1. Tom Brady: Girls want him, and guys want to be him. Brady became a New England legend during the 2001 postseason, and he used that as a springboard for a Hall of Fame career. Brady is cool on the field and professional on the sideline. The Patriots' all-time leading passer is the model face of a franchise.
2. Bill Belichick: The man in charge of a dynastic run, Belichick has the highest winning percentage of all head coaches who have coached at least 40 games since 2001. He is 121-41 (.747) in that span, and he's been so successful, people have said he deserves to have his name on the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
3. Steve Grogan: The toughest Patriot to ever wear the uniform, Grogan was a rock star in his generation. He played quarterback for 16 seasons, and he showed so much promise as a rookie in 1975 that the Patriots were able to trade Jim Plunkett in 1976. It was arguably the best trade in team history, and it helped turn the Pats into an NFL power in the late 1970s.
4. Gino Cappelletti: He was a kicker and a wide receiver, and Cappelletti is the AFL's all-time leading scorer. He has been affiliated with the Patriots for 43 of their 50 seasons as a player, broadcaster and coach. The team's media guide refers to him as "the most recognized Patriot in franchise history."
5. Super Bowls: Well, who doesn't love the Super Bowl? But Patriots fans have been treated to a few of the greatest Super Bowls in the game's history. The Pats are 3-3 in the big game and 3-1 in the Super Bowl in the last nine years. Two of their victories — Super Bowl XXXVI against the Rams and Super Bowl XXXVIII against the Panthers — can both make strong cases as the greatest games of all time.
6. Watching bad things happen to the Jets, Colts and Dolphins (and maybe the Raiders, Steelers, Chargers and Giants, too): Since it's almost as fun to root against teams as it is to root for your own squad, Patriots fans can be happy they've got a handful of rivalries. They've got a more historical rivalry with the Jets and Dolphins, but there's no doubt the Patriots and Colts had the NFL's best rivalry of the last decade.
7. Troy Brown: He might epitomize the selfless attitude of the Patriots' rise under Belichick. Brown is the franchise's all-time receptions leader, but he famously excelled in other roles as well. The 1993 eighth-round draft pick was a special-teams superstar through much of his career, particularly during the Pats' 2001 Super Bowl run, and he also played cornerback on an emergency basis in 2004.
8. Tedy Bruschi: The vertically challenged linebacker played as passionately as anyone, and his retirement announcement caused Belichick to cry in the Gillette Stadium media workroom. Bruschi returned an interception for a touchdown against the Dolphins in December 2003, causing the Gillette fans to heave tons of snow into the air in celebration. There's no doubt that Bruschi could spark the most unique emotions from the Patriots' fan base.
9. Adam Vinatieri: He changed his teammates' perception of the kicking position. Vinatieri was a true football player in their minds, and it didn't hurt his case that he kicked three game-winning field goals in the Super Bowl, including two in the final seconds.
10. The seats at Gillette Stadium: Let's face it. Anyone who attended a game at Foxboro Stadium still has nightmares of metal benches. They were extremely uncomfortable and, obviously, very cold during the winter months. When the team wasn't winning and there was little to cheer about, being forced to sit down on those benches for three hours was an added torture.
11. Snow: New England has a natural home-field advantage and is 11-0 in home games when it snows. One of the Patriots' most memorable victories in 2009 came in a driving snowstorm in October, when they drubbed the Titans 59-0.
12. Drew Bledsoe: He wasn't universally loved by the Patriots' fan base, but the No. 1 draft pick in 1993 helped turn the franchise around. Bledsoe was 63-60 as the Pats' starting quarterback, and he was the organization's all-time passing leader until Brady broke the mark last season. Bledsoe had a rocket arm, and he threw 166 touchdowns and 138 interceptions during his nine seasons in New England.
13. Wes Welker: The mighty little receiver is a throwback. He goes a million miles an hour on every play, and he's got a league-high 346 catches in the last three seasons. It was tough to appreciate Welker's worth from a distance, but he really turned heads in the Patriots' 2007 training camp when he ran every play at playoff speed. Right away, it was clear how valuable Welker would be for this team.
14. Robert Kraft: Since buying the Patriots on Jan. 21, 1994, Kraft has built one of the model organizations in all of sports. In that span, the Patriots lead the NFL in Super Bowl wins (three), Super Bowl appearances (five), total victories, including the postseason (183), playoff victories (17) and playoff games (24). The Pats have also sold out every single home game since Kraft bought the team. In the five years prior to 1994, the Patriots were an NFL-worst 19-61 (.311 winning percentage). And in 1991, the Patriots only sold 17,635 season tickets. Now, they've maxed out at 61,759 season tickets and also have more than 50,000 fans on the waiting list.
