The Patriots’ model has been the model in the NFL for two decades. Seventeen AFC East crowns, nine trips to the Super Bowl, and six world titles make that truth undeniable.
Now, we get what the other 31 teams have been waiting for.
In real time, this week, we watched New England pay a price for all that glory.
Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
In this weirdest of years, and in a weird way, the Patriots’ roster is being ransacked by the very foundation it was built upon. New England’s long prided itself in an ability to define and find the right kind of guys for its program.