LaDainian Tomlinson has been critical of the New England Patriots in the past, but he doesn't think the team's remarkable success over the last 20 years is bad for the NFL.
The Hall of Fame running back and current NFL Network analyst was asked Wednesday by NBC Sports Boston's Gary Tanguay if the Patriots' success -- a run that includes five Super Bowl titles and soon-to-be nine Super Bowl appearances -- is good or bad for the sport, and Tomlinson provided an in-depth explanation as to why it's actually been a positive.
"I think it's good," Tomlinson said. "I think it's good because it gives every team inspiration to say, 'This is what we can be. We can build an organization like the Patriots.' Most people say, 'Oh, there's a window that you have to win a championship.' Well, the Patriots have proven that window can be 20 years, right? You can no longer use that narrative that -- alright, you only have a five-year window, and then you've got to change up the organization, change coaches. No. They've proven they can do it year in and year out by switching up their philosophy, though. That's the key, to me."
Does Tomlinson see a team right now that can be the next Patriots?
"You look at this team in the Super Bowl now. The nucleus that they have of young guys, the Rams," Tomlinson said. "They've got a young coach (Sean McVay) -- it's possible he could be there a long time. A young quarterback (Jared Goff) --it's possible he could be there a long time. You got a dominant defensive player (Aaron Donald) who's young -- he could be there a long time. So when you talk about a nucleus of players to build around, Todd Gurley, they have potentially what it takes to make a run like the Patriots. But you just never know. ..."
The Patriots will play for their sixth Lombardi Trophy on Sunday when they meet the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta.
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