The Dynasty
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- Create Date：2021-11-29 06:51:03
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Jeff Benedict
- ISBN：1982134119
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Summary
*NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER*
From the #1 New York Times bestselling coauthor of Tiger Woods comes the definitive inside story of the New England Patriots—the greatest sports dynasty of the 21st century。
It’s easy to forget that the New England Patriots were once the laughingstock of the NFL， a nearly bankrupt team that had never won a championship and was on the brink of moving to St。 Louis。 Everything changed in 1994， when Robert Kraft acquired the franchise and soon brought on board head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady。 Since then， the Patriots have become a juggernaut， making ten trips to the Super Bowl， winning six of them， and emerging as one of the most valuable sports franchises in the world。
How was the Patriots dynasty built？ And how did it last for two decades？ In The Dynasty， acclaimed journalist Jeff Benedict provides richly reported answers in a sweeping account based on exclusive interviews with more than two hundred insiders—including team executives， coaches， players， players’ wives， team doctors， lawyers， and more—as well as never-before-seen recordings， documents， and electronic communications。
Through his exhaustive research， Benedict uncovers surprising new details about the inner workings of a team notorious for its secrecy。 He puts us in the room as Robert Kraft outmaneuvers a legion of lawyers and investors to buy the team。 We listen in on the phone call when the greatest trade ever made—Bill Belichick for a first-round draft choice—is negotiated。 And we look over the shoulder of forty-year-old Tom Brady as a surgeon operates on his throwing hand on the eve of the AFC Championship Game in 2018。
But the portrait that emerges in The Dynasty is more rewarding than new details alone。 By tracing the team’s epic run through the perspectives of Kraft， Belichick， and Brady—each of whom was interviewed for the book—the author provides a wealth of new insight into the complex human beings most responsible for the Patriots’ success。
The result is an intimate portrait that captures the human drama of the dynasty’s three key characters while also revealing the secrets behind their success。 “The Dynasty is…[a] masterpiece…It’s a relationship book， it’s a football book， it’s a business book…you’ll just eat up these stories” （Colin Cowherd）。
From the #1 New York Times bestselling coauthor of Tiger Woods comes the definitive inside story of the New England Patriots—the greatest sports dynasty of the 21st century。
It’s easy to forget that the New England Patriots were once the laughingstock of the NFL， a nearly bankrupt team that had never won a championship and was on the brink of moving to St。 Louis。 Everything changed in 1994， when Robert Kraft acquired the franchise and soon brought on board head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady。 Since then， the Patriots have become a juggernaut， making ten trips to the Super Bowl， winning six of them， and emerging as one of the most valuable sports franchises in the world。
How was the Patriots dynasty built？ And how did it last for two decades？ In The Dynasty， acclaimed journalist Jeff Benedict provides richly reported answers in a sweeping account based on exclusive interviews with more than two hundred insiders—including team executives， coaches， players， players’ wives， team doctors， lawyers， and more—as well as never-before-seen recordings， documents， and electronic communications。
Through his exhaustive research， Benedict uncovers surprising new details about the inner workings of a team notorious for its secrecy。 He puts us in the room as Robert Kraft outmaneuvers a legion of lawyers and investors to buy the team。 We listen in on the phone call when the greatest trade ever made—Bill Belichick for a first-round draft choice—is negotiated。 And we look over the shoulder of forty-year-old Tom Brady as a surgeon operates on his throwing hand on the eve of the AFC Championship Game in 2018。
But the portrait that emerges in The Dynasty is more rewarding than new details alone。 By tracing the team’s epic run through the perspectives of Kraft， Belichick， and Brady—each of whom was interviewed for the book—the author provides a wealth of new insight into the complex human beings most responsible for the Patriots’ success。
The result is an intimate portrait that captures the human drama of the dynasty’s three key characters while also revealing the secrets behind their success。 “The Dynasty is…[a] masterpiece…It’s a relationship book， it’s a football book， it’s a business book…you’ll just eat up these stories” （Colin Cowherd）。
Reviews
John Liston
，
