IS RING SEVEN BRADY'S MOST SIGNIFICANT?
During the Super Bowl presentation and MVP ceremony on Sunday night, CBS’ Jim Nantz very subtly attempted to pry open Tom Brady. ‘Where does this rank? Is this the crowning achievement?’, Nantz’s words to the former New England Patriot. A question which Tom Brady quickly side-stepped, insisting he wouldn’t offer comparisons between his successes. Credit to Jim Nantz for trying, it’s a question I’m sure every football lover worldwide is intrigued to uncover, none more than those Tampa and Massachusetts natives mind you. Whilst the cultural differences between Floridian life and New England residency are literally as contrasting as hot and cold, Tom Brady appeared to show equal joy celebrating with his Tampa teammates on Sunday and his colleagues in Foxborough in previous years. Google search Tom Brady interviews and you’ll hear the same three words every time the question, ‘so which ring is your favourite?’ comes up. The next one. The attitude of football’s golden boy condensed into three simple words and one powerful phrase. A phrase that must deliver a cold sweat over coaches and players across the league. Tom Brady may well be the only man in America with more jewellery than his wife, but when the Goat looks at his collection, they’re just numbers. When he drives to Raymond James Stadium months from now to pick up his sparkly new addition, it will be number seven and number seven only. That first ring he won in February 2002, is just that, his first ring. The ring courtesy of the miraculous 28-3 comeback to the Atlanta Falcons doesn’t sit higher than the rest on the cluttered Brady mantelpiece, it’s wedged in there between rings four and six. Tom Brady won’t admit it but ring seven speaks more of number 12’s legacy than any other.
We can go back and forward analysing the
rings, the ifs and buts that come with each. What if Pete Carroll put the
ball in Marshawn Lynch’s trustworthy hands and sealed back-to-back Super Bowls
for the Seattle franchise and erased Brady’s 4th success, what then?
Suddenly, Tom Brady goes ten years
without a ring (this game being played in 2015 and the Patriots last win at the
time coming in 2005), he’s 3-3 in Super Bowls (shout-out Eli Manning) and
Peyton Manning is still lurking around the AFC with a dangerous Denver Broncos
side. Rewind further, an excellent point made by Pardon the Interruption’s
Tony Kornheiser, you can’t have seven until you have six. You can’t have six until
you have five and so forth. Ultimately, you can’t have seven until you have one.
So, what if Kurt Warner and the greatest show on turf pipped Brady to the post
in Super Bowl 36? What if Adam Vinatieri missed the game winning field goal
against the St.Louis Rams and the Pats went down in overtime? Of course, Adam Vinatieri
rarely missed, he never on this occasion either and the rest is history. The question is and always will
be there, what if? Taking this into consideration, Brady’s right, each one is
as special as the last.
Ring number seven is different, however. Yeah, we can play the
what if game all offseason and find different ways to justify each rings importance,
but something separates number seven from the thumb and one that he picked up before
this season. This time Bill Belichick wasn’t the one drowning in a Gatorade bath as the clock displayed treble zeros. Having rewritten the NFL history books
with the New England Patriots, guiding them to nine Super Bowls, whilst
clinching six, the Massachusetts franchise gave up on the former 6th
round pick turn superstar. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, and had Brady performed
as flawlessly as he did on Sunday during his final year at Gillette Stadium, we
wouldn’t be half as engrossed in Tampa as we are just now. But, as the saying goes,
all good things come to an end, and the love affair between Tom Brady and the
New England Patriots faded away in the foggy Massachusetts air during a
play-off loss at home to Tennessee last January. At 42-years-old (during that play-off
loss against Tennessee) we could be excused for suspecting a Brady decline, I
mean, 42-years-old? Seriously it was about time? As it turns out, the issue was
within the Pats organisation. For one, rowdy Tight-End, Rob Gronkowski was no
longer an option. Gronk had announced his retirement prior to the 2019 campaign.
Instead of catching touchdown passes, the big man was now slamming through tables
like those crazy Buffalo fans as part of the WWE. Benjamin Watson came in to
replace Gronk, the former Saint would’ve been the oldest on the roster if not
for Brady, hardly a sign of intent from Robert Kraft. Demaryius Thomas, another
receiving option in his twilight years was hauled in whilst Chris Hogan and
Cordarrelle Patterson parted ways. Offensive struggles became more apparent throughout
the year, with limited options, Brady’s completion percentage dropped to its
lowest in 6 seasons. 2019 also saw Brady’s lowest TD passes (24) on record
since 2006 when he matched those numbers. When the announcement was made that
the New England Patriots would not be extending Brady’s deal few sides expressed
interest in the three-time league MVP. A similar snub he faced from the league’s
32 members two decades ago when he was drafted 199th overall. When
will the NFL learn? Along with the Los Angeles Chargers, Tampa Bay made it clear
they were willing to offer a now 43-year-old Brady a two-year contract. And so
Tompa Bay was born.
