More former Patriots are upset by The Dynasty's negative spin
Maybe they'll eventually do a documentary on the making of the documentary regarding the Patriots' years of unparalleled excellence.
More former players are expressing disappointment with the negativity of the project. Last week, it was Devin McCourty and Rodney Harrison. This week, it's Matthew Slater and Julian Edelman.
"I know there are some comments that I made on there that made it seem like Bill [Belichick] was just this very demanding presence -- and he was, but I also want people to see that there are multiple sides of Bill," Slater said during Edelman's podcast, Games with Names (via NBCSportsBoston.com). "And it's tough because I feel like he's being portrayed in a certain light. And we're painting a picture, but we're only showing people part of the picture.
"With Coach, it's very complex. And there are things that, you know, were tough, and I'm sure we all feel like, 'Hey, maybe we wish we had done things this way.' But let's make sure none of us forget the fact that the dynasty is not even being talked about without Bill Belichick. And the things that he did were with intentionality and purpose, and I think he got the best out of all of us."
Edelman agreed.
"I honestly think if you're in your 30s and you've played football, I don't think you've ever liked your football coach," Edelman said. "You loved him. But you didn't like your football coach. Just like I didn't like my parents when they made me do things that they knew was gonna make me a better person.
"I didn't like doing it, we didn't like doing it, work's not easy, doing the little shit for preparation, doing walkthroughs for walkthroughs for walkthroughs, I hated it. I bitched about it all the time. But we needed it. And that's why you went into every single game knowing you outprepared that team and you have a shot to win. Every single game."
On Tuesday, Patriots owner Robert Kraft expressed similar disappointment about the negativity of the series. Some were surprised by that, given the perception that Kraft had a direct role in the creation of the series. That perception has been fueled by the presence of a copyright claim by "Kraft Dynasty LLC 2024."
Via Ben Volin of the Boston Globe, a Kraft spokesperson said that "Kraft Sports Productions wasn’t involved in the project," and that the copyright "doesn’t mean the Krafts had any creative control, but is just a way for the Patriots to protect the video footage they provided."
Regardless, the Patriots cooperated with the series. They provided access to archives when they didn't have to do it. Robert and Jonathan Kraft made themselves available for interviews.
At the end of the day, was it negative? Yes, at times. But that's also what makes a show or a movie compelling. If it's all glowing, why are we watching? We naturally want drama and intrigue. Good storytellers know how to weave that into an otherwise boring and predictable narrative.
If the series at times paints Belichick as a jerk, does that surprise anyone? This isn't like finding out Mister Rogers had a habit of dressing down waiters over whether his potatoes had the right amount of au gratin. Belichick has a well-earned reputation for being a taskmaster, for having no sacred cows, for obsessing over the best interests of the team — except when not using Malcolm Butler in the Super Bowl.
If someone wants to do a rah-rah, everything is awesome version of the New England dynasty, that's what NFL Films is for. To get something closer to the truth, you need a filmmaker who is closer to being truly independent. While the production might not have been entirely free from subtle influence, it looks and feels a lot different that something the NFL and/or the Patriots would have produced.