Excellent book for Patriots fans （or NFL fans）。 Unlike many of the other books on the Patriots during this era， there is a clear emphasis on the Kraft family in this book。 There are also a number of anecdotes and details that I had never heard before （even though I follow the team）。 It's easy to come away from the book with the impression that some members of the Kraft family or long time members of the organization were key sources。 That may or may not tinge the book in their favor to a degree， Excellent book for Patriots fans （or NFL fans）。 Unlike many of the other books on the Patriots during this era， there is a clear emphasis on the Kraft family in this book。 There are also a number of anecdotes and details that I had never heard before （even though I follow the team）。 It's easy to come away from the book with the impression that some members of the Kraft family or long time members of the organization were key sources。 That may or may not tinge the book in their favor to a degree， but I found the additional context to be very interesting and had never realized how involved Jonathan Kraft has been since day 1 of the Kraft family's ownership。 。。。more
Patrick Green
，
The book was enjoyable and provided a good chronological account of Robert Krafts ownership and relationship with Brady & Belicheck。 The book does at times come across as a public relations exercise on behalf of the patriots， everything is wrote from their perspective rather than an objective one。 It only lightly touches upon the character of Brady and Kraft， Belicheck was done in a lot more depth。 Some elements are simply skirted over such as the decision to bench Malcolm Butler with no real ex The book was enjoyable and provided a good chronological account of Robert Krafts ownership and relationship with Brady & Belicheck。 The book does at times come across as a public relations exercise on behalf of the patriots， everything is wrote from their perspective rather than an objective one。 It only lightly touches upon the character of Brady and Kraft， Belicheck was done in a lot more depth。 Some elements are simply skirted over such as the decision to bench Malcolm Butler with no real explanation provided， despite there being information out there as to why。 。。。more
Chris
，
This is really a love note to Kraft by Kraft。 I really think he had the most access to Bob Kraft and as such， he read wrote the book from Bob’s point of view。 Bob isn’t a choir boy yet he comes off as one， Always the intermediary between Belichick and Brady。 I’m sure a book written by Brady or with full access to Brady would’ve been a very different type of tome。 （see what I did there？）Good book as it relates to all the events and happening surrounding the Patriots。 It still gets me mad at the B This is really a love note to Kraft by Kraft。 I really think he had the most access to Bob Kraft and as such， he read wrote the book from Bob’s point of view。 Bob isn’t a choir boy yet he comes off as one， Always the intermediary between Belichick and Brady。 I’m sure a book written by Brady or with full access to Brady would’ve been a very different type of tome。 （see what I did there？）Good book as it relates to all the events and happening surrounding the Patriots。 It still gets me mad at the Boston Herald that they released the unverified and damaging article right before the Philadelphia game， really killed their chances for the Super Bowl as all their focus was taken off of that game for the week。 There really was a lot that has gone down with the Pats in 20 years， I am sure just as much has gone on in other organizations but the heavy piercing spotlight was never focused their way due to， most likely， organizational incompetence and lack of winning which is rampant in the NFL。 。。。more
JoBeth Kirchner
，
Any Patriots fan would absolutely LOVE this book。 Highly recommend。
Liam Bradley
，
Very interesting book， particularly enjoyed the earlier years of the late 90’s and early 2000’s。 I did expect a little more “dirt” on the players and team， although it wasn’t the case。 Lots of fun going back through all the stories and controversies from this dynasty of the past 20 years， in an extremely deep level of detail。 The amount of work put into this book is outstanding。
Harry Meredith
，
So much more information than I ever anticipated， and all of it incredibly fascinating。 Love this book， love the Patriots， and love Tom Brady。
David
，
I'm a cursed Jaguars fan， and have watched New England end 3 of their playoff runs， including twice in the AFC championship game， the most recent being a time when the Jags CLEARLY had the better team， but they couldn't overcome Tom Brady becoming Superman。 That is to say。。。no， I'm not a Patriots fan。 But any open-minded sports fan HAS to admire an organization， even with two controversies， that defied the mediocrity that the NFL salary cap is meant to achieve for 20 years！ What Brady and Belech I'm a cursed Jaguars fan， and have watched New England end 3 of their playoff runs， including twice in the AFC championship game， the most recent being a time when the Jags CLEARLY had the better team， but they couldn't overcome Tom Brady becoming Superman。 That is to say。。。no， I'm not a Patriots fan。 But any open-minded sports fan HAS to admire an organization， even with two controversies， that defied the mediocrity that the NFL salary cap is meant to achieve for 20 years！ What Brady and Belechick achieved with 6 Super Bowl championships and 3 other AFC titles is staggering for any era， but especially the post-2000 era！ Jeff Benedict has done a meticulous job with research of primary sources from something like 500 individuals to bring this incredible story to life。 This was a long but entertaining history narrative！ 。。。more
