Parity.
There's that word again. It's the same word that keeps us guessing who will win the title every season. In fact, the rosters in the National Football League are on such an even playing field, that it's hard to predict who will win any game, much less a Super Bowl. In week 10 of last season, few expected the Cincinnati Bengals to snap the then 9-0 Kansas City Chiefs' bid for an undefeated season. You didn't really think the Chiefs would go 16-0, did you?
Parity.
The salary cap and free agency make it difficult to maintain a powerful team for any extended amount of time. The Super Bowl winners since 2000 are the greatest examples of how not to become a dynasty. Parity is not a bad thing, however. It keeps bad teams from remaining bad. The Arizona Cardinals could be Super Bowl champions this year, all because another team couldn't hold on to it's star players.
"According to the parameters of the game, the nature of the game as it's played today, you can't keep a team together," said Bill Walsh, former coach, general manager and now a consultant for the San Francisco 49ers. "The Yankees can do it with money and tradition, but it's truly tough in football because of the numbers you need."
The latest potential dynasty candidates have been the St. Louis Rams, Baltimore Ravens, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. What happened to these teams? They all won the Big Dance and none were able to come back and defend their titles. Why?
Parity.
When a team begins to excel, other teams stand up and take notice. Once that season comes to an end, the stars of the winning team are bombarded with lucrative offers. Often, it is more money than the player's current team is willing to pay or is unable to pay because of salary cap restrictions. Because of this, no one team can stay dominant.
But, even with the positive effect parity has had on the NFL, a little part of me missed the teams of the '70s like the Pittsburgh Steelers, or how the San Francisco 49ers dominated the '80s and even more recently the Dallas Cowboys of the '90s.
The jury is still out on the Buffalo Bills, who amassed four-straight Super Bowl appearances, but winner of none. ESPN included the Bills in their top-25 series, with the "Biggest Sports Flops" installment. Whether you consider the Bills a flop or a dynasty, all of these teams kept returning for more championships and did what teams simply cannot do today.
Stay together.
I fell victim to believing that we were on the verge of witnessing a dynasty for the 2000s. The Ravens and Buccaneers were two of the most suffocating defenses the NFL has ever seen. The Rams had an offense that could score, almost, at will. Now, most of the players who were a part of those dynasty-in-the-making teams all play elsewhere.
It's a shame, to a certain extent.
Fortunately, there is hope. Yes, let us bow our heads and give thanks to the New England Patriots. One does not have to be a fan of the Patriots to appreciate the determination and willpower to keep a championship NFL team together these days. Somehow, the Patriots managed it. They lost no key members from the Super Bowl team of last season.
In fact, they may have gotten better.
Running back Corey Dillon, acquired via trade, for a second-round draft pick, was riddled with a groin injury last year, as a member of the Cincinnati Bengals. Now, back at full strength, Dillon has the ability to rush for more yards on his own than Kevin Faulk and former Patriot Antowain Smith combined for last season. Faulk and Smith rushed for 1,280 yards, while as recently as 2002, Dillon rushed for 1,311 yards.
The Patriots have made four Super Bowl appearances in the last 20 years. Most recently, they did away with the Carolina Panthers and the highly-favored St. Louis Rams. In turn, they suffered defeat from the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears. The Patriots, who beat the Carolina Panthers last year, are only one year removed from their first-ever Super Bowl championship.
Can the Patriots win a third Super Bowl within one decade?
Can they finally become an actual NFL dynasty?
Carpe diem, New England.
The laws of parity won't allow you to keep it together much longer.
As for this year, in sizing up the rest of the competition around the league, it appears that the only team that could beat the New England Patriots is the New England Patriots.
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