Steelers Clark Says Brady and Patriots Mystique Is Gone

It's been a while -- relatively speaking -- since the New England Patriots have won a Super Bowl.

They were at one point considered a dynasty by many, but some players think the shine has finally come off of the golden boys of the NFL and their quarterback, Tom Brady.

One player who thinks that is Ryan Clark of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Clark seems to think that the Patriots reign is finally over and that they are no longer intimidating to the rest of the league.

“In 2010, we saw it start with the Jets in the playoffs. When Tom Brady gets pressure and when you’re man-to-man and bumping those guys and making it hard for him to throw, he sees ghosts. Even when guys aren’t around him, even when he’s not about to be sacked, when his clock goes off in his head that the ball should be out, we’ll see him duck, we’ll see him flinch. When you get Tom Brady doing that, the whole New England Patriots mystique goes away.”

Keep in mind that over the years that the Patriots have basically owned the Steelers. While Pittsburgh has won more Super Bowls than any team in the league, they aren't talked about as a dynasty the way the Patriots were a few years ago, which probably steams Clark and his Steeler teammates, so maybe that explains why he feels the Patriots are going down.

To be fair, he got at least one endorsement from the press corps.

But let's be real here. As long as the Patriots have Tom Brady, they will always be a threat to win the AFC.

And, with apologies to Charles Dickens, that may conjure up the Ghost of NFL Present to Clark and his black-and-gold buddies. Because that's just the way it is.

But it's always nice to dream, isn't it, Ryan?