The Apple TV New England Patriots docuseries The Dynasty continued on Thursday night. After releasing the first two episodes last week, two more were released this Thursday.
Last week, both episodes focused heavily on the team’s initial quarterback change, going from Drew Bledsoe’s injury through Tom Brady’s early days as the team’s starter. The second episode concluded with a focus on the Snow Bowl playoff game against the then-Oakland Raiders, and then a very brief look ahead to the 2001 AFC Championship Game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, with the final shot being the play on which Brady suffered a sprained ankle.
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Episode 3 picked up right where Episode 2 left off. The focus was on Bledsoe replacing Brady in that game against the Steelers. After backtracking to the early days of Robert Kraft’s ownership, focus returned to 2001 and Brady returning to lead the Patriots to victory in Super Bowl XXXVI over the then-St. Louis Rams.
What stood out in what was a very nostalgic episodes? Here’s a look at the top quotes from Part 3 of The Dynasty, mainly focusing on the new interviews rather than the file footage…
Bill Parcells on the circumstances leading up to his departure
Jan 26, 1997; New Orleans, LA, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Parcells reacts on the sideline against the Green Bay Packers for Super Bowl XXXI at the Superdome. The Packers defeated the Patriots 35-21. Credit: USA TODAY Sports
Parcells: “We finally got some success [the 1996 Super Bowl appearance], but I felt like Kraft wasn’t always in line with the things that I knew to be in the best interest of building a team. Kraft had no real background in football, and in his inexperience, took the draft away from me and he gave it to somebody else. I felt like some people that were incompetent were making decisions for the organization personnel-wise, and I didn’t like it. And I knew I wasn’t going back to the Patriots.”
There’s a few things going on here. Parcells’ “shop for the groceries” comment is very well known, but directly calling out Kraft and the team’s NFL Draft process is a pretty direct shot. He also says he knew going into Super Bowl XXXI that he wouldn’t be returning to the Patriots.
Robert Kraft shares his side of Bill Parcells’ departure
FOXBORO, MA – SEPTEMBER 9: Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots looks on during the game between of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on September 9, 2002 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. The Patriots won 31-14. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
Kraft: “With Coach Parcells, I didn’t feel he always put [the] team first. He was making decisions that were best for Bill Parcells as opposed for the New England Patriots. I promised myself in the future I would find a coach that truly put team first.”
Robert Kraft shares his side of the story regarding Bill Parcells’ departure. This quote may also be seen as foreshadowing of his hire of Bill Belichick and the early days of the ‘Patriot Way.’
Bill Belichick gave Lawyer Milloy his room the week of Super Bowl XXXVI
Feb 3, 2002; New Orleans, LA, USA; New England Patriots defensive back Lawyer Milloy (36) and St. Louis Rams receiver Ricky Proehl (87) go up for a pass during Super Bowl XXXVI at the Louisiana Superdome. The Patriots defeated the Rams 20-17. Credit: USA TODAY Sports
Belichick: “Lawyer came over, and was upset about his room…”
Milloy: “We get to the hotel. My room was so small, I think it came with an oxygen tank.”
Belichick: “That was the furthest thing from my mind, and I just kind of said, ‘Lawyer, look, you can have the head coach’s room. I don’t really care. And if that’s not good enough for you, that’s the best I can do. Here you go.’ And so the rest of the week, it was kinda ‘Lawyer, is everything okay? Is your view okay? Your room good? You got enough space in there?’ And so we kinda joked about that all week.”
Damien Woody: “I think coach did that to kinda reemphasize team is always first. And it kind of just set the tone to get ready for what was coming.”
A fun story from what was a massive week in the grand scheme of things for the Patriots’ dynasty. Plus, less than two years after having this running joke with his defensive captain at the Super Bowl, Belichick would end up cutting Milloy days before the start of the 2003 regular season.
Tedy Bruschi credits Drew Bledsoe with starting the ‘Patriot Way’
9 Sep 2001: Quarterback Drew Bledsoe #11 of the New England Patriots looks on from the field during the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at the Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Bengals defeated the Patriots 23-17.Credit: Mark Lyons/Allsport
Bruschi: “Drew could have messed a lot of things up. But as frustrated as Drew was, he was still very supportive to Tom [Brady]. That meant a lot for me to see. All this stuff Belichick says, like doing your job and putting the team first, Drew was, like, living that. I mean, there’s a hundred-million-dollar quarterback doing what’s best for the team. That’s where I think the Patriot Way started.”
A common theme through the first three episodes of The Dynasty was the juxtaposition of the position Bledsoe was placed in by Belichick in 2001, and the way he continued to support the other players on the roster. There is no indication of any kind of fracture in the locker room. Bruschi really hammers that point home with this quote.
Ernie Adams explains the decision not to play for overtime at the end of Super Bowl XXXVI
03 Feb 2002: The New England Patriots huddle during Superbowl XXXVI at the Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Patriots defeated the Rams 20-17. Credit: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
Adams: “We could have knelt on it and gone into sudden death overtime. But then Bill [Belichick] came on the headset and said ‘okay Ernie, what do you want to do?’ And I said ‘Bill, we’re a little bit out of gas. If they get the ball again, I’m not real sure we can stop ’em. I mean this drive, it’s do or die. We need to try to go get Adam Vinatieri a shot to win it for us here in regulation.'”
As John Madden was in the broadcast booth calling for the Patriots to go to overtime, this is what the coaching staff was discussing. It highlights Adams’ importance not just to the Patriots as a whole, but to Belichick specifically. In the biggest moment of the biggest game, he’s who Belichick turned to for one of the biggest decisions of the night.
What Bill Belichick said to Tom Brady the day after Super Bowl XXXVI
Feb 3, 2002; New Orleans, LA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) in action against the St. Louis Rams during Super Bowl XXXVI at the Louisiana Superdome. The Patriots defeated the Rams 20-17. Credit: USA TODAY Sports
Brady: “The next day I remember I got in the car and I remember coach Belichick – he got in and he was still fucked up from the night before. I could smell the alcohol. But I remember him saying to me ‘well, Tom, you had a pretty good year.’ And that was his way of complimenting me.”
Just a funny story. Drunk Bill Belichick giving Brady as much of a compliment as possible after he led what was at the time the most important drive in NFL history.
