Stop calling it luck—the Patriots’ Super Bowl run is a masterclass in team building| Karen Guregian

DENVER – There are still plenty of people out there who can’t fathom the Patriots being in the Super Bowl.

Questions are still being asked by fans, as well as experts.

Are they really that good?

How the heck did they go from back-to-back four win seasons to being one win away from winning a Lombardi Trophy after taking down the Denver Broncos, 10-7, in the AFC Championship game?

How is that even possible?

Sure, there have been other last-to-first success stories in the NFL, not to mention the Patriots’ rich history with a half dozen championships from 2001 to 2018.

But this Patriots rags-to-riches story is very real, well-deserved and special on so many levels.

Mike Vrabel, who has provided the magic touch as a head coach, says this season’s unexpected journey starts with the players. Personnel heads Eliot Wolf and Ryan Cowden echoed that thought following Sunday’s win.

And yes, the players did all the heavy lifting through a 17 game regular season (14-3), followed by three playoff wins. They made it happen on the field.

Vrabel, Wolf and Cowden, however, put all the pieces together through free agency and the draft. They largely wove together the collection of players who have the Patriots on the precipice of a seventh championship.

With team owner Robert Kraft supplying cash and his support, they went about shaping a team good enough to compete for a championship.

And, now, win the whole thing.

They have a franchise quarterback in Drake Maye, who might have been ineffective throwing the football Sunday thanks in part to Denver’s menacing defense, not to mention the second half blizzard, but still managed to beat them with his legs.

And, they have the perfect blend of players around him.

Asked how important is it to get the right guys to mix in, set their egos aside and play as a team, Cowden provided what he believes is the recipe for the Patriots current success.

“I think (finding the right guys) is everything because I think this is the ultimate team game and collecting talent isn’t always the right answer,” Cowden told Masslive following the Patriots 10-7 win over the Denver Broncos. “Building a team is.

“These guys play for each other. They play hard … lean into each other and play with a belief and an identity that the coaches created.”

There’s little doubt the players have bought into whatever Vrabel has preached, and run with it.

There will be people who still accuse the Patriots of getting this far thanks to a soft schedule, and playing a bunch of cupcakes during the regular season. There are those who still think they’re lucky.

Going a record 9-0 on the road this season, including their win in Denver at a venue they had never won during the postseason (0-4), says otherwise.

So does putting together three wins against three of the top-five NFL defenses, as well as a Super Bowl winning coach during the postseason.

That speaks even more.

The Patriots defense, a sidecar to the team’s offense during the year, has also performed better than all three of those top units (Chargers, Texans, Broncos) in the three games.

They’ve used every slight, every doubt as fuel to motivate them to greater heights.

They were only favored to beat Denver because the Broncos starting quarterback, Bo Nix, broke his ankle last week. And even then, it was iffy given their lack of success at Mile High during the postseason.

“Everyone always asks me did I expect this, did I expect this?,” Wolf said. “Nothing really matters except for what happens between the white lines. And these guys earned it.

“The coaching staff, Coach Vrabel, these players, they’ve earned everything they’ve gotten. It’s really exciting to see all the hard work they’ve put in come to fruition.”

No, they aren’t the most talented team. But they just might be the best team.

Many expected Stefon Diggs to be a disruptor. He’s been just the opposite. One of their best players, Christian Gonzalez, didn’t look quite like himself after a hamstring injury kept him out the first three games.

But he provided the key play – a fourth quarter pick of Jarrett Stidham – with 2:18 to play – that helped seal the win.

At every turn, someone has stepped up beyond the quarterback and assortment of stars littered throughout the roster.

How would Vrabel define the group?

“Fun to coach. They’re entertaining … They’ve been resilient. They’ve been very coachable,” Vrabel said shortly after raising the Lamar Hunt Trophy as AFC champions. “There’s a lot of connectivity in them, and I appreciate what they do.”

Center Garrett Bradbury offered the players perspective on why this team has pulled off what most believe couldn’t happen.

“It’s a blast coming to work with these guys. It’s a blast coming to work with Vrabel and this coaching staff,” he said. “They had a vision for what they wanted it to look like, and to see it come to fruition, to be a part of building that, it’s been the most rewarding thing of my football career.”

To no surprise, they opened as an underdog in the Super Bowl against Seattle, who advanced by beating the LA Rams. Just as its been much of the season, the Patriots aren’t expected to win.

No matter.

“It’s never mattered to us,” Bradbury said. “Just put the ball down and we’ll play football.”