Brady, Belichick and a Game of Thrones

By Mark Paulette,

The conclusion of TV’s biggest show of the last decade coincides with the NFL’s defending champs, and most dominating team of the last two decades, laying the groundwork for the 2019 season.

The collective success of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick is about as believable as dragons and the walking dead when you consider the NFL is a system designed to tear down its contenders. One of the lasting quotes out from A Song of Ice and Fire is “chaos is a ladder,” and that is certainly what The Shield has tried to insure. Year after year, teams rise and fade as challengers to the league’s ‘throne,’ yet as has been the case for nearly my entire lifetime, only one team remains constant.

The Patriots have the two greatest ‘Protectors of the Realm’ the game has ever seen, ruling peacefully side by side (no matter what Seth Wickersham tried to tell us).

Bill Belichick, first of his name, master of schemes, keeper of secrets, bringer of trophies and collector of rings.

Tom Brady, second of his name, the father of time, leader of men, defier of odds, and G.O.A.T. of QB’s.

The pair have not only broken the wheel, but any record that dare stand in their path.

A few shiny assets do not make a great house, nor does a superstar player make a great team. Aaron Rodgers, who actually made a cameo appearance in GoT S7E5, is the best talent to ever play the quarterback position. But what else does Green Bay have? Not much, thanks to Rodgers’ hefty deal which holds the rest of the roster for ransom.

Belichick and the Patriots maximize resources unlike any other team in the league. The Patriots make moves for the good of the whole, rather than deepening the pockets of the wealthy. It’s a process that seems so simple, yet for 19 years the league has been scratching their collective heads, unable to match the moves made by the Patriots.

It shouldn’t be something as complicated as trying to claim the Iron Throne, yet on a yearly basis 31 other teams fall victim to the NFL’s Game of Thrones, while a pair of kings in the north prevail.

Mark Paulette is the executive producer of The Drive, weekdays 4pm to 6pm on 92.9fm The Ticket and streaming live at DriveShowMaine.com. Follow us on Twitter, @DriveShowMaine and “Like Us” on Facebook, Drive Show Maine

The Drive

About The Drive

The Drive is a sports talk show focused on the New England favorites including the Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics, along with University of Maine, Husson University and high school sports. The Drive is hosted by Jim Churchill, Mark Paulette, Aaron Jackson and Ernie Clark. The Drive is listener-focused, interactive, informative and opinionated. The slogan says it all to Maine sports fans – “Your sports. Your teams. Your show!”