A rift is rumored to have formed within the NFL's preeminent power. And power appears to be the problem.
At odds are New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, coach Bill Belichick, and quarterback Tom Brady, after disagreements over several issues - including the future of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo - and months of "behind-the-scenes frustration," according to a detailed report by ESPN's Seth Wickersham published Friday morning.
Together, the Kraft-Belichick-Brady trio has won five Super Bowls, 15 division titles, and recorded 15 regular seasons of 10 wins or more, spanning 2001 to present day.
No other franchise has appeared capable of dismantling the juggernaut, but an all-too familiar foe may prove worthy.
We've seen this story play out before.
The Dallas Cowboys bored a dynasty in the early 1990s. At the forefront were owner Jerry Jones and head coach Jimmy Johnson.
After purchasing the Cowboys in 1989, Jones dismissed legendary coach Tom Landry and replaced him with a former college teammate: Johnson.
Within two seasons, the duo transformed Dallas from a 1-15 team to an 11-5 contender.
In the two seasons that followed, the Cowboys captured Super Bowl XXVII and Super Bowl XXVIII. A dynasty formed. But it collapsed almost as quickly.
Jones and Johnson admittedly clashed and bickered over who deserved credit for the team's success. Jones went as far as saying: "There are 500 coaches who could have won the Super Bowl with our team."
Two months after going back-to-back, they mutually parted ways.
Sure, the Cowboys ultimately won three Super Bowls in four seasons, but they haven't won another since. In fact, Dallas hasn't made it out of the divisional round of the playoffs since 1995.
Jones recently copped to his role in the breakup of the Cowboys dynasty. Former players are convinced the team would have even more Lombardi trophies had Jones and Johnson stayed together.
The Kraft-Belichick-Brady Patriots have enjoyed and sustained more success, but the ingredients for a power struggle are there and are reportedly threatening to bubble over.
Since winning a fifth championship last February and composing the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history, Brady cemented himself as the best quarterback to ever play the game and Belichick is revered as one of the sport's greatest minds - if not the greatest.
Yet, if one were to pose the question as to who is more responsible for the team's success - player or coach - votes would likely be divided rather evenly.
In the 18 seasons they've been together, there's been little evidence of any friction between Belichick and Brady. The first may have been revealed in December when the coach reportedly banned his MVP pivot's associate and personal trainer Alex Guerrero from the team facility. The issue is written about in detail in the ESPN report.
Related - Report: Belichick banned Brady's associate Guerrero from locker room
Both brushed the rumors aside, yet neither denied them. It may be the first crack to show in the foundation.
One theme that has prevailed in the reporting of any tete-a-tete over Guerrero's access is control - whether Brady and his associate were afforded too much control of practices at the Patriots facilities or Belichick strived to regain a semblance of normalcy, and control.
Wickersham also writes in detail about the apparent fact Brady and Belichick were at odds over the future of Garoppolo, always thought to be the quarterback who would succeed Brady. But with Brady talking of playing well into his 40s, a power struggle ensued, with Kraft eventually delivering a "mandate" to Belichick to trade Garoppolo.
And it will be Kraft who'll likely have the final say in decisions of this magnitude for the franchise, because he is the man who, in the end, wields ultimate control. Belichick may have power over roster construction and philosophy, and Brady over the results the team achieves on the field, but Kraft will determine who prevails, if there is in fact a power struggle in Foxborough.
No opponent has been able to come between the Patriots and their progress. Not injury. Not free agency. Not time. Not age.
Ego is ultimately what led to the breakup of the Cowboys of the '90s.
Will the Patriots' dynasty meet a similar fate?
(Photos courtesy: Action Images)
