New England Patriots

New England Patriots

New England Patriots

FOXBORO, MA - SEPTEMBER 7: Quarterback Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots walks off the field with the aid of the Patriots staff after being injured on a play during their NFL game against the Kansas City Chiefs on September 7, 2008 at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. The Patriots defeated the Chiefs 17-10. (Photo by Elsa Garrison/Getty Images)

FOXBORO, MA – SEPTEMBER 7: Quarterback Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots walks off the field with the aid of the Patriots staff after being injured on a play during their NFL game against the Kansas City Chiefs on September 7, 2008 at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. The Patriots defeated the Chiefs 17-10. This event was covered in Episode 5 of The Dynasty. (Photo by Elsa Garrison/Getty Images)

The Apple TV New England Patriots docuseries The Dynasty continued on Thursday night. This week saw the debut of episodes five and six, which mostly covered the time between the Patriots’ two mini-dynasties.

Last week’s episodes left off with the Patriots dealing with Spygate, and the revenge-tour 2007 season that followed. Episode 5 picks up right where that one left off.


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It didn’t take long for the Patriots’ next quest at perfection to be derailed. This episode covers Tom Brady’s season-ending knee injury in 2008, and the fallout for both the team and Brady himself. There was also a focus on Belichick’s leadership during the 2008 season and few seasons that followed.

What stood out in the latest edition of The Dynasty? Focusing mainly on newly-recorded interviews, here are the most notable quotes from Episode 5…

  • Tom Brady reflecting on Super Bowl XLII

    Feb 3, 2008; Glendale, AZ, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) walks off the field in the third quarter against the New England Patriots during Super Bowl XLII at the University of Phoenix Stadium.  Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE

    Feb 3, 2008; Glendale, AZ, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) walks off the field in the third quarter against the New England Patriots during Super Bowl XLII at the University of Phoenix Stadium. Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE

    Brady: “If there’s one game in history I’d change, it’s that game. But we can’t change it. I think what you realize about football and about life is you never have it quite mastered. It was a tough lesson for me to learn.”

    For a guy that has more signature wins than maybe any team sport athlete of the modern era, the Super Bowl XLII loss is Brady’s signature loss. Because of how much he won though, it doesn’t get discussed – relative to him – with nearly as much regularity. So to hear him reflect on that game, and what it taught him, was notable.

  • Tom Brady wanted to keep playing after his torn ACL

    FOXBORO, MA - AUGUST 7:  Randy Moss #81 and Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots watch the game on the sidelines against the Baltimore Ravens during a preseason game at Gillette Stadium on August 7, 2008 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

    FOXBORO, MA – AUGUST 7: Randy Moss #81 and Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots watch the game on the sidelines against the Baltimore Ravens during a preseason game at Gillette Stadium on August 7, 2008 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

    Brady: “You’d watch a lot of other quarterbacks’ ACL [injuries] over the years. It’s a season-ending injury, but I went into coach Belichick’s office and I said ‘I want to play. I’ll fix my ACL at the end of the year. I could just put a brace on it, I’ll tape it, and play the whole season.”

    It’s no surprise that coming off of the record-setting and near-perfect season, with a similar roster still in place, Brady would be so driven to return to the field. Randy Moss shared a story that Brady actually went out on the practice field after tearing his ACL to throw and try to prove he could go, before team doctors shut him down.

  • How Bill Belichick approached coaching without Tom Brady

    Oct. 5, 2008; San Francisco, CA, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick walks the sideline in the third quarter of the Patriots 30-21 win over the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, CA. Credit: Cary Edmondson-US PRESSWIRE

    Oct. 5, 2008; San Francisco, CA, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick walks the sideline in the third quarter of the Patriots 30-21 win over the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, CA. Credit: Cary Edmondson-US PRESSWIRE

    Belichick: “As a coach, replacing Tom Brady is – that’s a tough one. Tom’s the greatest player of all time. But you always try to find a way to win. It’s different from year to year. It’s different with different players on the field. But every week I’ve always felt like there’s a formula in there, somehow, that gives you the best opportunity as a team to win.” 

    How did the greatest coach of all time approach was his arguably his most challenging season? Belichick shared his approach.

  • Bill Belichick assured Matt Cassel he’d be the definitive starter after Tom Brady’s injury

    EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - SEPTEMBER 14: Quarterback Matt Cassel #16 of the New England Patriots walks to the line of scrimmage in the first half of the game against the New York Jets on September 14, 2008 at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. New England won 19-10. (Photo by Jarrett Baker/Getty Images)

    EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – SEPTEMBER 14: Quarterback Matt Cassel #16 of the New England Patriots walks to the line of scrimmage in the first half of the game against the New York Jets on September 14, 2008 at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. New England won 19-10. (Photo by Jarrett Baker/Getty Images)

    Cassel: “I remember the pressure I felt before I took the field. Coach Belichick walks up to me and he goes ‘Matt, we’re not bringing anybody else in. So don’t worry about all the naysayers, all these people that are going to question what we’re doing at the quarterback position. You’re going to be fine. Just stay the course.” 

    A common theme early in the series was Belichick not always being open with his quarterbacks – something we know continued further down the road as well. Yet here there’s a departure, as Belichick assures Cassel amid significant speculation about his readiness to take over for Brady.

  • Matt Cassel shares a story about Bill Belichick’s coaching style

    Dec 7, 2008; Seattle, WA, USA; New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick watches from the sidelines in the first half against the Seattle Seahawks at Qwest Field. The Patriots defeated the Seahawks 24-21. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

    Dec 7, 2008; Seattle, WA, USA; New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick watches from the sidelines in the first half against the Seattle Seahawks at Qwest Field. The Patriots defeated the Seahawks 24-21. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

    Cassel: “When Belichick would come and do video for the quarterback room, it was all the bad quarterback plays…You can see everybody kind of squirming in their seat like ‘oh god, I hope he doesn’t show that play.’ One time, I don’t see a corner blitz and I get absolutely annihilated in my back, ‘boom!’ Belichick comes in and he says, ‘Cassel, can we figure out the corner blitz? Because I don’t want to have to write your mother a letter that says ‘Dear Mrs. Cassel, we’re sorry to inform you that your son is dead because he’s a dumbass and didn’t see the corner blitz.”” 

    Cassel shared this story as Patriots players recounted the militaristic nature of Belichick’s operation, in relation to him learning about the game at the US Naval Academy. Of all the stories, this was by far the best.

  • Ernie Adams on the Patriots drafting of Aaron Hernandez

    DENVER, CO - DECEMBER 18: Aaron Hernandez #81 of the New England Patriots breaks free on a pass play as Quinton Carter #28 of the Denver Broncos gives chase on December 18, 2011 during the first half at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Marc Piscotty/Getty Images)

    DENVER, CO – DECEMBER 18: Aaron Hernandez #81 of the New England Patriots breaks free on a pass play as Quinton Carter #28 of the Denver Broncos gives chase on December 18, 2011 during the first half at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Marc Piscotty/Getty Images)

    Adams: “We were looking for toughness and intensity in a football player…in the fourth round [of the 2010 draft] we found this guy that we liked. There were some off-the-field issues…We thought ‘there’s a degree of risk here, but it makes sense to take it.’ But looking in hindsight, of course, we did not understand the full dimensions of what the problem was.”

    The final part of Episode 5 is actually a tease to Episode 6, which focuses on the 2010 draft and Aaron Hernandez murder investigation. In that tease, Adams relays a brief version of the Patriots’ through process into drafting Hernandez.

  • Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at [email protected].

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