Brady, Belichick set off to chase the only goal they've failed to achieve
Tom Brady and Bill Belichick have done it all.
They could have retired on top after their latest triumph - authoring the largest comeback in Super Bowl history. Instead, what might be the greatest coach in NFL history and the best quarterback to ever play are still in the game.
Why? To remove the most significant stain on their resumes: 18-1.
Led by Brady and Belichick, the Patriots were on course to produce an unblemished season in 2007. They surpassed the Miami Dolphins' record for most regular-season victories by going 16-0, but, thanks to the exploits of Michael Strahan, Justin Tuck, and Plaxico Burress, and a helmet catch by David Tyree, the Patriots fell short of an undefeated season. The '72 Dolphins still chide them for it, as do Patriots detractors.
So, despite their fists full of Super Bowl rings, 65-year-old Belichick and 40-year-old Brady continue into a new season. After their performance in Super Bowl LI, they're clearly still on top of their respective games, but what truly drives them to continue on after having seemingly done it all? Sure, the money is nice, and the competition is unparalleled.
But the pair of perfectionists know that, together, they can will their way to finishing the job: producing the greatest season the NFL has ever seen.
How else to explain this past offseason? New England went all-in, trading for Brandin Cooks and and Dwayne Allen and signing Stephon Gilmore. They were the most active team of the spring, despite being defending Super Bowl champs. Upon losing Julian Edelman to a season-ending injury, they traded for Phillip Dorsett.
The Pats enter 2017 as the consensus Super Bowl favorite. Boasting Brady and a healthy Rob Gronkowski, along with the offseason additions, it's not hard to see why.
It may be the most loaded roster they've had since the 2007 season when Brady and Randy Moss were rewriting the record books.
The Patriots have gone back-to-back before; winning consecutive championships isn't new to them. But what Belichick and director of player personnel Nick Caserio have done is put the coach in position to right a wrong.
The AFC East remains weak. The Bills are starting anew under coach Sean McDermott and the Jets have the worst collection of talent in the league. The Dolphins always provide a stiff challenge, but they won't meet until the last week of November in what, at that point, might already be a special season.
The rest of their schedule is a minefield, with contests against the Chiefs, Saints, Texans, Panthers, Falcons, Broncos, Raiders, and Steelers.
Still, the opportunity is there. Though you'll never hear it from either man, after completing their drive for five, their next goal is perfection.
Of course, despite an incredible roster and an unintimidating division, an undefeated season is far from a guarantee. But that's how Brady and Belichick would prefer it.
"This team will be able to write our own chapter, and hopefully it's a good one. But it's going to be determined by the work ethic that we do and the trust that we have in one another," Brady said in August.
The gold jackets await. The busts have been commissioned. All that stands between Brady, Belichick, and the five-year countdown to Canton is one final box to check off: an undefeated season.
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