As long as Brady plays, young Patriots are built to last

From tight end Rob Gronkowski chugging beers to wide receiver Julian Edelman and running back LeGarrette Blount mocking the Seattle Seahawks, the New England Patriots Jersey thoroughly enjoyed Wednesday’s Super Bowl XLIX victory parade.

It may not be long before the franchise is celebrating in the streets of Boston once again.

With the way their team is built, the Patriots have a legitimate shot at becoming the first back-to-back Super Bowl winner since New England pulled off the repeat during the 2003 and 2004 seasons.

Start with roster age. The 2004 Patriots that won Super Bowl XXXIX featured a significant share of graybeards. Eight starters and eight backups who played in New England’s 24-21 win over Philadelphia had at least six years of NFL experience.

Study questions what’s behind Patriots’ low fumble rate

In the wake of Deflategate, plenty has been made about whether or not the Patriots might have tampered with footballs or whether their pregame preparations of footballs have been on the level. But aside from the general notion that it might be easier to grip, throw, or catch a deflated football, the measurable impact of a football with lower air pressure received little attention.

And then Warren Sharp’s study went viral.

Last Thursday, Sharp — an engineer who maintains a blog focused on quantitative analysis of the NFL — published a post entitled, “The New England Patriots Prevention of Fumbles is Nearly Impossible.”

He then authored follow-up examinations of the Patriots’ startling fumble-proof performance in recent years, concluding that New England’s improved ability to avoid fumbles has become so extreme as to merit comparisons to winning the lottery.