I almost didn’t write this….but I do have to acknowledge, as
was the case seven years ago, that we may bear witness to “greatness” in Super
Bowl XLIX. Not the greatest team of all
time, as we ALMOST saw with the 18-1 Patriots, but the greatest Coach/QB tandem
of all time: IF the 3rd time
is indeed the charm for the Pats.
New England has already matched the Cowboys and Steelers for
most Super Bowl appearances with eight.
But with a win Sunday, not only will Bill Belichick match Chuck Noll for
most SB wins as a head coach, but Tom Brady would also match Terry Bradshaw and
Joe Montana for most SB rings. Many are
sure to suggest that would make them the greatest coach and QB ever.
Although Noll, Bradshaw and Montana went 4-0 in the Super
Bowl, I have already heard how “4-2 is better” because the Patriots went more
often – thus were more consistent. I
wonder where THAT logic was when the Steelers lost SBXLV? All I heard then was how it was a “failure”
and how it proved Roethlisberger was not “elite,” especially when compared to
Brady. Further, does getting to four
rings much sooner than Brady would with another win not count for anything?
Sure, even prior to this Sunday, Brady has won more Super
Bowls than any other QB of his era….same for Coach Belichick compared to other
coaches. Then again, they have also LOST
more Super Bowls than anyone else from their era. And with a loss Sunday, they would drop to a
pedestrian .500 in the big game.
Does that DQ them from being considered one of the
greatest? No….no more than a camera
recording another team’s walkthrough or a few under-inflated footballs should
DQ them. On that note, however, the
Patriots may be in a no-win situation:
If they win, all-too-many people will be quick to point out
SpyGate and DeflateGate – and suggest that ALL the Patriots’ Super Bowl success
be doomed to forever be affixed with an asterisk. If they lose, that will be “proof” that they
cannot win without “cheating.”
The above viewpoints are understandable, but are a bit
misplaced. No one person or team that
can win multiple championships can do so relying entirely on luck, cheating,
biased officiating, etc. At some point
you have to give credit where it is due – even if you don’t want to.
Speaking of “multiple championships,” the Seahawks could be
on the cusp of “greatness,” the first in ten years to win back-to-back. Winning last year put the “demons,” real or
imagined, of SBXL to rest for Seattle.
Winning this time would put them in rarified air enjoyed by only a
handful of franchises.
It will be interesting to see how “greatness” manifests
itself this Sunday….
