Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots have been here before, which could make all the difference in Super Bowl 51.
The New England Patriots are entering their ninth Super Bowl as a franchise. This is more than just an NFL record; it matches the all-time number of total playoff wins that the Atlanta Falcons have as a franchise.
The Super Bowl experience of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick alone is enough for a team, let alone the other 22 players on the Patriots roster with Super Bowl experience and their coaching staff. Compare this to the four players on the Falcons roster and Dan Quinn’s experience, and the Patriots should benefit heavily from their past.
Bill Belichick has experience preparing his team for a Super Bowl. Not only is he coaching in his 7th as a head coach, he is coaching in his 10th overall and his 2nd in Houston. He knows what preparations are needed throughout the week and knows the intricacies of the Super Bowl game itself.
This experience is not totally lost on Quinn, however. He was the defensive coordinator for two Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl experiences, but will be coaching in his first Super Bowl as a head coach.
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The true difference is in player experience between the two teams. The Falcons roster features just a single game of experience for Dwight Freeney, Philip Wheeler, Dashon Goldson and Courtney Upshaw. These four games of Super Bowl experience is two less than Tom Brady, who has as many Super Bowl wins as the Falcons roster has total games.
The Patriots also have eight players with multiple Super Bowl games under their belts, including Stephen Gostkowski (3), Julian Edelman (2), Marcus Cannon (2), Devin McCourty (2) and others. These integral pieces of the Patriots offensive and defensive units provide invaluable experience to players such as Joe Thuney, Trey Flowers, Eric Rowe, Martellus Bennett and others that have no experience in Super Bowls.
The advantage of knowing the Super Bowl experience, the schedule of Super Bowl week and the pomp and circumstance around the game helps a Patriots team that is already favored. They also hold one other valuable piece of experience – the experience of raising a Lombardi Trophy which they will look to experience again this Sunday.