New England Patriots - NESN.com
Since 2000, there is no denying the New England Patriots’ dominance across the NFL, having won six Super Bowls in that span. And because of that, a few of the most important players from the Patriots dynasty were recognized by ESPN on their “NFL All Quarter Century team.”
Aaron Schatz and Seth Walder compiled the best 53-man roster and coaching staff across over the past 25 years.
As expected, Tom Brady was one of the three quarterbacks selected, alongside Peyton Manning and Patrick Mahomes.
“For a long time, there was a great debate about who was better: Brady or Peyton Manning,” Schatz wrote. “But while Manning called it a career after his age-39 season, Brady won two Super Bowls in his 40s. Nobody has ever played so well for so long.”
Randy Moss, who also played with the Vikings, Raiders, Titans, and 49ers, earned recognition as one of six receivers on the list, being called “the greatest receiver of the 21st century based on the eye test.”.
Rob Gronkowski was one of three tight ends named, along with Travis Kelce and Tony Gonzalez.
Vince Wilfork earned the honor as the only nose tackle to make the roster, having finished his career with 16 sacks and 5 forced fumbles, along with being a two-time Super Bowl champion and five-time All-Pro.
Darrelle Revis, who spent the 2014 season with the Patriots and had a memorable career with the Jets, was one of five cornerbacks named.
And lastly, Matthew Slater was the one special-teams player who made the list due to his immense contributions. As Schatz said, “There’s no way we were leaving him off this team.”
But wait! There’s one more.
Moving on to the coaching staff, Bill Belichick was named the best head coach in the last 25 years, although they admitted that it was a tough decision between him and Andy Reid. But in the end, they couldn’t deny Belichick’s resume, along with what he was able to do across so many years.