Matthew Fitch
，
The only complaint I have is that there is too much gushing over Brady and Kraft with Belichick obviously being the heavy here。 I’m assuming Brady and Kraft have warts too？ Yet， not just a great sports book but an interesting look at an organization and how they sustained success for almost 20 years。
Matt Kukowski
，
Disclaimer--not a Patriots fan （go Giants！）。 But wow， this was a really enjoyable read。 The first third of the book alone is worth the price of admission。 Benedict's account of a young Robert Kraft （the engine behind the dynasty） and his acquisition of the Patriots， complete with Kraft's clever solutions to the never-ending challenges he faced in the process， was fascinating and well-researched （who knew the Jackson 5 were indirectly involved in opening the door for one of the greatest owners in Disclaimer--not a Patriots fan （go Giants！）。 But wow， this was a really enjoyable read。 The first third of the book alone is worth the price of admission。 Benedict's account of a young Robert Kraft （the engine behind the dynasty） and his acquisition of the Patriots， complete with Kraft's clever solutions to the never-ending challenges he faced in the process， was fascinating and well-researched （who knew the Jackson 5 were indirectly involved in opening the door for one of the greatest owners in professional sports to take the reigns？）。 Despite the 5 star rating， however， the book started to drag a bit for me when it entered what was， for me， more familiar territory。 But even among well-worn storylines， Benedict managed to insert depth and intrigue to the stories he retold。 There are many books out there on the Patriots， but I tend to believe that this is the authoritative account （even if it does skew almost unabashedly in favor of the Pats）。 One other thing of note: the actual reporting of individual Patriots games is a bit dry （the exciting standouts， however， include the famous "Tuck Rule" game， Brady's first Super Bowl， the first Super Bowl against the Giants， and the Super Bowls against the Seahawks and Falcons and the Pats' second Super Bowl against the Eagles--I know that sounds like a lot， but we're talking about 20 years of football games and I've highlighted 6）。 Games that I remembered watching in real time came back easily when Benedict described them， but games that I either didn't watch or occurred before I was a real football fan （especially regular season games） managed to blend together。 I'm not confidant that I could add much to conversations where fans recount some of those games from their own memories。 In many cases， the writing stuck to play-by-play recounts， with little color commentary。 "Brady threw to Gronkowski for a forty-five yard touchdown。 Two minutes later， Brady threw to Edelman for a ten yard gain。" Eh。 The real fun of the book is in what goes on off the field。 That's where the 5 stars lie。 。。。more
Shane Mulcahy
，
This is a long read and contains a huge amount of information on the Patriots Dynasty。 It is， however， a wonderful read。 if you only read one book about the NFL， I would highly recommend this one。
Philip Parker
，
Excellent Book。 Opened my eyes 👀 to how dominate they are as a team。
Chayne Dessaso
，
Must Read！ Especially for Patriots Fans！This book is great on its own merit。 As a Patriots fan， it's incredible。 The way it tells the story of how Robert Kraft bought and transformed the team into the dynasty it became is exceptionally entertaining。 The book really gives you the details that even diehard sports fans rarely figure out。 It gives you the whole picture to things that the standard sports media distorts and I appreciated that perspective。 Furthermore the leadership lessons that can be Must Read！ Especially for Patriots Fans！This book is great on its own merit。 As a Patriots fan， it's incredible。 The way it tells the story of how Robert Kraft bought and transformed the team into the dynasty it became is exceptionally entertaining。 The book really gives you the details that even diehard sports fans rarely figure out。 It gives you the whole picture to things that the standard sports media distorts and I appreciated that perspective。 Furthermore the leadership lessons that can be learned from the book are many， especially viewing the way that Kraft， Belichick， and Brady operated。 I have nothing but respect for the author who allowed me to see my favorite team， coach， and players in such a unique light。 Well done！ 。。。more
Tom Gase
，
