COMMENTARY
Over the course of the first 30 Super Bowls, only 44 players could say they took the field as a member of the Patriots. As the NFL gets set to kick off the 51st edition of its title game, there are a whopping 250 players who can make that claim. Thirty more could join that not-quite-exclusive club on Sunday night. Such is the way when a franchise is about to set a league record with its ninth appearance in pro football’s signature event.
The Patriots have split the first eight, recovering from a couple earlier embarrassments to win four of the six they’ve played in what will ultimately be remembered as the Bill Belichick and Tom Brady era.