Before I give you the skinny on the Pats, I have to first set forth my qualification as a sports person. I was a member of two teams that went to championship games. At BC in my sophomore year my team won the intramural basketball championship: and while with the Third Marine Air Wing in Japan my team played in the championship flag football game. I was quarterback.
In high school I had a good arm but never as good as Mike Donato. I played tennis but never could beat my younger brother J; played football but wasn’t as good as my younger brother W; played basketball but always lost to younger brother N. Although with N it was difficult to tell since he always changed the rules as the games progressed.
As a fan you’d be hard pressed to consider me one. I can’t name anyone on the Red Sox, Bruins, or Celtics. I’m a somewhat college football fan and watch BC and others when I can. That is the same with the Patriots. But often on fall weekends get togethers, taking advantage of the greatest weather or going to grandkids games take greater priority.
Up to this year I found the Patriots somewhat boring. Their problem was they won too often and too easily with Bradey at quarterback. The games seemed scripted. They’d be close into the third quarter and then Brady, as if he had been in a Rip Van Winkle sleep, would wake up and grab victory out of the mouth of defeat.
Brady is the best quarterback who ever played the game. His coach is also one of the greatest. Together they stand head and shoulders over all other teams. Their record while together shows that: eight Super Bowl appearances; five Super Bowl Championships. They are expected to win and normally do.
The secret to their success is Belichick’s skill at defense and Brady’s uncanny accuracy in throwing the ball.
The Patriots have lost two straight games up to today. Most likely they will win the next two, especially at home in the stadium of the owner who oversees the referees, where the yellow flag which can determine the outcome of a game is used sparingly against our guys, which is only fair. Sort of reminds me of playing basketball with my brother N – others were held to more strict standards.
Watching Brady the last couple of games I was reminded of a conversation I had with Danny S who played in the NFL. He had been playing a few years. He told how recovering from the bumps and bruises which seemed more painful took longer each year. Once by Tuesday they’d be gone but then they seemed to be there on Fridays.
Brady is much older than Danny was when he hung up his spikes but Danny being a tackle would have taken thousand more hits. There are no 41-year-old linemen. But the principle is the same, as you age the pain increases and lingers longer.
You can see now that Brady still has his skills and given time in the pocket is a magician with the ball. But over the last few games you can also see he is thinking of hit avoidance. Can’t blame him, as my brother B told me when some younger guys were mouthing off at a game and I wanted to say something: “You can’t get into fights over 40.” Brady knows he can’t take the hits anymore so is unwilling to stand in the pocket that may spring a leak as long as he once would.
You notice now for the most part in critical situations he will almost always go to Edelman or Gronkowski. When the fats not on the fire he spreads it around. If we see it, people who are paid to see it also do.
The future of the Patriots now depends on giving Brady the confidence he will not be hit. That can be done and I expect it will be. With that assurance, and less reliance on his two favorites, I expect they’ll go on to the Super Bowl. All it will take is for Kraft to make known that the refs shouldn’t call holding penalties against his team.
This is the problem with worrying about how big your balls are . You start running your mouth about the great indices of Quarterback courage in the pocket . Tom Brady did all the big hits along the way . He is a fucking Hit Parade . Nothing to prove. To anyone, leastways frustrated jock sportswriters. He is smart . He has a skill set intact at a late age in a very tough game. He is married to the Queen of the Universe . Do you really think he will not more readily throw it away on a third and long rather than satisfy those who largely leave their game in the locker room ? Or the dentist’s office . I am sure he is used to keyboard tough guy sports by now. Nonetheless, it must get tedious . He is a BRAND .
DON’T KILL THE BRAND .
Matt: You have these passages, like when you give that cadenced march of brothers through athletic combat in that one paragraph . Staccato . Very good.
Matt has a “Voice” there I muses . He could write something novel if he wasn’t so goddamn lazy and pared the clichés out of his composition.
Imagine the shock when I found out that, with all his $$$, his wife was the big bread-winner! There is money in that cat-walk.
Is this Brady’s last year? Will he retire from the NFL and be appointed an ambassador by Trump? Will he then move to N H and run for the Senate against Shaheen? His family’s net worth is close to $500 million and is only 41. He needs a new challenge. He is very popular in N H. If elected his next stop is the White House. His good looks and manners will appeal to the women’s vote.. Kraft wants another friend in the Presidency.
With the exception of Ann Arbor, no one outside of New England will vote for Tom. Down here in No. Virginia he is hated, and they don’t even play the Pats too much. He may be the GOAT but he is a goat in most NFL cities. New Hampshire is his best choice for politics, but I think a long life after football kicking back with his wife and kids is all that he will even do once retired.
I was in Ann Arbor two years ago and was kind of surprised at all the BRADY shirts, both UM and Patriots, walking the streets.
As for the Pats, they will be fine post Brady. Not like they are now, but dynasties have a way of sticking around. Steelers, Green Bay.
I really only follow buzkashi now. THAT is a really tough sport!