steelers was week 3, not the opener. And IIRC Matt Light went down for the season early in the game but the Pats still found a way.

Edit: they lost Rodney too



Edit 2: Bill thought the 2003 game in Miami was MNF. Noooope.

Edit 3: 59-0 against Tennessee was 2009, not 2007. Did they do ANY research??
I remember watching that game at a bar in the Philly area(where I live) It was snowing if I'm not mistaken right? I thought BB should have taken Brady out in the 3rd quarter, stop running it up. There were some Steelers fans there watching the game and I turned to them and said "He's baaaaaaaaaaaaack". A female Stillers(as they pronounce it) said to me "I hope he breaks his bleeping leg". I just smiled.
 

tims4wins

PN23's replacement
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
37,060
Hingham, MA
I remember watching that game at a bar in the Philly area(where I live) It was snowing if I'm not mistaken right? I thought BB should have taken Brady out in the 3rd quarter, stop running it up. There were some Steelers fans there watching the game and I turned to them and said "He's baaaaaaaaaaaaack". A female Stillers(as they pronounce it) said to me "I hope he breaks his bleeping leg". I just smiled.
Yep snow

 

Jed Zeppelin

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 23, 2008
51,291
Wes Welker is under appreciated here. He was mentioned but I'm surprised he's not making all of your lists. The Patriots ability to force a defense to respect the entire field of play wouldn't have been near as effective without the dynamic that he brought to the offense. If we're going to recognize Jules we should be giving similar props to Wes.
It's not surprising. He's roughly the Ray Allen of the Patriots dynasty, except without the benefit of a ring. His time here did not end well and the most enduring memories are bitter ones despite the great things he did otherwise.
 

Captaincoop

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 16, 2005
13,487
Santa Monica, CA
It's not surprising. He's roughly the Ray Allen of the Patriots dynasty, except without the benefit of a ring. His time here did not end well and the most enduring memories are bitter ones despite the great things he did otherwise.
He played 5 years for the Pats in the 2000s and didn't win a ring. I don't know how you could consider him one of the 16 most important people in the dynasty.
 

Super Nomario

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 5, 2000
14,012
Mansfield MA
He played 5 years for the Pats in the 2000s and didn't win a ring. I don't know how you could consider him one of the 16 most important people in the dynasty.
Among Patriots from 2000-2017, he's #1 in receiving yards (by almost 1500 yards over #2 Gronk), #1 in receptions (by almost 250 over #2 Edelman), #3 in TDs (behind only Gronk and Moss and 13 ahead of Edelman / Brown), and #1 in yards / game (by about 5 over #2 Moss and more than 10 over #3 Gronk). It's not hard to argue he's the most valuable receiver Brady's ever had - at worse, he is third behind Gronk and Moss, and he played a lot longer than Moss. His 1569 receiving yards in 2011 is the franchise record. He's also #4 and #5 on that list. He owns all of the top five reception seasons in franchise history.

I get the "what does it matter if they never won?" stance, but Welker's tenure also coincided with the worst defenses in the Belichick run. He was on all four of the highest scoring offenses in franchise history (2007 and 2010-12). Is it fair to ding Welker compared to Troy Brown and Julian Edelman because those guys played with better defenses, even though Welker played on the more prolific offenses?

It would probably be interesting to go through this position-by-position first (including off-field), then try to compile into a top 16.
 

Ralphwiggum

Member
SoSH Member
Jun 27, 2012
9,827
Needham, MA
I guess it depends on the definition of "most important". YMMV, but the original article, and people compiling their lists here are heavily leaning towards guys who played an outsized role in one or more championships. Welker is certainly among the "best" players during the BB/TB era, but I understand leaving him off the list and including Edelman.
 

BigSoxFan

Member
SoSH Member
May 31, 2007
47,094
If Welker holds on to the ball then he makes this list. I think it is as simple as that
Yup. He has 11/103 in SB 42 and should have had more and he had 7/60 in SB 46. He had 8 targets that game so the infamous one was his only drop. I'm sure that drop will forever bother him.
 

