So the New England Patriots have won their fifth Super Bowl under the stewardship of coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady. Brady collected a record fourth Super Bowl Most Valuable Player award along the way, making him arguably the best quarter back the NFL has ever seen.

Don’t Forget the Rest of the Team

But Brady didn’t do it alone. American Football is a team sport through and through, with a huge team of players, coaches and other backroom staff all contributing to the glory that comes with a Super Bowl win. The quarter backs are the visible stars, but it’s the team that gets them there, and what was it about the Patriots and their performance won them the title?

Momentum

In the last 10 years, the Patriots have been in seven Super Bowls and won five of them. Teams that develop a history of success develop a momentum about their progress. It’s like pushing a car – to get going is hard, but once you have put the effort in, it gets easier. Consistently winning develops morale, confidence and our second point – Belief.

Belief

Belief is such a strong concept but one that is so hard to actually… well, believe in! It requires a mix of confidence, bloody mindedness and faith. At half time, and 21-0 down, many people had the Patriots dead and buried. But this is what Tom Brady said in his post-match interview: ‘At half time we weren’t down at all’. When times are tough, teams that mentally give up are highly unlikely to succeed. Those that have a strong belief in their abilities, no matter what the odds, are more likely to succeed.

Consistency

Great teams are consistent. Consistent in their preparation, their drills, their behaviour – everything. The Patriots will have spent countless hours drilling the right behaviour and fitness into their players, that meant thing like Edelman’s superb catch deep in the fourth quarter, and James White’s three touchdowns – one of them to clinch the game in overtime – are not things that happen by chance. Tom Brady summed it up very nicely when commenting on James White “he’s dependable, consistent, durable”. Three simple words that summed up the Patriots performance as a whole.

Luck

As much as practice will have meant not much was left to chance, you have to recognise what part luck plays in the fate of teams like the Patriots. People do say you make your own luck, or you eliminate the impact of luck through practice, or that luck isn’t a part of a structured game like American Football. But it’s there for all of us – and it’s just a case of deciding to ride your luck when it comes your way. For the Patriots, their moment of luck was winning the 50/50 coin toss at the end of regular time that meant they could choose to receive the ball from the overtime kick off. They get possession of the football and score a touchdown to clinch the game.

Skill, yes, but luck, consistency, belief and momentum are what carried the Patriots to their record breaking and quite incredible win as a team.