The Dynasty Hardcover – September 1, 2020

If you love the Patriots or you have a passion for leadership and coaching, then this is definitely worth the read. It offers a glimpse into the behind the scenes world of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady.

I loved this book. Robert Kraft acquired the Patriots in 1994, the same year I graduated high school. Going back through all the games and NFL details covering the entire span of my adulthood brought back great memories. I got a kick recalling where I watched so many of the big games.I also found it important to remember not to jump to conclusions. It is astounding how often headlines and opinion columns by sportswriters who remain prominent to this day are regularly wrong. In media, it’s better to appear confident than be accurate.There is also a tremendous amount of behind the scenes reporting and a broad swath of insiders interviewed that go on the record.I already admired Tom Brady, and I came away even more impressed. I have previously read the David Halberstam book on Belichick, and once again I am fascinated by this unique character.I always assumed Robert Kraft got his money as an heir with Kraft foods. I was pleasantly surprised to learn of his humble beginnings. He and his wife seem to have had a storybook relationship.I will say by the end of the book it felt like the praise of Kraft had become tiring and I started to become cynical. Apparently he can bring any dispute to a resolution with just a sly wink of the eye. He’s evidently always the voice of reason. Regularly entertaining such luminaries as Leon Black, Les Moonves, Donald Trump, etc was like a who’s who of obscenely rich prominent people that ultimately were revealed to be of dubious character to say the least. All that was missing was Jeffrey Epstein. And I guess Aaron Hernandez is the only human ever able to pass the Robert Kraft human lie detector test. The kicker for me was that he hosted Mike Pompeo in his box and gave him a tour of the locker room at the same time as he was supposedly reconnecting the hip hop community and the NFL and presenting himself as a staunch advocate for listening to the concerns of the African American athlete. I’m sure he is ultimately an incredible man that’s performed countless good deeds and undoubtedly will leave a positive footprint on the world. But the word “starfucker” certainly came to mind by the books conclusion.I could have used a little bit less of Robert and Jonathan. Belichick is fascinating because he has no outward concern for how he’s perceived. Thus of the three constants in the Patriots Dynasty, he was the one whose shortcomings are magnified.All that being said, again, the book includes a great deal of things that were really neat about the Kraft story. It carries the book for a decent amount leading up to the purchase in 1994. I was totally ignorant to their history pre 2000. Perhaps when the tales intersect with characters and periods of which I think I’m familiar, I’m the one way off base who has no clue. I certainly can entertain that possibility. I’d enthusiastically encourage any football fan to read the book and come to their own conclusion. This work will not disappoint. Of that I am certain.

I’m a die hard Steelers fan, but always enjoyed sports books! This book was incredible! The way it’s written is so detailed and taught me so much about a franchise I was already well informed on! Well done, another masterpiece by Mr. Benedict!

The New England Patriots have built one of the longest lasting dynasties in professional sports, lasting 20 years built primarily around three people – owner Robert Kraft, head coach Bill Belichik and quarterback Tom Brady. Together, those three brought the Patriots to the Super Bowl nine times, winning six of them and galvanizing millions of fans on one side or the other of being fans of the team. This dynasty is captured in this lengthy but well-written book by Jeff Benedict.Something that will be noticed by readers soon after starting the 587 page book is that while a football team is the subject and the games they have played, including the Super Bowl, will be captured throughout the book, they will not be the primary focus of the book. Much more space is devoted to the off-field activities of all three of these men, even Brady. At times, this is much more interesting than the games on the field. One of the topics in which I believe the writing and storytelling is superb is how Kraft ended up owning the team, which was quite and adventure and nearly resulted in the team playing in Hartford instead of suburban Boston.Some of these stories are well-known – Brady becoming the starting quarterback only due to a serious injury to veteran signal caller Drew Bledsoe, Belichick becoming coach of the Patriots one day after being named coach of the rival New York Jets and the subsequent negotiations for compensation, "Spygate" when the Patriots were accused of illegally taping Jets coaches and "Deflategate" when the Patriots and specifically Brady were accused of deflating footballs below the required pressure in the 2015 AFC Championship game. These and so many more stories about the team are told in a such a fresh and entertaining manner that readers who are avid fans of the team and know about these matters will still enjoy the book.This review only scratches the surface of the information contained in this publication and Benedict pulls no punches. He has many words about former coach Bill Parcells, the upset by the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVII that kept the Patriots from enjoying a perfect season and the improbable comeback by New England in Super Bowl LI. Readers who enjoy pro football, regardless of their fandom of the Patriots, should add this one to their reading lists.

Amazing and surprising details of what went on behind the scenes. When the owner treats his employees as Kraft did it is easy to see where the loyalty was cultivated from..Every business owner could learn from this book.

Une réalisation magistrale qui nous captive du tout début jusqu'à la toute fin. Un grand pan d'une grande histoire.

Letters are very small. Isn't it against law in EU?

Congratulations to Jeff Benedict on such a well thought out book, the way in which you describe a story that is already beautiful in itself and somehow manages to make it even prettier is nothing short of amazing. In my portions, I was almost brought to tears, because of how unprecedented and how unique the story of the New England Patriots is.Once again, thank you for the diligent work in going through hundreds of sources and making sure that everything is as accurate as it can be, can't imagine how long that took.

The delivery was perfect and in the best conditions!

Having grown up in the Brady-Belichick era, I’ve only ever known the Patriots dynasty. I absolutely loved reading this book because I learned so much about the team that I never knew. Seeing how hard Kraft fought to get the team, and how it grew to be the Patriots I know and love today made my respect for Kraft, Belichick, and Brady grow tremendously. Seeing the struggles they all faced throughout the years up until the moment Brady made his decision leave, even if you are not a patriots fan you need to respect all that they have done to build this dynasty. There were many times where I had tears welling up in my eyes reading through moments I’ve lived, and especially reading the epilogue I finally felt I got the closure that many of us pats fans have been looking for since Brady left. A wonderful read, and a book I highly recommend to any sports fan!