Without the tuck rule (and Adam Vinatieri for that matter)- I seriously doubt we would know who Tom Brady is. Shit, Brady wasn't even Brady then.

http://www.boston.com/ae/theater_arts/exhibitionist/TOM-BRADY-PIC-1.jpg

He played okay during that '01 run as more or less a game manager, but was certainly no lock to come back the following year as a starter- if their season ends in their first playoff game. Drew Bledsoe probably comes back as the Pats starter, rather than heading to Dallas, and Brady is back on the bench... maybe eventually becoming a Matt Cassell or something... who knows.

But that tuck rule, and Brady's limited role at the time, and getting A LOT OF HELP (and luck) along the way, won a Superbowl, and then another one. Spygate may or may not have helped there, in two games that ONE play could have changed the outcome of.

The bottom line is this. Winning breeds confidence, and confidence breeds success... so Brady's initial success in the league was the combination of a perfect storm of events, and he GREW into the quarterback he is today. There are a ton of quarterbacks in my opinion who if put in Brady's situation, would have become the same quarterback.

We can debate it all day, but everything Ray said is dead on. Take away the tuck rule, the Patriots dynasty probably NEVER gets off the ground. And neither does Brady...