The word greatness is often used callously in the world of sports. To me, individual greatness means Ali, Robinson, Ruth, King, Owens, and a few others. The top 10 most influential people in sports history are analyzed in an excellent piece published in HOFmagazine.com. http://www.hofmag.com/content/view/642/60/1/0/
Regarding great team dynasties, the consensus top three are the 1957-1969 Celtics, 1964-1975 UCLA Bruins, and the 1947-1962 Yankees. The order is debatable.
The Boston Celtics won 11 championships and were in 12 NBA finals in 13-years. The UCLA Bruins won 10 NCAA championships and were in 11 finals in 12-years. The New York Yankees won 10 championships and were in 13 World Series in 16-years.
After those top three, a plethora of teams are considered dynasties, including other Yankee and Celtic teams, plus the Steelers, Canadians, Edmonton Oilers, Packers, Lakers, Bulls, et al.
As the NFL moves into week 15, the 13-0 Patriots already fit into that second-tier of dynasty teams with 3 Championships – and with 30-year-old Tom Brady leading the way, who knows how long this run will last. A perfect 19-0 season this year would mean championship number four and would put them atop of the NFL greatness list.
Love them or hate them, this Patriots team appears unbeatable. From this seat, only the Colts might be able to derail them and enable the Dolphins old-guard to drink from their crusty cups. To the Patriots and the football world, a 16-0 regular season followed by a loss in the playoffs would mean failure. Like the Yankees and Celtics before them, only championships are acceptable.
If the Pats do run the table, then re-sign Moss, their road to greatness will continue. And don’t forget, even though they lost their number one draft pick to Spygate, they do have the 49ers number one pick which, at the time of this writing, is the number two overall pick in the draft. The rich get richer.
Naysayers beware…with a healthy Brady at the helm another decade, the Patriots could join the elite list of Celtics, UCLA Bruins, and Yankees by the time he hangs up his cleats.
