Damien Woody has a compelling theory about ex-Patriots in broadcasting

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Want to hear a former New England Patriots player's take on Sunday's AFC Championship Game? You won't have to look very hard.

From Tedy Bruschi and Randy Moss at ESPN to Rodney Harrison at NBC Sports to Willie McGinest at NFL Network to (shameless plug alert) Rob Ninkovich, Troy Brown, Jerod Mayo and Ty Law on NBC Sports Boston, there are a host of former Patriots who made the successful leap to sports media after their playing careers.

Players joining the media ranks isn't uncommon, but ex-Patriots appear to have a knack for broadcasting gigs. One of them -- Patriots lineman-turned-ESPN analyst Damien Woody -- says that's no coincidence.

"I think, number one, when you're part of a winning team, people want a piece of that. That's first and foremost," Woody told host Michael Holley on NBC Sports Boston's "The Michael Holley Podcast." 

"The Patriots have won a lot, man. More so than any other team over the past decade-plus. People want a piece of that. They want you to take them behind the curtain: Why was that organization so successful?"

Part two of Woody's theory for why ex-Pats thrive as analysts has to do with head coach Bill Belichick.

"All the guys that you mentioned, because we played under Bill, we've got a unique perspective of the game of football," Woody said. "Bill taught us so much about the game of football. Not a lot of people are privy to that. I think that's what separates Bill from all the other coaches, is how he teaches you the game of football.

"And so now you have all these on TV who can give you the nuances of those nuggets that fans just really crave. Because it's not about the stats. It's about the little things that you can tell fans that they can't get on a stat sheet or a highlight."

Woody makes two great points. Virtually every former Patriot you see on TV has won at least one Super Bowl, meaning they've experienced success at the highest level while learning from arguably the greatest coach of all time. They're also in the unique position of knowing what really goes on in New England, an organization usually marked by secrecy.

Add it all up, and it's no surprise the likes of Woody and his ex-teammates are thriving in their new careers.

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