Whenever a dynasty goes on as long as the Brady-Belichick Patriots has, you’re bound to suffer from a little deja vu every now and then.
However, this year, things get a little weird.
It’s Super Bowl Sunday. The Patriots are going up against the Eagles, who took down the Falcons and Vikings on their way there. New England is looking to win back-to-back Super Bowls, and their third in a four-year span.
But all is not well for the Patriots. Both coordinators will be packing their bags and leaving Foxborough for head coaching jobs after the season, bringing the team’s future into question. Well at least there’s still a Justin Timberlake halftime show to look forward to, right?
The Patriots are coming off a Super Bowl win in Houston against the NFC South champions just last year. And two years before that, they took down an NFC West squad with a nicknamed unit on one side of the ball in an all-time classic. If they had lost that game, it would have been the franchise’s third Super Bowl loss in their last three appearances.
No, this isn’t just a preview of today’s big game, it also happens to be the same exact situation the Patriots were in on Feb. 6, 2005.
Take away Bill Belichick’s great defense. Make Tom Brady 13 years older. Throw in a bunch of injuries, some questions of integrity, behind the scenes drama and an NFL with a totally different playstyle. Through it all, just Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, and the New England Patriots have remained consistent.
The flashes in the pans known as Colin Kaepernick and Tim Tebow came and went. Carson Palmer had just wrapped up his rookie campaign last time the Patriots and Eagles faced off in the Super Bowl, and he just wrapped up his career a few weeks ago.
No matter what goes on in this crazy league, Belichick and Brady remain the constants. History repeats itself. It’s been repeating itself for years. Now, it’s time to sit back, relax, and see if the Patriots can do it again.
