NE culture/"The Patriot Way" (from DVP trade thread)

[ArtieChokePhin]

What culture?  The culture of making your opponents turn the ball over and do stupid things?

In those nineteen years, they had seventeen divisional titles, thirteen AFC title game appearances, nine Super Bowl appearances, six Super Bowl trophies, and only missed the playoffs twice.   That is a winning culture, not to mention a dynasty.

[Dolfanalyst]

In those nineteen years, they had seventeen divisional titles, thirteen AFC title game appearances, nine Super Bowl appearances, six Super Bowl trophies, and only missed the playoffs twice.   That is a winning culture, not to mention a dynasty.

And that has tremendous power in shaping the attitudes and behavior of any players acquired.  You're not going to walk into that locker room during that period and have your own agenda that runs counter to that culture.  If so you'll stand out like a sore thumb and be jettisoned quickly.  That's the power of a winning culture -- it sustains itself.

And that's why I have no qualms trading DeVante Parker -- he's inconsistent with the establishment of that kind of culture in Miami.  To the degree you have players like him -- and especially to the degree that you make them higher-paid players on your roster and thereby tell the locker room "this is what we value" -- you go the wrong direction with regard to the establishment of that culture.

[Dolfanalyst]

In those nineteen years, they had seventeen divisional titles, thirteen AFC title game appearances, nine Super Bowl appearances, six Super Bowl trophies, and only missed the playoffs twice.   That is a winning culture, not to mention a dynasty.

The other important element of that culture were Brady's regular pay cuts.  Nobody is deluding themselves into believing he was living like a pauper because of them, but when a shoo-in first-ballot Hall of Famer voluntarily takes less money than he can rightfully make as a function of his performance, it sends a powerful message through the locker room that this is a selfless team whose number-one priority is winning, not individual earnings or accomplishments.  The very best player on the team -- if not the entire league -- is taking less money from the team on purpose so that you (insert player) can be a part of this team and make it more likely to win.  All for one and one for all.  The very essence of team functioning.  There is no player on that team that will possibly take the field and give anything less than 110% under those conditions.  That's what the culture dictates to him.  It's an unspoken condition of employment -- it's "who we are" here.

That's profound and extremely powerful, and it may have never been replicated elsewhere in all of sports.  When you lose that player you lose the lynchpin of that selfless team environment -- the culture.  This is why Brady can go elsewhere and immediately create that same environment.  It's who he is, and everybody knows it.

[Spider-Dan]

It's been replicated multiple times in the NBA.  Top players frequently take less than the maximum pay to facilitate contracts.

[fyo]

The other important element of that culture were Brady's regular pay cuts.  Nobody is deluding themselves into believing he was living like a pauper because of them, but when a shoo-in first-ballot Hall of Famer voluntarily takes less money than he can rightfully make as a function of his performance, it sends a powerful message through the locker room that this is a selfless team whose number-one priority is winning, not individual earnings or accomplishments.  The very best player on the team -- if not the entire league -- is taking less money from the team on purpose so that you (insert player) can be a part of this team and make it more likely to win.  All for one and one for all.  The very essence of team functioning.  There is no player on that team that will possibly take the field and give anything less than 110% under those conditions.  That's what the culture dictates to him.  It's an unspoken condition of employment -- it's "who we are" here.

That's profound and extremely powerful, and it may have never been replicated elsewhere in all of sports.  When you lose that player you lose the lynchpin of that selfless team environment -- the culture.  This is why Brady can go elsewhere and immediately create that same environment.  It's who he is, and everybody knows it.

We'll just ignore the whole "TB12 LLC" thing when looking at how much Brady was paid, right?

[Dolfanalyst]

We'll just ignore the whole "TB12 LLC" thing when looking at how much Brady was paid, right?

In the end the matter is going to hinge on the perception the Patriots' players had of Brady's selflessness toward the goal of winning as opposed to individual earnings or accomplishments.  I think it's safe to say it would've been relatively easy for the Patriots' players to perceive that Brady was all about winning as a team as opposed to his own earnings or accomplishments.  And if that's the case, the kind of team culture I'm talking about here flows relatively easily from there.  He doesn't have to live like a pauper or have no additional sources of income for his teammates to perceive that he's all about winning in a selfless manner.

