The New England Patriots are without a question, the team of the 2000’s. They join the Pittsburgh Steelers of the 70’s, San Francisco 49ers of the 80’s, and Dallas Cowboys of the 90’s as the “Teams of the Decades.” The Pats won three Super Bowls, and appeared in four AFC Championship games from 2000 to 2010 . They went 14-2 in 2003 and 2004, and went 16-0 in 2007. They were unique as they were viewed as underdogs, America’s New Team, the greatest offense ever, and the team everyone hates.

The decade started off with the hiring of Bill Belichick as new head coach. In 2000 the team went 5-11 and finished last in the AFC East. The next year, veteran quarterback Drew Bledsoe signed a then record, ten year deal worth over 100 million dollars. In the second game of the season he suffered a devastating injury that forced him to sit out several weeks. Unknown at the time, young backup quarterback Tom Brady stepped in and led the Patriots to the division championship and they played in Super Bowl XXXVI against the “Greatest Show on Turf” the St. Louis Rams. They upset the Rams 20-17 on a last second field goal and won their first championship in team history.

The next season the team struggled in the realigned AFC East at 9-7 in the new Gillette Stadium. In 2003 the team lost two of its first four games and won twelve straight regular season games afterwards. They earned another division championship and home-field advantage in the playoffs. The beat the Colts in the AFC Championship game that was marred by controversy as Colts fans criticized the officials as they felt the Patriots committed numerous pass interference penalties. The game resulted in the NFL passing new rules when it comes to wide receivers and defensive backs. The Patriots went on to Houston and beat the “Cardiac Cats”, the Carolina Panthers, 32-29 in another last second field goal, to win their second Super Bowl in 3 years.

The next season the team acquired Cincinnati Bengals running back Corey Dillon and in 2004 he rushed for a career high 1,635 yards and the Patriots set a record that they later broke of winning 18 straight regular season games. On October 31st however, the Patriots traveled to Pittsburgh and rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers ran over the Patriots to win 34-20. Longtime fan favorite Ty Law was lost for the season and ended up playing his final game for the Patriots. Seven weeks later on Monday Night Football the Patriots were upset by the Miami Dolphins in Miami, a team that at the time only had two wins.

After the loss the Patriots never lost a beat and headed into the playoffs as the number two seed and faced arch-rival the Indianapolis Colts in the Divisional Playoffs and beat Peyton Manning again in snowy Foxborough 20-3. In the AFC Championship game the Patriots played the team that gave them their first lost on the season, the Pittsburgh Steelers. On a cold January night the Patriots came out explosive and led 24-3 at halftime and eventually sent the previously one loss Steelers home and the Patriots headed to Jacksonville, Florida to play the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX. The Eagles had All-Pro wide receiver Terrell Owens back from a broken leg injury and he had a stellar night, but fell short as the Patriots won 24-21 to win their third Super Bowl in four years.

The next two seasons the Patriots failed to live up to expectations and reach the Super Bowl again. They went 10-6 in 2005 and lost to the Denver Broncos in the playoffs. In 2006 the team went 12-4 including losses to the Broncos again, The Indianapolis Colts, New York Jets and losing 21-0 in Miami to the Dolphins. They reached the AFC championship game in Indianapolis and were up two at one point 21-3, but eventually lost 38-34.

Some would argue that the next year the Patriots had their most impressive team ever. They had acquired standout linebacker, Adalius Thomas, and Pro Bowl receiver Randy Moss. They went 16-0 in the regular season, but it almost didn’t happen as they had close contests with the Indianapolis Colts, Philadelphia Eagles, and against the Baltimore Ravens, which at the time was the highest rated cable broadcast in history on Monday Night Football. They set numerous records including Tom Brady’s mind-blowing 50 touchdown passes. Randy Moss pulled in his 23rd touchdown pass of the year on the same play in the last game of the season. They went to Super Bowl XLII in Arizona and were upset by the New York Giants in what some call the greatest Super Bowl ever. The Patriots were shocked at the result.

Despite this heartbreaking defeat, the Pats were again favored to win the Super Bowl in 2008 until MVP quarterback Tom Brady was lost for the season in the first game of 2008. They finished 11-5 that year, but missed the playoffs. This year Tom Brady returned and the team went 10-6, returning to the top of the AFC East. They lost a disappointing first round game to the defensive-mined Baltimore Ravens in Foxboro.

Bill Belichick has been heralded this decade as the modern day Vince Lombardi. Even after the Spygate situation, people still called him the best coach in pro football. While he did have assistant coaches leave for other jobs as head coaches, none of them have found real success so far and three of them have been fired.

Spygate had to be one of the top stories for the Patriots this decade. It involved the illegal videotaping of other teams’ defensive signals and using them. The Patriots and Belichick were fined by the NFL and they lost their first round draft pick the next year. That was the year they went 16-0 and looked like a team that was unstoppable.

No matter where you go it seems like the Patriots have respect form a lot of fans of the NFL. Joey Diodati, a New York Giants fan and Commerce student said, “I give them lots of credit throughout the years. Winning three Super Bowls with Brady, I give him lots of credit for winning because he did it with average wideouts.” He also went on to say he thinks Super Bowl XLII was the greatest one ever and the Patriots are the team of the decade.

Max Sullivan, an Eagles fan said, “They did their thing, you gotta respect the best.” Tyric Huddleston an avid Patriot fan said, “The Pats are my team and I’ll stand by them and yeah we lost, but we got it next year.”

No matter what way you spin it nobody expected the Patriots to win three Super Bowls this decade and nobody expected them to be called the team of the decade. Maybe this gives the fans in Detroit hope that the Lions can be called the team of the new decade.