The Dynasty
- Downloads：4013
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-09-08 06:19:21
- Update Date：2025-09-09
- Status：finish
- Author：Jeff Benedict
- ISBN：1982134119
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Ricky
，
From the perspective of taking a trip down Memory Lane， this was a fun book to read， so I gave it there 4 stars。 It also reads a lot like a PR piece about Kraft。 Repeated throughout are statements he made about actions by players and coaches "reflecting poorly on his family。" Could have spent some time on Kraft's working with Steve Wynn to bring a casino into Foxborough - "What Would Myra Do"？ lawn signs were up throughout the town。 Could have spent more time discussing his famous visit to the F From the perspective of taking a trip down Memory Lane， this was a fun book to read， so I gave it there 4 stars。 It also reads a lot like a PR piece about Kraft。 Repeated throughout are statements he made about actions by players and coaches "reflecting poorly on his family。" Could have spent some time on Kraft's working with Steve Wynn to bring a casino into Foxborough - "What Would Myra Do"？ lawn signs were up throughout the town。 Could have spent more time discussing his famous visit to the Florida "massage parlor" and how those two things reflected on his family's name。 All in all， though， it was an enjoyable read。 。。。more
Andrew Carr
，
An enjoyable account of the long term success of the New England Patriots。 Serves as a dual biography of Owner Robert Kraft and QB Tom Brady。 Well written and based on extensive interviews， coming out in a clear and compelling narrative。The only downside is that the book becomes increasingly hagiographic as the book goes on。 Problems and scandals are mentioned， but where excuses exist they are endlessly highlighted， while actual scandals are simply noted as accusations， and then the story moves An enjoyable account of the long term success of the New England Patriots。 Serves as a dual biography of Owner Robert Kraft and QB Tom Brady。 Well written and based on extensive interviews， coming out in a clear and compelling narrative。The only downside is that the book becomes increasingly hagiographic as the book goes on。 Problems and scandals are mentioned， but where excuses exist they are endlessly highlighted， while actual scandals are simply noted as accusations， and then the story moves on。Even as a Colt's fan， this is still a fascinating and engaging account of how one man of modest means came to own a NFL team， how he managed it， and how the team was set up and run over an extended period。 Still， FTP。 。。。more
Rev Gary
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Great book describing the relationship between Tom Brady and Bill Belichick and how they created a dynasty。 Tom is the real GOAT。
Erik
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Amazing， in-depth insights into how the New England Patriots dynasty was created and sustained for nearly two decades。 Based on hundreds of interviews and reviewing archived game footage， it's told from the points of view of Robert Kraft， Bill Belichick and Tom Brady。 Amazing， in-depth insights into how the New England Patriots dynasty was created and sustained for nearly two decades。 Based on hundreds of interviews and reviewing archived game footage， it's told from the points of view of Robert Kraft， Bill Belichick and Tom Brady。 。。。more
Gavin Ernst
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As a Pats fan， very pedestrian recount of the dynasty。 Benedict barely goes into detail in many of the biggest games。 Most of them read like a scoring summary you’d see next to a box score: minimal effort to paint any picture of gameplay for the reader。 One example is the 2006 AFCCG， where big game moments omitted from the book include Reche Caldwell dropping game clinching TDs （and the effect it had prompting Belichick to revamp the offense with Moss and Welker in the aftermath） and Belichick’s As a Pats fan， very pedestrian recount of the dynasty。 Benedict barely goes into detail in many of the biggest games。 Most of them read like a scoring summary you’d see next to a box score: minimal effort to paint any picture of gameplay for the reader。 One example is the 2006 AFCCG， where big game moments omitted from the book include Reche Caldwell dropping game clinching TDs （and the effect it had prompting Belichick to revamp the offense with Moss and Welker in the aftermath） and Belichick’s decision to go for it on 4th down on his own 30 yard line。 Benedict left out the preparation leading up to Super Bowl XLIX where the Pats meticulously prepped their goal line package with an extra DB on the field （Malcolm Butler） to counter the slant the Seahawks liked to run near the goal line。 No mention of Hightower’s game-saving tackle on Beast Mode at the 1 yard line。 And how is Ernie Adams （who knew the Seahawks liked the 3 receiver package on the goal line） only mentioned once in the entire book？？？Benedict portrays himself as an insider， but couldn’t muster any explanation or theory behind Butler’s benching in the Super Bowl against the Eagles。 He doesn’t bother mentioning the Philly Special play which I reluctantly admit is one of the craziest plays in Super Bowl history。 The first 100 pages detailing Kraft’s attempts to buy the team， and then dealing with Parcells were interesting。 That saved the book from a 1 star review。 If you’re a die hard Pats fan， don’t bother reading this book。 I guarantee you won’t read anything that you didn’t already know once you get to Belichick’s hiring。 。。。more
