Dynasty: Die Insidergeschichte der New England Patriots

I'll give them credit because they do have some never before seen footage of my beloved New England Patriots which was cool to see. Also they get some tid bits of players prospective that nobody's heard but is this a hit piece to try and make certain players/coaches look bad? They focus way more on the negative and drama than they do on the actual teambuilding, tough front office decisions, game strategy, and player relationships. Seriously they skip right over Super Bowls seasons to focus on scandals and murderer stories. It does sometimes catch lightning in a bottle, but could be been better.

There are episodes (like the Jordan doc) that make watching this series captivating. Whether you're a fan of the patriots or not this documentary is totally worth watching.

Know going in that the Kraft family essentially manipulated this, specifically with all their access, which is understandable because they produced it. Yes, the Kraft's had final control of the finished product. So above everyone else, billionaire Robert Kraft gets his say, and the last word.

But the curtain being pulled back on the Patriots' dynastic run is fascinating. Bellicheck's relentless drive to win at all costs. The punishing years long pursuit of championships. Brady's maniacal will to win, also at all costs. The question everyone debates: was it Bellicheck or Brady? Answer: neither one. Actually both PLUS Kraft who managed to keep them together.

The Aaron Hernandez murder scandal, the deflate-gate scandal, the spy-gate scandal, the ego and prideful infighting between Brady and Bellicheck.

It's all there. It's obvious how the documentary wants to steer your thinking: Bellicheck's ego blew it up. And it did. But it was also Brady. AND Kraft. Bellicheck benched Malcom Butler in the Super Bowl. Ego? Maybe. Questionable? Absolutely. Was it him demonstrating that Brady couldn't win it all by himself? Possibly, even though Brady threw for over 500 yards in that game. Brady had his own office (not revealed in the documentary) and snuck his personal trainer into the Patriot camp. Subverted the strength and conditioning training of the organization because he was convinced that his way was better. He engineered (through Kraft) getting rid of Garropolo because he didn't went the competition. So there's some ego at play there too.

Kraft is the mastermind that created an invigorated organization that hadn't existed before. He assembled a lot of the pieces. He was also the Great Enabler. He coddled Hernandez. He created a separate safe haven for Brady and his wife, to complain about Bellicheck. He allowed Bellicheck to coach (govern?) without any checks or balances. It seems like Kraft wants it both ways: he's the genius, benevolent benefactor, but didn't know anything about any of the bad or questionable things that took place. There has to be some acceptance of accountability in there somewhere.

So Kraft gets a lot of credit, he also deserves a lot of the blame.

Bellicheck? He cheated, got fined, and never apologized. Brady? He cheated too. Suspended, never owned up. Bellicheck was a dictator. Brady was a sensitive diva who wanted complete protection.

You can argue that Brady left the organization and won a Super Bowl with the buccaneers, so it was all him. No. The Tuck Rule mismanaged call won him his first championship. Adam Viniteri won three in the last, or near last plays of the respective games. Pete Carroll gift wrapped one win by making the worst playcall in Super Bowl history. Bellicheck won championship number 6 on his outrageous decision to completely change the defense to thwart McVay's Rams.

A year after the Bucs won it all, it all fell apart. They won the division with a losing record and got blown out in wild card weekend. Brady was their QB.

Bellicheck got the Pats to the playoffs in his first year without Brady. Then the wheels came off.

What the documentary misses, and Kraft ignores, is what Bellicheck said at the beginning (and then forgot)...it's all about the team, and no one person is more important than the team.

Too bad that all three men, who achieved something amazing together, didn't understand that until it was over. And it seems as though they may never truly see their own roles in the deterioration of a uniquely special time.

I'm through 6 episodes this far, and I have two issues.

First, I can't tell who the audience is intended to be. There's almost no context to allow someone unfamiliar with this team over the last 25 years to get a good picture of who the Patriots were during this stretch. They basically only introduce two players: Brady and the QB he replaced (Bledsoe). They don't even bother telling us about how awesome the defense was in those early years. They interview a couple defenders, but don't show their abilities; they're only there to tell the story of Brady, Belichick, and Kraft. There's no details during games like score, stakes, down, nothing. There's no sense of the importance of any game whatsoever. Even the undefeated regular season in '07. Wouldn't it make sense to mention that only one team in the NFL's history ever went undefeated and won the Super Bowl? And it's not like they ran out of time - episodes 5 and 6 are 30 minutes each.

Second, it feels like it's very biased towards owner Robert Kraft. In episode 6 (focusing on Aaron Hernandez and being charged with murder), at one point they basically insinuate that if Belichick had traded Hernandez to the west coast (as he requested), that the whole situation could've been avoided. If anyone's unfamiliar, there's been quite the rift between Kraft and Belichick the last few years.

So the tl;dr is that this feels rushed to get it out right after Kraft fired Belichick, and as a result of rushing, lacks a ton of fundamental production/editing qualities to make this hold up to any of the recent docuseries. Maybe it needed 10 years to have a better perspective on the whole thing. Too bad.

A few reviewers wondered who this documentary is actually for. Obviously all the New Englanders and any Bill and Tom fans. Also, all New England and Brady haters, who are just waiting for the final episode to see the demise of the franchise without him and Bill (evidenced by their dismal record since he has left). And really, just anyone who cannot get enough of any football since the season is now over until August. Thus, it resonates with a lot of football fans.

I watched it just because I hated Brady, until he came to Tampa, and then I became an instant fan (I know, what a hypocrite). Thus, I wanted to see his emergence into becoming the GOAT that he is. Especially was it exciting reliving SB51--with that spectacular come-from-behind win against the Falcons (my team at the time--till I moved to Tampa) in overtime.

Yeah, they might be "cheaters," but you cannot win like they have by cheating the entire way. They just got caught is all (meaning most if not all teams cheat--they just have not gotten caught yet). In addition, it would not have been as big a deal had it been the Panthers (who actually need to cheat) or the Commanders.

All in all, I have enjoyed binge-watching the first eight episodes.

This was a very fascinating, informative documentary that allowed life-long fans to relive amazing moments while at the same time educate those unfamiliar with the greatest sports dynasty of all time. From humble beginnings, through controversies both real and imagined all the way until the bitter, inevitable end this series provides the viewer with a front row seat to all the ups and downs. My only disappointment is with many of the reviews disparaging this phenomenal documentary. To be a fan is natural and to "hate" a team that displayed consistent success at the expense of ones own team is understandable but, being unable to see past your own fandom to appreciate true greatness is unforgivable. True football fans will see the documentary for what it is: a recording of greatness as it rose and fell. Ignore the negatively of some of these reviews. They were written by fake football fans and bandwagoners who have allowed their bitterness to cloud their judgement.