Rob Gronkowski and the Cost of Greatness
Sunday evening in Atlanta, the New England Patriots will play in their ninth Super Bowl since 2001. Their appearance in this year’s game against the Los Angeles Rams, like their appearances in last year’s against the Eagles and 2017’s against the Falcons, only lengthens what was already one of the longest-running success stories in modern sports. Pro football is designed for turnover, but Tom Brady and Bill Belichick—at 41 and 66 years old, respectively—still show few signs of slowing.
The Patriots’ stasis puts most of the standard Super Bowl story lines out of reach. They’re not fresh arrivals like the Rams, who are paced by the 27-year-old defensive tackle Aaron Donald and the 33-year-old head coach Sean McVay, and, a . Not much is new or expiring about the NFL’s standard-bearing franchise. Boredom, as much as anything, might account for the general distaste for the Pats.
