The New England Patriots, a modern NFL powerhouse with six Super Bowl championships and two cheating scandals, are the perfect subject for a docuseries. They are also one of the most secretive franchises in professional sports.
But the creators of the Apple TV+ documentary series “The Dynasty: New England Patriots,” which premieres Friday, persuaded more than 25 players, coaches and executives to open up in front of the cameras. . Among those interviewed was the team's longtime owner, Robert Kraft. Bill Belichick has the most playoff wins of any NFL coach. and Tom Brady, a three-time league MVP and widely considered the greatest quarterback of all time.
In the opening montage, a behind-the-scenes look at the rise and fall of the Patriots, Brady's voice cracks and he appears to be holding back tears as he reflects on the tense ending to his career in New England.
“The Dynasty” primarily focuses on the Patriots' internal dynamics and the mystique of the team's football — in 2002, Brady responded to a well-liked but controversial play with comical profanity. However, 3 of the 10 episodes in this series are devoted to dark moments. That includes Aaron Hernandez's murder conviction and penalties from the league for spying on opponents and playing with deflated soccer balls. (Hernandez committed suicide in prison in 2017.)
“I can't stress enough how impressed I am with the honesty that people have shown in the face of very difficult material,” said Jeff Benedict, who wrote a book about the Patriots before pitching the documentary series. he said. “Some of the things we were asking people to talk about were offensive.”
The Patriots were one of the league's most tight-lipped teams under Belichick, who left last month after a 4-13 season. His weekly press conferences often consisted of short, non-obvious answers. The team's “Do Your Job” slogan referred to both on-field duties and limiting distractions.
Former Patriots defensive back and three-time Super Bowl champion Devin McCourty said Belichick's intention was to focus on football. “If you said the wrong thing, you never knew how Bill would crush you in a meeting the next day,” he said in an interview.
After selecting Brady in the sixth round of the 2000 draft, the Patriots appeared in 13 conference championship games and nine Super Bowls. But as Brady's stardom rose, he clashed with Belichick's strict coaching style, forcing Kraft to act as a mediator. In the documentary, Kraft describes a 2018 meeting between Brady and supermodel Gisele Bundchen, Brady's wife at the time, in which she complained about Belichick's treatment of her husband. Ta.
Brady ultimately left the team in free agency in 2020. He won a record seventh Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Since his departure, the Patriots have posted a one-win season.
“People always ask, 'Why did it end?'” Benedict said. “What I'm asking is, 'How did it last so long?'
Other Patriots-related projects are coming from NFL Films, the league's entertainment arm, and Brady's production company, Religion of Sports. But Apple sought to differentiate “The Dynasty” by level of access, leveraging his more than 40,000 hours of archival footage.
In addition to interviews with players such as Rob Gronkowski, Randy Moss, and Tedy Bruschi, the filmmakers interviewed members of Brady's family (but not Bündchen), law enforcement, celebrities, journalists, and the NFL commissioner. I talked to Roger Goodell and others.
NFL Films was affiliated with the documentary series but had no editorial control. It is noteworthy that the league is actively working on content production for streaming platforms. In many ways, “The Dynasty” is the football version of Michael's documentary series about Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, “The Last Dance,” which garnered millions of viewers on ESPN and Netflix in 2020.
NFL Films declined to comment.
“I think everyone wanted to speak up, let's just say that,” said Brian Grazer, executive producer of the series and founder of Imagine Entertainment. He added: “We had to work with and balance a lot of personalities.”
Mr. Benedict, who has written books about violence by college and professional athletes, began his project on the Patriots in 2018 by writing a letter to Mr. Kraft. The owner responded six months later and finally granted Mr. Benedict access to the organization. The relationships he developed with Kraft and other team officials while writing his book about the Patriots helped push for the on-camera interviews.
When a Dynasty cameraman was filming a barbecue at Kraft's house, Kraft said he thought McCourty would make a good interview. McCourty said the conversation lasted about six hours over two sessions.
The public comments of Kraft, Brady and Belichick have always been measured, and McCourty said he understands why they took part in the project.
“I think anyone who is involved in something like this realizes that the way to make it last forever is to do things like this and talk about it,” McCourty said.
In true Patriots fashion, Kraft and Brady declined to comment. Belichick's representatives did not respond to requests for comment.
