Former Indianapolis Colts head coach and current NBC analyst Tony Dungy gave credit where it’s due to the New England Patriots on Wednesday. But he stopped short of saying they own the best dynasty in NFL history.
So, wait. Who does?
“Well, you’d have to look at the longevity,” Dungy told reporters Tuesday, via MassLive.com.
“In the 50s it was Otto Graham and the Browns and they did it for a decade, and then Packers did it for a decade, and then Dallas, and the 49ers were close in terms of doing it with two different groups — coach (Bill) Walsh passed it along to George Seifert. But to stay from 2001 to 2017, to maintain the excellence for 17 years, it’s pretty amazing. Would you say it’s better than the Browns in the 50s? Probably not, but to do it for that long period of time, it’s pretty incredible.”
The Patriots have won five Super Bowls and eight AFC Championships since Bill Belichick was hired as head coach in 2000. They could add a sixth Lombardi Trophy on Sunday in Super Bowl LII against the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Patriots have a .743 regular-season and .750 postseason winning percentage under Belichick.
MassLive.com’s Kevin Duffy notes the Browns went 105-17-4 (.833) from 1946 to 1955 under Paul Brown, in which time they won seven championships. Duffy also notes the Browns spent four years in the All-American Football Conference and six in a 13-team NFL. So, their success clearly came under different circumstances in another era.
Dungy had a .500 coaching record against the Belichick-era Patriots. It’s worth noting the Patriots and Dungy’s Colts had a fierce rivalry. The Patriots won three Super Bowls and four AFC Championships during Dungy’s coaching career. Dungy won one Super Bowl.