Despite the tempting offer of a return to California where
Brady grew up and, to this day, still has several family members, he opted for
the popular retirement home that is the Sunshine State. Aside from the
arsenal of receiving options in Tampa, a future with the Buccaneers also came
with the allure of an exit from the AFC. In fact, many specialists predicted
Tampa was a more desired destination as a move to the Chargers would involve multiple
duels with Patrick Mahomes each year. In the end the goat and
the potential goat-to-be did in fact battle it out twice in the 2020 season. Mahomes
snatched the regular season win whilst Brady had the final say. As far as receivers
go, Brady couldn’t have been blessed with a better bunch. Mike Evans and Chris
Godwin, arguably the best wide-receiver tandem in the league. Scotty Miller (at
5ft9 Brady’s new Julian Edelman in the slot), Antonio Brown (signed in October)
and Gronk (Brady’s personal recruit) to name a few. With
Leonard Fournette saved from the sinking ship of Jacksonville and veteran
LeSean McCoy also on hand in the backfield, Brady’s presence in Tampa attracted
several former AFC men seeking redemption from earlier struggles in the
painstaking pros. On both sides of the ball Bruce Arians and his team in Tampa
assembled a perfect blend of youthful promise and proven experience. Devin
White and Jason Pierre-Paul a perfect example of this newly adopted culture in the
Line-backer position. This dream team was manufactured in the most bizarre season
on record, what with constant postponements of training and schedules shifting
week after week. Covid-19’s hindrance on the 2020 NFL campaign limited
Tom Brady’s access
to his new teammates. Although millions incorporated Zoom into their lives to keep
connected during the pandemic, bonds were always going to be tougher to build
with that lack of physical interaction. This unprecedented factor could so
easily unnerve someone walking into a new side, in a new location.
Astonishingly, it has been recently discovered that this Bucs side suffered the worst regular season defeat of any Super Bowl champion, their 38-3 loss to NFC South rivals New Orleans, their second of two defeats to Drew Brees. Although, once again, Tom Brady would have one more say, toppling Brees in the Mercedes Benz-Arena during the Divisional Round. Statistics such as this and the fact that Tampa were, at one point, 7-5 and in serious doubt of a play-off berth at all showcase both Brady’s never say die spirit and the effect of his presence in the locker room. Even within an organisation as inferior as the Bucs. Tampa ended last season below .500, becoming only the fifth side in NFL history to hoist the Lombardi Trophy off the back of a losing season. The second time Brady has boasted this rare feat. Tampa also became just the 6th Wild-Card side to win the ultimate prize. Their reward for three road wins in the play-offs, at Washington, New Orleans and Green Bay, was a home Super Bowl. The first home Super Bowl in NFL history. In his six previous successes, Tom Brady headed into the play-offs having clinched a divisional title. Drew Brees and the Saints threw yet another curveball at Brady when they took the NFC South title, accumulating a perfect 6-0 divisional record along the way. Time and options helped Brady overcome perhaps the greatest adversity his illustrious career had faced. Options such as Mike Evans, Gronk etc. And time, thanks to that solid offensive line. Shout out to rookie OL Tristan Wirfs. The former Iowa Hawkeye started every game for the Bucs (20 games), never missed a snap, had the most pass-blocking snaps in the league with 799, allowed just one sack and wasn’t penalised after week 5.
To make the story of the 2020 Tampa
Bay Buccaneers, and the legend of Tom Brady, even more jaw dropping, news
recently broke that Brady will soon undergo knee surgery. Supposedly an issue
which plagued Brady throughout spells of his maiden season with the Bucs. Teammate
and friend Gronkowski was quizzed over Brady’s legacy and where this triumph
lands in terms of crowning achievement. ‘It’s hands down one of the greatest
sporting accomplishments in sports history’, Gronk teased before concluding ‘I’m
not going to say it’s the greatest but it’s up there’. Even a character as spontaneous
and outspoken as Rob Gronkowski refused to categorise Brady’s many achievements.
Having been born in 1996, 40% of Super Bowls in my lifetime have featured the ex-Michigan Wolverine, so I’ve grown up in admiration of number twelve. This isn’t, or wasn’t, the general consensus, however. Since it became more and more evident that Tom Brady was no fluke, haters have jeered the QB. With every record smashed and Super Bowl won, envy for a life as seemingly perfect as Tom Brady grew. Surprisingly, this attitude changed following his most recent triumph in Florida. Perhaps it was the lack of a complacent Robert Kraft or the emotionless expressions of Bill Belichick that made Brady’s 7th a far easier pill to swallow. I saw this transformation of hatred to appreciation shift rapidly as the 55th Super Bowl played out. At the beginning of the night investors in the Kansas City Chiefs were hoping for a repeat from Andy Reid’s side. Yet, as the Bucs pressured Patrick Mahomes and forced him into scrambling nearly 500-yards on the night, making a Chiefs win look exceedingly bleak scores of viewers diverted their preference over to the goat in white. Come the end of the game, it seemed everyone, minus a few Chiefs supporters I suppose, were lapping up Brady’s post-game MVP speech. As his gorgeous wife Gisele and the kids charged the field to embrace their husband and father, still no resentment. Even Brady’s harmless booze-fuelled behaviour during the Bucs boat party celebrations earned the QB plaudits. No longer the abhorred star the world begrudgingly watched succeed in Massachusetts. With a ring away from the Belichick/Kraft regime, Brady proved he’s a winner wherever he plies his trade. Now would be the perfect time to ride off into the sunset, but this is Tom Brady. The word ‘retirement’ isn’t in his vocabulary, but I know three words which are. ‘The next one’…
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