Dynasty Debate: Patriots Ex Ted Johnson 'Takes Issue' With Bill Belichick

Bill Belichick's recent assertion that his first "great" team came after his first Super Bowl with the New England Patriots upset one of those champions, linebacker Ted Johnson.

Some franchises find their footing in the sequel rather than the original. Bill Belichick appeared to think so about his New England Patriots dynasty, calling the 2003-04 edition that won Super Bowl XXXVIII the first "pretty good football team" he coached in Foxborough.

Ted Johnson, on the other hand, claims you can't beat an original.

Johnson, a linebacker on the first three New England championship teams, appeared on 98.5 The Sports Hub on Wednesday, addressing Belichick's comments on The 33rd Team that lauded his second championship as his first truly dominant team "in all three phases of the game." 

The defender, who spent every season of a 10-year career in Foxborough, took offense to Belichick's perceived disregard for the 2001-02 team that hoisted New England's first Vince Lombardi Trophy. Belichick claimed that the team was "fortunate" to win Super Bowl XXXVI in an upset victory over the St. Louis Rams. Belichick also claimed that the team was "nowhere near" the one he and Bill Parcells helped guide to Super Bowl XXXI after the 1996-97 season and that it had "declined quite a bit" since then.

Even though Belichick admitted that there were "still a few pillars here that we could build with" left over from the 1996 group five years later, Johnson wasn't pleased with the apparent slight.

"It amazes me that he would devalue or discredit the 2001 Super Bowl team," Johnson said on the Zolak & Bertrand midday program. "I know we were 14-point underdogs, but it’s weird. I would think he would be more proud of that Super Bowl than any of them. I take issue with these comments."

That 2001 season was Belichick's second season with the team. Expectations were low after the team went 5-11 in his debut year, but they, with the assistance of the rise of Tom Brady, recovered from a 1-3 start to finish 11-5 before disposing of Oakland and Pittsburgh before the last-second 20-17 victory over St. Louis. 

Displeased that Belichick didn't name the "pillars" by name, he opted to do it for him.

"You’re talking about the 2000 team he inherited when he started coaching," Johnson said. "The list of players includes Drew Bledsoe, Troy Brown, Tedy Bruschi, Ty Law, Willie McGinest, Lawyer Milloy, Adam Vinatieri."

Host Marc Bertrand reminded Johnson not to forget himself. Each of the players that Johnson listed not only played major roles in the championship journey in 2001 but they also helped push the Patriots to the 31st edition, which ended a decade-plus conference title drought.

Even if the 2003-04 team was undoubtedly far more dominant than the 2001 group (earning 14 victories and kicking off a 21-game winning streak), Johnson made it clear that the original Lombardi Trophy winners shouldn't be forgotten. After all, they won the Super Bowl ... how bad could they be? 

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Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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