The best player on the team, if not the whole league, and the one who has the most power in pulling organizational strings from the player level, is all about winning as a team.  That creates the direction of the "grain" within the organization, and any player who then goes "against the grain" stands out like a sore thumb.  The influence that has on the locker room then essentially is the culture.  It's "who we are."

That's the switch the Patriots flipped innumerable times when 1) down late in games, 2) having lost the week previously, or 3) having started a season poorly.  What they did against the Falcons in the fourth quarter of the 2017 Super Bowl for example reflects this team culture -- it allowed them to flip a switch and be "who we are" at times like that.  When an entire team is on that boat and rowing that same direction, it's tremendously powerful.

I just watched a special on ESPN about the Houston-Buffalo playoff game in the early 1990s in which Frank Reich led the biggest comeback in playoff history.  The Bills' players talked about how it took every player on the field working together to mount that improbable comeback.  That was but a single game, however -- the Patriots simply did that for 20 years as a function of their organizational culture.

[Spider-Dan]

While I'm sure that owners everywhere would love to spread the idea that players taking less money leads to late game comeback wins, I think perhaps you're reading something that isn't there.

Brady and the Patriots have won quite a few titles over the last 20 years.
But the vast majority of Super Bowl champions over that time have NOT had their top player take a voluntary pay cut in the manner you suggest.

[Dave Gray]

But the vast majority of Super Bowl champions over that time have NOT had their top player take a voluntary pay cut in the manner you suggest.

Not for one year.  You can totally make your play by having a rookie contract, a few guys who you are getting value from before they re-sign for big money, etc.
But the longevity of the Pats reign comes from start contract work.  ...not only in keeping Brady for value, but for getting rid of a bunch of guys at their prime payday...Vinatieri et al.

[Dolfanalyst]

While I'm sure that owners everywhere would love to spread the idea that players taking less money leads to late game comeback wins, I think perhaps you're reading something that isn't there.

Brady and the Patriots have won quite a few titles over the last 20 years.
But the vast majority of Super Bowl champions over that time have NOT had their top player take a voluntary pay cut in the manner you suggest.

That supports the point entirely, as we're talking here about the ingredients necessary for a dynasty, not just a championship.

[Spider-Dan]

I don't remember Troy Aikman taking less money to sign free agents, either.
If we have to define the Patriots as the only dynasty to make this claim, we could point at literally any aspect and say this one thing was the key to their victory.

[Dolfanalyst]

I don't remember Troy Aikman taking less money to sign free agents, either.
If we have to define the Patriots as the only dynasty to make this claim, we could point at literally any aspect and say this one thing was the key to their victory.

What other dynasty has there been in the NFL that's lasted 20 years?  Something accounts for that longevity.  An organizational culture that sustained itself and distinguished itself from that of organizations that merely won championships -- or experienced dynasties of far shorter durations -- is the most likely candidate.  It's endemic to the organization and withstands variation in almost every other variable associated with winning.

[Spider-Dan]

Maybe it's just that Tom Brady is really good at throwing a football, and Bill Belichick is good at coaching football?
Sometimes the simple explanation is the right one.

I would also suggest that the fact that Brady led the league in passing at age 44 reinforces the idea that his success has less to do with his willingness to take less money and more to do with being extraordinarily good at throwing a football.

[Dolfanalyst]

Maybe it's just that Tom Brady is really good at throwing a football, and Bill Belichick is good at coaching football?
Sometimes the simple explanation is the right one.

Those variables are present on lots of teams that don’t sustain Super Bowl-level success for 20 years.

[Spider-Dan]

Those variables are present on lots of teams that don’t sustain Super Bowl-level success for 20 years.

None of those teams had QBs that could lead the league in passing at age 44, regardless of their salary.

[Dolfanalyst]

None of those teams had QBs that could lead the league in passing at age 44, regardless of their salary.

Comb through all the quarterbacks in history who had that ability for a sustained period in the NFL and you’ll find that almost none of them experienced a dynasty.