David Roover
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Good stuff。 As an avid Pats fan， I knew most of this stuff， but to relive the last 20 years was an unexpexted gift。
Michel Boucher
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Am amazing， extensively researched book documenting how a successful sports organization is built and successfully sustained over a twenty year period。 The most remarkable story is that of Robert Kraft。 A master strategist， artful negotiator with a heart of gold。
Christie Fewlass
，
Brad’s review is 100% correct。 It reads like the Patriot’s PR department wrote it。
Robert Kendall
，
Benedict's book covers one of the greatest sports dynasties ever: the New England Patriots between 2000-2019。 The book focuses on three central figures: owner Robert Kraft， coach Bill Belichick and QB Tom Brady。 Each is， arguably， the "greatest of all time" in his role。 Kraft kept the trio together for twenty years， a major reason for the extended success。 Benedict's book is very well-written， and thoroughly researched。 Benedict's book covers one of the greatest sports dynasties ever: the New England Patriots between 2000-2019。 The book focuses on three central figures: owner Robert Kraft， coach Bill Belichick and QB Tom Brady。 Each is， arguably， the "greatest of all time" in his role。 Kraft kept the trio together for twenty years， a major reason for the extended success。 Benedict's book is very well-written， and thoroughly researched。 。。。more
John
，
The Dynasty is one of my favorite sportsbooks I have ever read， and I have a newfound appreciation for the Patriots and everything they achieved during the Brady/Belichick area。 In sum， Jeff Benedict has written a masterful account on Kraft's culture， Belichick demanding genius and Brady's high standards and unrelenting work ethic over the trio's epic two-decade run。 I am not a Patriot's fan， but I better understand how the Patriot's Dynasty worked during this period and how each of the critical The Dynasty is one of my favorite sportsbooks I have ever read， and I have a newfound appreciation for the Patriots and everything they achieved during the Brady/Belichick area。 In sum， Jeff Benedict has written a masterful account on Kraft's culture， Belichick demanding genius and Brady's high standards and unrelenting work ethic over the trio's epic two-decade run。 I am not a Patriot's fan， but I better understand how the Patriot's Dynasty worked during this period and how each of the critical components （Kraft/Belichick/Brady） contributed to the longest-running Dynasty in American team sports history。Admittedly， this book has a heavy Kraft/Patriots bias （how else could Benedict get such incredible access）， and some will find the tangent stories on Kraft off-putting， and frankly， over the top。 That said， I grew to admire and respect Kraft and how he always strives to lead the Patriots by doing the right thing （notably giving back to the community）。Kraft aside， this book is also focused on the interplay between Belichick's coaching genius and Brady's never-ending quest to be the best quarterback that has ever played the game。 On Belichick， I came away awed by his ability to consistently make unpopular decisions， which ultimately proved the "right" decision to make。 For example， while the passage of time makes this easy to forget， when Bledsoe returned healthy in 2001， Belichick decided to stay with Brady as the quarterback。 Keep in mind - Bledsoe was the face of the franchise at that point， and Brady was essentially 6th round pick paid 200k a year。 On Brady， I came away with a new perspective on his exacting standards and how hard he works when "no one is watching" - whether watching film or getting his mind and body ready。 Brady's standards also permeate down to his teammate and create a culture of excellence。Lastly， on the Belichick/Brady relationship， I do not think enough attention is given to how Brady endured years or Belichick's "torture" - i。e。， Belichick dressing down Brady when he made mistakes， or otherwise。 I do not think any other HOF quarterbacks could have taken this verbal abuse for decades， although the fact that Belichick held Brady to such high standards set the tone for the locker room。In summary， this is a fantastic read （and a must-read for any Patriots fan） for anyone wanting to understand better how the Patriots operated during their halcyon days。 Lastly， I've put below a handful of my favorite quotes from The Dynasty。1。 Kraft dressed in a suit and tie and operated from behind a desk。 He was at home in boardrooms。 His role was to oversee and manage large， complex organizations。 His trademark traits were forming relationships of trust with people of influence and finding ways to differentiate his business from his competitors。 He thrived behind the scenes。 His name appeared on the lower right-hand corner of the checks。 He was data driven and liked to lead with a velvet touch。2。 During the offseason， most players scattered to other parts of the country。 But rather than returning home to California， Brady spent his first offseason in Foxborough and practically took up residence at the stadium。 During the day， he lifted in the weight room， ran stairs in the stadium， or did passing drills。 