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The Dynasty
- Narrated by: Todd Menesses
- Length: 25 hrs
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The Dynasty
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Summary
New York Times Best Seller
From the number-one New York Times best-selling coauthor of Tiger Woods comes the definitive inside story of the New England Patriots - the greatest sports dynasty of the 21st century.
It’s easy to forget that the New England Patriots were once the laughingstock of the NFL, a nearly bankrupt team that had never won a championship and was on the brink of moving to St. Louis. Everything changed in 1994, when Robert Kraft acquired the franchise and soon brought on board Head Coach Bill Belichick and Quarterback Tom Brady. Since then, the Patriots have become a juggernaut, making 10 trips to the Super Bowl, winning six of them, and emerging as one of the most valuable sports franchises in the world.
How was the Patriots dynasty built? And how did it last for two decades? In The Dynasty, acclaimed journalist Jeff Benedict provides richly reported answers in a sweeping account based on exclusive interviews with more than 200 insiders - including team executives, coaches, players, players’ wives, team doctors, lawyers, and more - as well as never-before-seen recordings, documents, and electronic communications.
Through his exhaustive research, Benedict uncovers surprising new details about the inner workings of a team notorious for its secrecy. He puts listeners in the room as Robert Kraft outmaneuvers a legion of lawyers and investors to buy the team. We listen in on the phone call when the greatest trade ever made - Bill Belichick for a first-round draft choice - is negotiated. And we look over the shoulder of 40-year-old Tom Brady as a surgeon operates on his throwing hand on the eve of the AFC Championship Game in 2018.
But the portrait that emerges in The Dynasty is more rewarding than new details alone. By tracing the team’s epic run through the perspectives of Kraft, Belichick, and Brady - each of whom was interviewed for the book - the author provides a wealth of new insight into the complex human beings most responsible for the Patriots’ success. We watch the NFL’s savviest owner treat Brady like a son, empower Belichick to cut and trade beloved players, and spend sleepless nights figuring out diplomatic ways to keep Brady and Belichick together for two decades. We come to understand how a genius head coach keeps his players at an emotional distance and blocks out anything that gets in the way of winning. And we experience the relentless drive, ferocious competitive nature, and emotional sensitivity that allows Brady to continue playing football into his 40s.
The result is an intimate portrait that captures the human drama of the dynasty’s three key characters while also revealing the secrets behind their success. This is perhaps the most compelling and illuminating book that will ever be written about the greatest professional sports team of our time.
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What listeners say about The Dynasty
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- eamon hartnett
- 04-08-21
Very informative
I didn't know a lot about the Patriots or Tom Brady before I listened to this audio book but I do now! If you're a sports fan then is a must read/listen .....it's as simple as that!
1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kai McKenzie
- 13-01-23
What an Insight!
As a Seahawks fan, I have never been a massive fan of the Patriots, although I did have an appreciation of Brady and Belichick’s accomplishments.
Being able to hear how Kraft took the team from the bottom to the top and find out about all the smaller moving parts that kept them there has made me appreciate what the organisation accomplished even more.
It’s written like a movie and the performance from the narrator gives it an all-American feel, which I think fits the narrative perfectly. This is a must for sports and business fans alike.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 19-10-22
Definitely the Authorised story
I'm not sure what I was expecting, but this is a story which is definitely told from the Patriots/Kraft family perspective. Their viewpoint is presented as absolute fact and receives little critical questioning.
Even as a fan of the team I found a lot of it hard to swallow.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- MR D B
- 30-03-22
Best sports book ever
This book is easily the best sports book I’ve ever read.
If you’re any way at all interested in the NFL it’s a great listen, but as a Patriots and Tom Brady fan, it’s just a different level.
Great stories and insights and information that I never even knew.
