Page 20 - ARUBA TODAY

A20 SPORTS
Tuesday 7 February 2017

Stunning rally raises question: How do Pats rank in history?

CHUYLER DIXON cluded 2-point conversions
AP Sports Writer to force overtime. “We
HOUSTON (AP) — The Pa- were disappointed in the
triots have the biggest way we played, and we
comeback in Super Bowl knew that we could go out
history. Cue the debate on and do a lot better in the
whether it translates into second half.”
the greatest dynasty in the Brady and Belichick fall
NFL, and maybe where short of the nine NBA titles
New England ranks among that Bill Russell and Red
dominant pro sports fran- Auerbach won together
chises. in Boston, or the six that
Perhaps the discussion Michael Jordan and Phil
hinges on the record-set- Jackson celebrated in Ch
ting duo of quarterback cago. There will always be
Tom Brady and coach Bill arguments for the multiple
Belichick. There are some dynasties of the New York
numbers that aren’t de- Yankees, who have 27
batable, like most Super World Series titles. Shortstop
Bowl appearances for a Derek Jeter and manager
team (nine) and a quarter- Joe Torre won four togeth-
back (seven). Brady’s five er in a span of five seasons
wins put him one ahead of from 1996 to 2000, not to
Hall of Famers Terry Brad- mention Mickey Mantle
shaw and Joe Montana and Casey Stengle or Lou
for the most by a quarter- New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and Tom Brady wait to be introduced during a Gehrig and Joe McCarthy.
back, and Belichick’s five news conference after the NFL Super Bowl 51 football game Monday, Feb. 6, 2017, in Houston. And don’t forget about
are one better than Brad- Associated Press the Montreal Canadiens,
shaw’s coach in Pittsburgh, his career.” (they called him Captain fore going down 28-3 in the who won 16 NHL titles in
Chuck Noll. Green Bay won the first two Comeback), Montana, Ai- third quarter. 27 seasons from the 1950s
Bradshaw and Montana Super Bowls with Bart Starr kman. Joking aside, the Patriots to the 1970s. Then again,
never had a Super Bowl and has four titles. Brad- Vince Lombardi, Noll, Tom probably never panicked leagues were smaller and
rally that even remotely shaw’s Steelers became Landry, Bill Walsh, Jimmy because they can lean on rosters were thinner back
resembled the 25-point the team of the 1970s, with Johnson. things such as 16 consecu- then, and the conversation
recovery engineered by Roger Staubach and the None of them have a claim tive winning seasons (Dal- was nearly about Atlanta
Brady in a 34-28 win over Dallas Cowboys not far to the sustained excellence las has the record with 20) ending its championship
Atlanta on Sunday night in behind. Montana’s 49ers of Brady and Belichick, the and an NFL-best 34 playoff drought.
the first Super Bowl to go to dominated the ‘80s. only duo to go to seven Su- games and 25 postseason “To come back and just
overtime. Troy Aikman helped the per Bowls and win five. wins for Brady. stall and just give Tom
“We’ve got the greatest Cowboys become the first “He cast a wizard spell over “At halftime, I would say we Brady a glimpse of a
quarterback,” defensive team to win three titles in us that changed every- weren’t down at all,” said chance to come back, we
lineman Trey Flowers said. four seasons in the 1990s — thing,” tackle Nate Solder Brady, who won his fourth did that,” Falcons receiver
“Calm, cool, collective and Brady matched him a said of Belichick and the Super Bowl MVP award by Taylor Gabriel said. “It’s
and just make plays. That’s decade later. message at halftime, when leading two fourth-quarter tough to lose like that in the
what he’s been doing all Starr, Bradshaw, Staubach the Patriots trailed 21-3 be- touchdown drives that in- Super Bowl.”q
49ers officially hire Kyle Shanahan as new head coach

BY JOSH DUBOW han, who also won a title pionship standard. As this
AP SPORTS WRITER as offensive coordinator in team begins the task of re-
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) San Francisco in 1994. The establishing that standard,
-- The San Francisco 49ers younger Shanahan served I could not ask for a better
officially hired Atlanta of- as a ball boy then but now partner than John Lynch.
fensive coordinator Kyle will be tasked along with He is a man who certainly
Shanahan as their new new general manager has personal knowledge of
head coach on Monday, John Lynch with rebuilding what championship orga-
more than a month after fir- a team that just matched nizations look like. John and
ing Chip Kelly after just one the worst record in fran- I look forward to establish-
season. chise history with a 2-14 ing a strong culture that will
The 49ers settled on Shana- mark, leading to the dis- serve as our foundation for
han a couple weeks ago missal of Kelly and general constructing this team.”
but had to wait until after manager Trent Baalke. Shanahan won the AP
the Falcons played in the “As a young man, I had the award as the top assistant
Super Bowl to sign him to a unique benefit of being ex- coach in the NFL this sea-
contract. Shanahan will be posed to the storied history son when he helped the
formally introduced at a of the San Francisco 49ers Falcons post a league-high
news conference later this firsthand,” Shanahan said in 33.8 points per game in the
Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn, right, talks with offen-
sive coordinator Kyle Shanahan during a workout at the NFL week. a statement. “From that ex- regular season and return
football team’s practice facility in Flowery Branch, Ga., Friday, Shanahan is the son of two- posure, I developed great to the Super Bowl for the
Jan. 27, 2017. time Super Bowl winning respect for those who cre- second time in franchise
Associated Press head coach Mike Shana- ated a world-class, cham- history.q