When he wasn’t working out， he was studying film in a cramped room that the coaches referred to as “the dungeon。” Over the spring and summer of 2001， Brady logged hundreds of hours alone in that room。3。 One of Belichick’s strengths， however， was his ability to focus on things within his control and ignore circumstances outside his control。 He also made a point of constantly driving that mentality into his players。 If he was sweating， he wasn’t going to let his players see it。4。 “You guys haven’t done anything yet to compare yourselves to the last Super Bowl team，” Belichick told his players afterward。 The next day， he put together film of every mistake they made in the Colts game—missed tackles， blown coverages—and angrily pointed them out。 Players were looking at each other as if to say， “I thought we just won。” Belichick was establishing a standard of excellence in New England， one that measured success by Super Bowl championships。 5。 You learn a lot about a man by knowing what he chooses to do when no one is watching。 Perhaps more than any other player on the Patriots’ roster， Brady spent a lot of time alone。 Much of that time was spent in the dark， pushing the play and rewind buttons over and over， studying his mistakes and studying his upcoming opponent。6。 When it came to Belichick’s coaching methods， Kraft never weighed in。 He recognized the brilliance behind Belichick’s method of treating the team’s biggest star the same way he treated the fifty-third man on the roster。 If anything， Belichick rode Brady the hardest， which made it easier to get everyone else to buy in to the team-first mentality。 At the same time， Kraft recognized how vital Brady was to the success of Belichick’s approach。 Despite being the most accomplished quarterback in the league， Brady was forbearing enough to endure Belichick’s methods。 Peyton Manning never would have endured what Brady had。7。 Throughout his career， he’d always been driven by the quest to go from best to even better。 One reason he maintained a competitive edge over his opponents was that he never felt he had mastered quarterbacking; there was always room for improvement。 Belichick had the same mind-set toward coaching。 When his teams won by large margins， rather than celebrate， he’d zero in on little mistakes that needed to be eliminated before facing the next opponent。 The key was to never become complacent， either as an individual or as a team。8。 But Kraft’s biggest achievement as an owner was keeping Belichick and Brady together for so long。 They needed each other to reach heights that had previously seemed unimaginable。 For Belichick and Brady， the 2018 season was their magnum opus。 。。。more
Rick
，
Having been a life long Boston sports fan I can remember when the New England Patriots， and every thing around them was a joke。 Now it is one of the greatest dynasties that has ever existed in sports。 Jeff Benedict does a great job telling that history in a detached reporting style that is upbeat without being a cheerleading style。 He makes clear the successes but doesn't hold back on any criticisms that need to be shared。 I think any sports fan will find this book very well done。 Add this to yo Having been a life long Boston sports fan I can remember when the New England Patriots， and every thing around them was a joke。 Now it is one of the greatest dynasties that has ever existed in sports。 Jeff Benedict does a great job telling that history in a detached reporting style that is upbeat without being a cheerleading style。 He makes clear the successes but doesn't hold back on any criticisms that need to be shared。 I think any sports fan will find this book very well done。 Add this to your shelf。 It's a well researched sports book and well worth your time。 。。。more
Timothy Zerillo
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Must read for Patriots fans and those football fans who can stomach re-living the Patriot-reign。 Fast-paced and a terrific sports book。 Bonus points for the Author being a New England Law grad Class of 2000。
Kristen
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I miss Tom Brady！！
Ben Riley
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I love most of Mr。 Benedict’s work， this was easily my least favorite。 I caught myself wondering how much Robert Kraft must’ve paid Mr。 Benedict to write this book。 By the end， the only question left unanswered was， “who will be translated to heaven first-Tom Brady or Robert Kraft？” Insipid and sticky sweet， this book was not for me。 I much preferred Mr。 Benedict’s book on Tiger Woods。
Michi
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Awesome！ I loved this book。 A should read if you love football and a must read if you're a patriot！ Awesome！ I loved this book。 A should read if you love football and a must read if you're a patriot！ 。。。more
Paula
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Fabulous book about the NE Patriots that helped me relive some of the greatest sports moments over the past 20 years！ Brought me such joy！
Julia
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Perhaps surprising， but really enjoyed this！！ The book is definitely a PR piece for the Pats and has limited critical analysis of decisions made on and off the field over the course of “the dynasty。” That said， for someone who is a loyal but often inattentive Boston sports fan， it was a fun and engaging way to learn more about the team and their history。
Peter Stangel
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Very enjoyable listen on Audible and a great story about the team and Kraft， Belichick， and Brady。 Good fun。
