In the midst of the coronavirus, you may not have noticed that one of the most iconic quarterbacks in the history of football was let go by his team, and immediately scooped up by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I'm talking about #12, Golden Boy Patriot Tom Brady.There's lots of moaning in Mudville, and not without cause.
Brady has been the guy who brought the Patriots to a number of Superbowl championships, has been the backbone of one of the most exciting teams in the NFL, and was really the key behind the Patriots dynasty.
In two decades with the Patriots, Brady appeared in nine Super Bowls, won the Super Bowl six times, and was the MVP four times. In 20 years with the Patriots (by the way, that's the longest any quarterback has ever played for any single team) Brady won an all-time record 17 division championships—12 is second place, held by Peyton Manning—and Brady set a total of 15 Super Bowl records.
Love him or hate him, you have to respect his game.
A lot of Patriots fans are moaning because Brady is moving to a different team, and accusing Brady of disloyalty or worse, treason.
Why are they so upset with Brady?
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Tom Brady's Book, available on Amazon |
The Patriots let him go!
What was he supposed to do, out of loyalty to his team, either quit playing football or commit harakiri by stuffing a deflated football into the part of his body where the sun doesn't shine?
Were the Patriots loyal to him?
They decided that they would be better off taking his large salary and putting it towards other players, that the utility of Brady as a player was at or nearing its end, and that they would be better served without him.
It's true that Brady seemed off his normal game last year, especially towards the end of the season. And his last play (an interception) was what led to the loss of the final game.
This is a fact of football. Players are bought and sold like cattle, and when they are useful they are loved and when they are not they are let go.
Was Brady loyal to himself?
He has the vision of himself as a quarterback who can play for a few more years. He's got this whole method of training and living (using the exercise science of plyometrics) to keep his muscles supple and an eating regimen that is very strict. I read through the book, and it's good, but I don't think it's for me.
Whether or not these things are true, Brady believes them, and apparently, so do the Buccaneers. They are signing him for a 2 year deal worth at least 30 million per season. It's hard to turn down that kind of money when you still believe you can deliver the goods.
I didn't have this conversation with my kid, but if I did, I'd mention all these things, and ask him what he thought. Does Tom Brady owe the Patriots anything after 20 years of service? Do the Patriots owe Brady anything? And does Brady owe the fans the right to decide if he's a good guy or not?
So what do you think?