Captaincoop

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 16, 2005
13,487
Santa Monica, CA
Among Patriots from 2000-2017, he's #1 in receiving yards (by almost 1500 yards over #2 Gronk), #1 in receptions (by almost 250 over #2 Edelman), #3 in TDs (behind only Gronk and Moss and 13 ahead of Edelman / Brown), and #1 in yards / game (by about 5 over #2 Moss and more than 10 over #3 Gronk). It's not hard to argue he's the most valuable receiver Brady's ever had - at worse, he is third behind Gronk and Moss, and he played a lot longer than Moss. His 1569 receiving yards in 2011 is the franchise record. He's also #4 and #5 on that list. He owns all of the top five reception seasons in franchise history.

I get the "what does it matter if they never won?" stance, but Welker's tenure also coincided with the worst defenses in the Belichick run. He was on all four of the highest scoring offenses in franchise history (2007 and 2010-12). Is it fair to ding Welker compared to Troy Brown and Julian Edelman because those guys played with better defenses, even though Welker played on the more prolific offenses?

It would probably be interesting to go through this position-by-position first (including off-field), then try to compile into a top 16.
If the question were "who were the 16 best players of the century for the Patriots", then he's probably on the list (he had way more receiving yards than Bob Kraft, for example).

But if Welker never played a single snap for the Patriots, they would still have 5 titles. That virtually disqualifies him from the actual discussion, IMO.
 

Van Everyman

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 30, 2009
26,993
Newton
I think a big part of this is whether you consider the undefeated season integral to the "Patriots' dynasty" even though they didn't win. I do because more than any individual ring that year cemented the Pats as an unbelievable force in the game. And Welker was a huge part of it.

Also, I had no idea he had 1,569 yards in 2011 – that's a ton (tied for 27th all time I believe) but makes sense when you realize Moss was gone by then.
 

Saints Rest

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
I think it could have happened in 2001, but probably with the team already going nowhere.

Also Vinatieri....HOF, all time great, and the Snow Bowl kick (and arguably the Tenn Divisional game kick) were both all timers

That said...waaaaaaay too high on these lists for a kicker that was was here for 1/3 of the dynasty
I picked Stitch at random amongst many who put AV low on the list. To me, AV's Snow Bowl kick is the small play writ LARGE that is close to a sine qua non of the entire era. The best comp is Dave Roberts' Steal. That said, unlike Dave Roberts, AV went on to add not one, not two, but three Super Bowl-winning kicks thereby giving him 4 plays that very directly led to 3 rings. THat's pretty momentous in the context of "Most Important People in the Patriots Dynasty."

I do like the idea of the Top 25 (or whatever) Wins in Patriot History.

Another interesting list would be Most Important 10 Plays in Patriot History. AV probably has two of the top 5 (Snow Bowl, Super Bowl 36). That's a pretty good place to be.
 

Stitch01

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
18,155
Boston
AV had two Super Bowl winning kicks, not three. The kick over Carolina was his first FG of the game after two misses. Again, Im not slamming him. Pats HOFer. Should probably be in the NFL HOF. Just dont see how a kicker here for five years is more valuable than a guy like Seymour who was an all pro DT for eight years. The Pats would have had much less success without Seymour than they would have had without Vinatieri.
 

loshjott

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 30, 2004
14,943
Silver Spring, MD
AV had two Super Bowl winning kicks, not three. The kick over Carolina was his first FG of the game after two misses. Again, Im not slamming him. Pats HOFer. Should probably be in the NFL HOF. Just dont see how a kicker here for five years is more valuable than a guy like Seymour who was an all pro DT for eight years. The Pats would have had much less success without Seymour than they would have had without Vinatieri.
And, it's worth noting there is no Snow Bowl kick without Seymour's 3rd down stop of Zack Crockett.
 

m0ckduck

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 20, 2005
1,714
Could probably make a new thread on this, but coming up with a top 25 wins is a fun exercise.
Nice list.

I couldn't possibly leave the 2003 SB off, but honest men may differ. Beyond that, in terms of playoff games, there are two 2011 games that would appear on some lists: Tebow smackdown in the divisional round; Cundiff shank in the Championship round. I wouldn't have those on my list either, but they are the two possible omissions that came to mind.

For regular season games, I can only think to add:

@IND 2014: Jonas Gray game. Signature Gronk TD rumble (switching hands to stiffarm helpless receivers) + throws Sergio Brown out of the club. Total road annihilation of a team that was considered to be a legit conference rival.