Read this book the week before quarterback Tom Brady faced his former team， the New England Patriots， coached by Bill Belichick。 For nearly 20 years Brady was the face of the Patriots， having won six Super Bowls and appearing in just about every AFC championship game during the period。 The book not only looks at Brady and Belichick， but takes the reader on a journey that starts when Robert Kraft bought the team when Bill Parcells was the head coach。 The book talks about the 90s teams with Parcel Read this book the week before quarterback Tom Brady faced his former team， the New England Patriots， coached by Bill Belichick。 For nearly 20 years Brady was the face of the Patriots， having won six Super Bowls and appearing in just about every AFC championship game during the period。 The book not only looks at Brady and Belichick， but takes the reader on a journey that starts when Robert Kraft bought the team when Bill Parcells was the head coach。 The book talks about the 90s teams with Parcells as well and actually doesn't get into the 2001 squad where Brady wins his first Super Bowl until maybe one third of the way through the book。 Most of the details are here， as well as stories about the big games （yes， even the tuck rule game）。 The book is kind of an epic in that it takes place for the good part of three decades， covering around 1992 （when Bledsoe is drafted） until 2020。 I wish the author went the full distance in some of his game descriptions as he'll often say， then the Patriots scored a touchdown and in the third quarter they scored two more。 I wish the author， Jeff Benedict， would go all the way and say who scored the touchdown and how it happened。 Near the end the book becomes a story about how things kind of fell apart， especially with Brady's personal trainer， Alex Guerrero， who was despised by Belichick。 A Patriots fan will LOVE this book and it's kind of a must for die-hard NFL fans。 Well researched and written。 I may not like the team， but it was a good book。 。。。more
Andrew
，
Absolutely amazing multitude of stories from the New England Patriots' 20 year dynasty led by Robert Kraft， Bill Bellicheck， and Tom Brady。 Excellent read， and I learned a ton about the NFL， politics， sports， etc。 while reading it。 It also had snippets of a great business book too！ Totally would recommend to any sports fan。 Absolutely amazing multitude of stories from the New England Patriots' 20 year dynasty led by Robert Kraft， Bill Bellicheck， and Tom Brady。 Excellent read， and I learned a ton about the NFL， politics， sports， etc。 while reading it。 It also had snippets of a great business book too！ Totally would recommend to any sports fan。 。。。more
Lee
，
Felt a little sanitized， but still a solid， well-written overview with good behind the scenes info。
Dylan Panozzo
，
great book that i want to read it again
Patricia GG
，
If I listened to a 25 hour audio book about football and enjoyed it - It deserves a 5
Doug
，
The quintessential book on Patriots football。 Goes essentially from the beginning to the last super bowl win and a bit into Brady leading。 Beautifully written and researched。 If you are going to read one book about the Patriots and in particular their dynasty era read this one。
Don LeClair
，
This was well written story of the New England Patriots starting shortly before Robert Kraft bought them in 1994。 As a long time Patriots fan， it did seem that much of the story is based events that were widely available in the news。 However， does include additional perspective on the story。 It was particularly interesting to hear how far out on a limb Kraft went to buy the team， and his interactions with Massachusetts and Connecticut government officials。 Perhaps the most puzzling aspect of the This was well written story of the New England Patriots starting shortly before Robert Kraft bought them in 1994。 As a long time Patriots fan， it did seem that much of the story is based events that were widely available in the news。 However， does include additional perspective on the story。 It was particularly interesting to hear how far out on a limb Kraft went to buy the team， and his interactions with Massachusetts and Connecticut government officials。 Perhaps the most puzzling aspect of the whole story was Robert Kraft's close relationship with Roger Goodell， especially given his uneven punishments applied to the franchise。 The story is very readable， but is less about the specifics of the football seasons and much more about the history and personalities behind the franchise。 。。。more
Andrew
，
A must read for Patriot fans。 Despite knowing all of the content， the details in the book reveals much more than the media were aware of。 Fantastic insight into the organization， the highs and lows。
Gregg
，
As a Pats fan I’m biased; however， this is hands down the best book on the Patriots so far。 The breakdown of the business decisions， the diplomacy， and the workplace dynamics over the past 30 or so years is unmatched。 I wish the rest of the world will realize that the relationship between Bill Belichick and Tom Brady was synergistic and generated the results it did because of a combination of their greatness。
Ricky
，
From the perspective of taking a trip down Memory Lane， this was a fun book to read， so I gave it the 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 Flo From the perspective of taking a trip down Memory Lane， this was a fun book to read， so I gave it the 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
，
Great book describing the relationship between Tom Brady and Bill Belichick and how they created a dynasty。 Tom is the real GOAT。
Erik
，
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
，
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
，
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
，
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
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Dynasty
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Dynasty&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Dynasty&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0