Worth a listen. Enjoy
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Caolan Smith
- 17-12-21
6 stars for pat fans
A must for New England Patriot fans, great insight into the pats. Hopefully it needs updated again very soon.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Thomas Howe
- 07-08-21
The perfect audiobook and an amazing listen for NFL fans
Even as a Denver Broncos fan I absolutely loved this. The stories of Brady and Kraft were amazing and really showed how their story impacted the NFL forever. I wish I could listen again as if I had never listened to this as it was so good. The narration is brilliant and the writing is also amazing. A must buy.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 27-07-21
A must for all Patriot & football fans
A great listen from start to finish, a complete tell all from all the main players in the greatest sports team in recent memory. Well written and well read, truly a must for all Patriot and Football fans alike
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
Absolutely amazing, in depth, and gripping
From a die-hard Patriots fan, I was expecting alot. It delivered expertly, I was gripped from the moment I started listening
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Ian Stokes
- 26-04-21
For Pats fans only
It was ok at best in some parts but this is only really going to be of interest to newer, bandwagon jumping fans of the Pats that might not have known most of this anyway. For non-Pats fans, or Pats fans that have been around since before the dynasty, there’s not much here.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- J. Potter
- 14-02-21
Kraft centric, totally fascinating
If you have interest in success within any field this narrative with Kraft always at it's core, follows three of the most accomplished sports characters of all time. it focuses on the business bounce of Kraft, the leadership of Belichick and the relentless drive of Brady.
The story starts with Kraft as a young man and ends with Brady driving away at the beginning of COVID, in 2020.
Anyone partially interested in the Patriots, NFL lore, building business, leading teams and excelling personally is likely to get something from this story.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mark
- 29-12-20
I could not put this down!
This long book is an outstanding narrative about the New England Patriots and their unparalleled 20 year dynasty in the NFL. The main character is Robert Kraft. The story of how he actually became the owner of the Patriots is as interesting as any part of the book. I am a Patriots fan, but knew little about this. Kraft, quarterback Tom Brady, and Coach Bill Belichick are the main characters in this true story of a football team. There are so many interesting subplots in this book. This was one of the year's best books. I loved it. It is one of my all-time favorite sports books, and NOT just because I am a Pats fan. (My other favorites are Bill Parcells: A Football Life and Yogi Berra: A Life Behind the Mask - both associated with teams that are Boston rivals). In The Dynasty, Benedict did a great job weaving the personal stories behind the scenes together with football action and controversies. While it is a long book, my only criticism would be that I wanted to know more about many of Belichick's on-field decisions, especially ones that ran counter to conventional wisdom. I see why the author chose not to make this longer. When I finished this book, I felt like I do after finishing a great epic novel, one which transports you to its world. I did not want to leave. This is sports writing at its best.
4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 17-09-20
Great book
I hate the Patriots and even I found this to be a great book. I definitely recommend.
4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Erin
- 05-09-20
Must read for Patriots fans
We’ve heard most of the stories or rumors but I appreciated the inside look at how it all happened.
4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- olympic
- 12-10-20
Need to be a NE fan.
Great book. Not only about the Kraft Family but the whole Patriots Organization. The performance was off a bit at time’s.
2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Brendan M. Cole
- 29-09-20
Wow, Just an amazing story!
One of the best book I’ve ever read or listened too. Captivating from beginning to end. Anyone who calls themselves a sports fan absolutely must read this book
2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- macaroni
- 28-09-20
Great book but narrator...
Absolutely loved the book. Great story. Comprehensive. Human. But man, the narrator was incredibly annoying. During narration, he was fine but when quoting people, he’d attempt to change his voice. When quoting black men he’d suddenly use a weird accent. When quoting women, he’d suddenly raise his tone in a weird attempt to sound like a woman but sounded like when a guy mocks a female voice. Just weird.
2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Matthew Vincent
- 10-09-20
Even as a Bills fan
I'm a Bills fan but still loved the well written and well researched story. awesome book
2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Adam Snyder
- 10-09-20
Great depiction.
Jeff is a great author! I highly recommend this book as well as his book on Tiger Woods! Couldn’t put them down.
2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Zack
- 08-09-20
Great Book
I could not put this book down. The author clearly has done a ton of in depth reporting and is a good storyteller.
2 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Derek
- 05-09-20
Worth Your Time - Not Exceptional
25 hours is a long book and it ends up being worth your time. It’s enjoyable to hear the story about the team from start to present day. That being said it really drags at certain points then glosses over other moments a fan would assume to hear much more about. It’s not so much a bad vs good it’s a Kraft glow piece where he is the true hero of the dynasty and coach and QB are great but flawed. At the end you feel like Kraft and his people were most cooperative and certainly used this book to try and let the public know that as great as the others are the only reason the dynasty survived was Kraft.
2 people found this helpful