dynasty that has made the rest of the NFL reel for nearly two decades.They are 6-3 in Super Bowls in Bill Belichick’s reign and with Tom Brady doing the clutch work. Yet the overall points for those games http://www.patriotslockerroom.com/authentic-patrick-chung-jersey , dating to 2002, stand at 215 for New England, 201 for the opposition.No blowouts.They began this unprecedented run using a bruising defense that turned the Rams’ Greatest Show on Turf into a tentative outfit that at times looked intimidated 17 years ago. On Sunday night, they brought it all full circle with a masterful defensive performance that humbled the Rams once more, even more so.The Patriots take down opponents in the most painful ways, whether in shootouts like against Carolina and Atlanta, or in comebacks — Atlanta again, and Seattle. While it’s always foolish to get into a tit-for-tat scoring binge with Brady, the 13-3 victory over Los Angeles proved the Pats can do the dirty work, win in the trenches and still survive.It’s maddening for the rest of the NFL. It’s maddening for so much of America that wants to see someone — anyone else — shut down this show. It leads to Patriots haters noting that one of the worst officiating errors in NFL history cost the rightful NFC champions, the Saints, a shot at New England. Or that coin tosses have handed the Patriots the ball in a Super Bowl and a conference title game overtime, and eventually they were lifting the Lombardi Trophy.No matter where football fans outside the New England base turn, however, the finish often hurts.Why?Wide receiver Chris Hogan, who has been to Super Bowls in all three of his seasons in New England, explains it well.“We have been in these situations so many times before in big games and we don’t really blink Stephen Gostkowski Jersey ,” Hogan said. “We practice these situations, we run these situations, we know how to execute in these situations — that is what it comes down to. Four-minute drives and trying to end a football game, take care of the ball, run blocking and doing all of the fundamentals when it really counts. And we have been in this situation before and it just helps.”The Patriots have been in every position before. So when they need to rely on Brady to light up the scoreboard, they can. And if the game environment calls for grinding it out, they can.One thing they never do is back off. In their losses to the Giants and Eagles in the Super Bowl, the Patriots remained aggressive. So did the opponent, though, and New York and Philadelphia simply made more key plays. Perhaps only one more key play, but that was enough.When the Seahawks and Falcons lifted off the accelerator — or made unwise strategic moves — New England swooped in.The decisive drive in the fourth quarter Sunday night was typical of the clinical manner in which they keep winning. Sloppy, particularly on third downs, and even a tad frustrated by the 3-3 score, they put together a classic drive: five plays, four of them passes, for 69 yards, capped by rookie Sony Michel’s 2-yard touchdown run.Brady went to his meal tickets and they ate up an LA defense that had been relatively staunch. An 18-yard pass to Rob Gronkowski Womens Duke Dawson Jersey , followed by 13 yards to game MVP Julian Edelman.Then a 7-yarder to Rex Burkhead led to a play that causes every defensive coordinator to lose sleep: Gronk going deep and overpowering as well as outreaching defenders — in this case double coverage — for 29 yards to the 2.Once Michel scored, it seemed inevitable the Rams would find nothing but disappointment the rest of the way.Leave it to Gronkowski to sum up what at some points looked like a so-so season for the Patriots. Yet there they were, at the summit again.“I’ll tell you this, it was the most satisfying year I’ve ever been a part of,” said the star tight end who just might have played his last game; he’s contemplating retirement, as he did last year before returning. “How we came together, the obstacles we had to overcome, the grind from the beginning of training camp to now. That was our identity; wear the other team out.“We weren’t making big, flashy plays all the time … but we stuck together, we grinded, ran the ball.“Now we’re Super Bowl champions, we’re world champions.”And the rest of the NFL writhes in pain. New England opens its third phase of offseason workouts today; here’s what to watch."Later today, the New England Patriots will open their 2019 organized team activities. Over the next four weeks, the team will work on teaching and implementing early schematic concepts and taking the next step with the initial two phases of workouts in the books. While not all players will be present at least early on, there will still be plenty of intriguing storylines to follow during the voluntary sessions.Let’s take a look at some of them, especially considering that reporters will be able to watch Thursday’s session.When will Tom Brady show up?While the Patriots’ biggest star is not expected to attend the early portions of OTAs, the 41-year-old will likely return to join its teammates no later than June 4: New England opens its mandatory minicamp that day and Brady is expected to be on the practice fields when that happens. The question is whether or not New England’s quarterback joins his teammates earlier than that — and in which capacity if that is the case.Who will be in attendance?The Patriots usually have tremendous attendance during voluntary workouts http://www.patriotslockerroom.com/authentic-trent-brown-jersey , and this is not expected to change during their organized team activities. The main question will therefore be about who joins Brady on the potential list of absentees. The three most realistic candidates are all currently rehabbing: offensive linemen Joe Thuney (foot) and Isaiah Wynn (Achilles) as well as safety Patrick Chung (arm).How will the players coming off injured reserve look?Wynn spent all of his rookie campaign sidelined after tearing his Achilles tendon during last year’s preseason — his status remains to be determined at this point in time. There are other 2018 draft picks, however, who could very well return to the field during OTAs and are worth keeping an eye on: linebackers Ja’Whaun Bentley and Christian Sam, wide receiver Braxton Berrios and tight end Ryan Izzo have all been out since September and are expected to make their returns sooner rather than later.Who will be the first man up at tight end?One of the biggest stories of the Patriots’ offseason so far is the retirement of future Hall of Famer Rob Gronkowski. With the 29-year-old gone, the tight end position will be one to watch during OTAs and beyond. While the voluntary practices are focused on teaching above all else — neither live contact nor one-on-one drills are permitted — we could get a first indication of how the current tight end depth chart looks like.How will the position battles develop?The tight end spot will not be the only one to have a fierce competition brewing: wide receiver, left tackle, linebacker, the entire defensive line and the punter position also have multiple players eying for a limited number of roster spots. While the battles will not be decided in mid-May, players can very well position themselves to make a run at one of the spots on the 53-man squad.Will there be early signs of second-year jumps?From 2018 rookies like Sony Michel and J.C. Jackson to free agency signings such as John Simon and Obi Melifonwu, New England has plenty of players on its roster entering their second year in the system. Year two is typically when a player takes a significant step in his development and it will be interesting to see if there will be some early signs of that visible during OTAs — be it in terms of usage, build, or general demeanor on the practice field.How will the Patriots’ offseason additions look like?New England invested considerable resources this offseason to maintain the quality of its roster despite some high-profile departures. This week will give us a first chance to watch the newly added talent in action — and draw some first (but likely premature) conclusions. Nevertheless, the spotlight will be on rookies like first-round draft pick N’Keal Harry and free agency additions such as Benjamin Watson, Jamie Collins and Mike Pennel.