Matt Bowen was a strong safety in the NFL for seven years for four different teams and now he writes for Mike Lombardi's National Football Post. And his latest post explains why every veteran in the NFL who's serious about football wants to play for the Patriots. It's well worth reading the entire piece, but I'll list some of the highlights:

The Model
The New England Patriots are the team that every other club in the NFL wants to be -- whether they admit it or not...In the film room, whenever a Patriots tape was on -- even if it was against a team we were preparing to play that Sunday -- the conversation always shifted to New England. Why are they so good? What do they do that makes them better than everyone else? Is it the scheme or the players? Why do they get whomever they want in free agency? Sure, we would sit in those cold chairs in the dark of the film room and throw out criticisms of their players every so often, but we would be kidding ourselves if it wasn't out of pure, unfiltered jealousy.

The Real Appeal
...Veteran players understand that going to New England gives them a chance to extend their careers, and Belichick will make that possible by putting them in different packages -- on both sides of the ball -- that use their skills for the betterment of the team. Sure, they might not play on third downs anymore, but there will be at least five different blitz packages in the game plan that allow them to get on the field and make some plays -- while they chew up the competition along the way.

The Respect Factor
This might be the most important factor when it comes to the Patriots' success. Do you think the garbage going on in Denver right now would happen in New England? No way... Tell me a time when a player went to the podium after a game or during interviews after practice and criticized the way things are done in New England. Because I can't find one... These players would do anything to win -- and that comes from Belichick... I'd be lying if I didn't say that I would have loved to play for him during my career.... Before you throw "Spygate" at me, let's be honest. Every team in the league does it....

The Bottom Line
Before you start to call me a Belichick supporter, or someone who's trying to put down the rest of the AFC East, look at the facts because that's all I'm doing... I've been in locker rooms, and in film rooms across the league, and I can tell you that every player wants to run out of the tunnel in the Super Bowl. We have to realize that veteran players look to one place for that to happen when they're picking teams, and that place is settled between Boston and Providence. Players are drawn to New England because of the coach, the wins, the "team" idea that seems to exist there compared to every other dysfunctional NFL franchise. I despised the Patriots when I played.... But I would have driven up there in a second if they had offered me a contract.

So there you go. I couldn't have said it better myself, although God knows I've tried. And this is coming from an experienced, well traveled, thoughtful, articulate former NFL player who played under coaches like Kirk Ferentz, Mike Martz and Joe Gibbs, not some drunken lowlife blogger with a severe case of Belichickophilia. Bowen even tells the story of how when David Patten joined the Redskins, Gibbs had him show his Patriots championship rings in order to make the point that the Patriots were the model for what the 'Skins were trying to become. Yes, that would be the same Joe Gibbs who won three Super Bowls with Washington. But even Gibbs acknowledges that the Pats are the gold standard for excellence in the NFL. He knows it, Bowen knows it and any player worth a damn knows it. The only question now is: Why doesn't everybody?

(Thanks to Patsfan489 for the article)