@BAL 2007: Rex Ryan saves undefeated season with TO, Pats survive caught Hail Mary short of goal line. Loses points for: Don Shula in the booth for roughly 5 hours.
 

tims4wins

PN23's replacement
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
37,060
Hingham, MA
Jesus, top 10 most important plays, wow. I think by definition you would only include plays from playoff games from their 5 title seasons. So, beginning there:

36:
- tuck play
- tying FG vs. Raiders
- Troy Brown punt return
- blocked FG return
- Law pick 6
- winning FG in 36

38
- take the lead FG vs. Titans
- incompletion on 4th down vs. Titans (dropped the pass, basically)
- no single play stands out from the AFCCG - so many turnovers you can't pick just one
- Kasay kickoff out of bounds
- the Troy Brown ridiculous catch in traffic
- AV wins it

39
- again, hard to pick out a single play from the Colts game
- the Harrison pick 6 in Pittsburgh - 14-3 game with Pittsburgh driving becomes a 21-3 game
- not sure if there was a single play in the Eagles game I would choose either

49
- bomb to Gronk in divisional vs. Ravens - got em back in the game
- double pass
- completion to Dola on the game winning drive
- nothing vs. Colts
- 3rd and 14 completion to Edelman
- Malcolm, go

51
- nothing vs. Texans
- nothing vs. Steelers
- 4th and 3 down 28-3
- DH strip sack
- the second 2 point conversion

Will let others add / edit.
 

BuellMiller

New Member
Mar 25, 2015
449
Jesus, top 10 most important plays, wow. I think by definition you would only include plays from playoff games from their 5 title seasons. So, beginning there:

36:
- tuck play
- tying FG vs. Raiders
- Troy Brown punt return
- blocked FG return
- Law pick 6
- winning FG in 36

38
- take the lead FG vs. Titans
- incompletion on 4th down vs. Titans (dropped the pass, basically)
- no single play stands out from the AFCCG - so many turnovers you can't pick just one
- Kasay kickoff out of bounds
- the Troy Brown ridiculous catch in traffic
- AV wins it

39
- again, hard to pick out a single play from the Colts game
- the Harrison pick 6 in Pittsburgh - 14-3 game with Pittsburgh driving becomes a 21-3 game
- not sure if there was a single play in the Eagles game I would choose either

49
- bomb to Gronk in divisional vs. Ravens - got em back in the game
- double pass
- completion to Dola on the game winning drive
- nothing vs. Colts
- 3rd and 14 completion to Edelman
- Malcolm, go

51
- nothing vs. Texans
- nothing vs. Steelers
- 4th and 3 down 28-3
- DH strip sack
- the second 2 point conversion

Will let others add / edit.
With regards to the bolded, what about the actual TD pass to LaFell? One of Brady's best throws.

Also, if I had to pick out a play against the Colts 2nd playoff game, i'd go with Bruschi ripping the ball from Rhodes for a fumble.
 

tims4wins

PN23's replacement
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
37,060
Hingham, MA
Good points both

edit: I would still argue that the Amendola catch was more important than the LaFell catch, mainly because it was a huge conversion whereas if LaFell didn't make the catch they still had plenty of time - I think the TD came on first down

As for the Bruschi play, I think that was more of a "signature" play than an "important" play, but reasonable minds may disagree
 
Last edited:

BuellMiller

New Member
Mar 25, 2015
449
Good points both

edit: I would still argue that the Amendola catch was more important than the LaFell catch, mainly because it was a huge conversion whereas if LaFell didn't make the catch they still had plenty of time - I think the TD came on first down

As for the Bruschi play, I think that was more of a "signature" play than an "important" play, but reasonable minds may disagree
Very true on both. Yeah, signature is probably a better term for the Bruschi play, certainly the one play that really stuck out in my mind, more than one of significant importance...although, the score was only 6-0 at the time, and the Colts did have the ball in Patriots territory. (Granted if Bruschi just makes the tackle, it's still 3rd and 19, while not impossible to convert (especially with the possibility of a garbage incidental contact auto 1st down Polian-special penalty). But also, looking at the play, if Bruschi is a step too late in blowing up the play, or the blocker (Jeff Saturday) is a step faster to block him, it looks like Rhodes has running room, to at least set up a more manageable 3rd down.
 
Apr 7, 2006
2,505
Whoa whoa whoa - now we're putting guys on the list just for enforcing a rule that had been enforced earlier that season AGAINST the Patriots?