Sharing general manager duties with Belichick for almost a decade, not many know more about the inner workings of the Patriots at that time than Pioli, so he knows more than most how to build a dynasty in the NFL.

And following such giants of the game will be tough as “there’s an expectation, and it’s possibly an unrealistic expectation for Jerod and Eliot Wolf, the new general manager”.

“They need time to implement their programme, get their players in,” said Pioli. “Just because there’s players there who played for Bill, it doesn’t mean they’re the right players for Jerod. They’re starting from ground zero and it’s a complete rebuild.”

The ‘Patriot Way’ was built around Belichick’s no-nonsense approach of just “do your job” and not worry about anything else.

No egos were allowed, not even Brady, as despite being the shining light of the league he regularly restructured his contract and took less than he could have earned elsewhere in order to build a championship-winning side under salary cap constraints.

A dynasty is built on much more than a star coach and quarterback though: “It was never just Bill, it was never just Tom, it was never just the two of them,” insisted Pioli. “We built this thing and it was a mass of people.”