Kyle Kolodziej
，
Some little things would possibly have changed a little bit or gone into greater detail due to knowledge of the events as a fan but easily up there as one of the GOAT books that dives into the GOAT coming in and building up the dynasty in NE
Straker
，
Dubious history of the New England Patriots football team under the ownership of Robert Kraft and his family。 Though the narrative is heavily skewed in favor of the Krafts （who appear to have cooperated extensively with the author）， Robert Kraft ultimately comes off as a highly status-conscious individual who often exhibits a startling naivete and is easily intimidated by stronger personalities - Commissioner Roger Goodell， other NFL owners， shady show-business figures and even his own head coac Dubious history of the New England Patriots football team under the ownership of Robert Kraft and his family。 Though the narrative is heavily skewed in favor of the Krafts （who appear to have cooperated extensively with the author）， Robert Kraft ultimately comes off as a highly status-conscious individual who often exhibits a startling naivete and is easily intimidated by stronger personalities - Commissioner Roger Goodell， other NFL owners， shady show-business figures and even his own head coach are shown repeatedly pushing him around at will。 Long-time Patriots followers such as myself will also note the omission， simplification， and misinterpretation of numerous facts and incidents throughout the book。 Worth a read if you bear in mind these caveats but certainly not the definitive history of this great team。 。。。more
Greg Woods
，
This is the story of how the New England Patriots built an organization that won a lot of football games。 It’s also a story about human beings。 We tend to forget that the players we see on Sunday are husbands， fathers， and sometimes just kids themselves。 This book humanizes Brady， Belichik， and Kraft。 It does not lionize them。 They are imperfect people and that makes what was accomplished more impressive while simultaneously explaining how the eventual end was inevitable。
Allison
，
Great read。 More like a story then an historical account of the Kraft-Belicheck-Brady era of the Patriots。
Bruce
，
Fantastic！Very comprehensive coverage of the birth （and death？） of the Patriots dynasty。The business major in me particularly enjoyed the background on how Kraft put himself in a position to buy the team and the negotiations in doing so and in getting a stadium built。Kraft and Brady certainly come off very well in this book; hard to find fault with their careers as presented here。Lots of good inside info about the various scandals including deflategate and spygate that caused me to re-evaluate m Fantastic！Very comprehensive coverage of the birth （and death？） of the Patriots dynasty。The business major in me particularly enjoyed the background on how Kraft put himself in a position to buy the team and the negotiations in doing so and in getting a stadium built。Kraft and Brady certainly come off very well in this book; hard to find fault with their careers as presented here。Lots of good inside info about the various scandals including deflategate and spygate that caused me to re-evaluate my opinions of what really took place。I just wish this book kept going into this season with Brady going to TB and the Super Bowl 。。。more
Erik LeDrew
，
An exhaustive， dry， sometimes compelling inside account， heavily-weighted toward the ownership’s POV。
Brandon Cotter
，
This book was simply amazing！ I have been a fan of the Patriots my entire life。 There was so much behind the scenes stuff that I either never knew happened or forgot about。 It definitely brought back tons of memories！ It was tough to see Brady go and not retire as a Patriot but this book explains exactly what happened。 It's no wonder why players jump at the opportunity to play for them。 The entire organization is family no matter what。 So glad I read this。 It has been sitting on my shelf for a w This book was simply amazing！ I have been a fan of the Patriots my entire life。 There was so much behind the scenes stuff that I either never knew happened or forgot about。 It definitely brought back tons of memories！ It was tough to see Brady go and not retire as a Patriot but this book explains exactly what happened。 It's no wonder why players jump at the opportunity to play for them。 The entire organization is family no matter what。 So glad I read this。 It has been sitting on my shelf for a while now。 Once I picked it up I just flew through it。 。。。more
Michael Giuliano
，
Worth the read， if only for the opportunity to reminisce on some great times and glean a few new tidbits。 The beginning and end were well-written and surprisingly emotionally engaging， but the middle read like a simple recounting of the Patriots’ seasons。 Overall， I enjoyed the book。
Tracy
，
Audiobook
Ian Stokes
，
I’d say that this is only really going to be of interest to more recent fans of the Patriots。 There is little here that most long standing Pats fans won’t already know。 I found sections dealing with the early days of Kraft acquiring the team and the relationship with Parcels interesting but after that， it’s mostly a press release on behalf of the Patriots。
Remi Guindon
，
God this book was amazing。 The most comprehensive book I’ve read on the history of the Patriots。
Max
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