Unfortunately any greatness associated with NE will always come with an asterisk. Be it the Brady "Tuck" Rule, running up the score, misleading injury reports, not shaking the other coaches hand, or Spygate. Most importantly Spygate. I think that if the NFL had handed down a significant penalty and kept the tapes, the game would have taken a hit but it would have survived. Any regular person would assume that if the evidence had to be destroyed, then it must have been so damning that it was dangerous to leave intact. Either that or the NFL overreacted. And if they overreacted the penalty should have been much harsher than 1 draft pick and 1 benchwarmer's salary.
In the end NE got off. The trophies are still theirs. But like steroids in baseball, we can move on but we can't forget it happened. Maybe when BB retires and Brady get shipped off like Bledsoe, a new NE team can try to erase the tarnish of the "dynasty."