Patriot Games

Jack Ryan: Where are you taking me, Marty?
Marty Cantor: It's you who have taken us, Jack.
--Patriot Games

Have never been a huge New England Patriots fan but it is difficult not to respect the game that this team has played for more than a decade and a half. Yes, they employ perhaps the best quarterback of all-time, Tom Brady. However, Brady's supporting cast over the course of his 17 year career has varied from year-to-year. It has included mercenary stars for hire like Randy Moss as well as no-names-turned-temporary-star like Julian Edelman.

Given their nomadic roster, the team's superior results over such a long period of time suggest that it's not merely the result of the superior talent of Tom Brady on the field. It is about Tom Brady and his supporting cast plugging into the Patriots' operating system. Head coach Bill Belichik is the chief software engineer, and he has mastered the ability to rapidly reprogram the system for a given situation.

The Patriots' spectacular comeback overtime victory over the Atlanta Falcons in last night's Super Bowl was a sight to behold, and marked perhaps the pinnacle of the cooperative. By themselves, both Brady and Belichik are headed to the Hall of Fame. However, it would be nice if there was a way to capture the synergy of the Patriot system for display in Canton as well.