The “Goat”

In my time of watching football, there has only been one quarterback that has played at consistently high levels as a starter for his team. I have despised this man for as long as I have been watching football, I mentioned him in my last blog post being the starting quarterback of the Patriots above Jimmy Garoppolo, that man is Tom Brady. Tom Brady is referred too by many football analysts as the “Goat” or the “Greatest of all time”. There is good reason for this, Tom has won 6 Superbowl rings (that’s more than most NFL teams have), 4 Superbowl MVPS (most valuable player), started in 9 Superbowl’s (most by any player in NFL  history), has quarterback records in the Superbowl, 3 MVPS for an entire season, 14-time pro bowler, play off leader in wins, passing touchdowns, passing yards, also completion percentage, and has lead the patriots to numerous comeback wins, like when Tom and the Patriots came back against a 28 to 3 deficit against the Atlanta Falcons in the Superbowl to beat them in overtime.

The man has had a storied career, but I am one of those people that think the Tom has had a bit of a free ride in the NFL. In the last blog post I talked how the Patriots have had the best coach in the NFL who is Bill Belichick. There is constant debate on who is the main reason for their success rather it be Tom or Bill. However, I will say it was Bill Belichick who drafted Tom.  Tom Brady went to Michigan for college and was drafted by the New England Patriots in the 6^th round of the draft in the 199^th overall pick in the draft. For the accomplishments that Tom has accomplished for the Patriots, that is a steal for the Bill Belichick and the Patriots. Those accomplishments however, would come with a lot of luck, allegedly some cheating, and Bill Belichick’s coaching, and Tom Brady’s clutch factor. To start off, the Patriots have had an easy road to the playoffs since the other teams in the Patriot’s division are usually very weak teams, so this means the Patriots usually get 6 free wins in a 16-game season. The Patriots usually win their division which is an automatic ticket to the playoffs, usually win at least 10 games in their season which can usually get them a week off in the playoffs where they do not have to play. Then on top of that, the Patriots usually get to play in their home stadium in the playoffs, with their home weather that west coast teams are not use too. Secondly, the Patriots have been allegedly caught cheating throughout the years, whether it be deflating balls during a playoff game to throw off the enemy team, or get caught videotaping other team’s practices or their play calling signals. The NFL really doesn’t do hard punishment on the Patriots like suspending Tom Brady or anything, so basically the Patriots and Bill Belichick have gotten away with stuff like this for years. Aside from cheating, Bill Belichick has provided Tom Brady with a solid playoff team each year basically. An exception, can be made about this last season, but even then, the Patriots had one of the top defenses. Bill Belichick has supplied Tom through the years with a top defense (he is a defensive minded coach), great tight ends, solid wide receivers (last season is an exception), good offensive line to protect Tom, and most importantly an accurate clutch kicker to hit game winning field goals. To be fair, Tom has taken pay cuts so the patriots can afford the unrecognized talent they usually acquire in their teams.

The most important thing now, is that Tom Brady is a free agent meaning he is no longer with the Patriots and can sign with any other team that offers him a contract. The Patriots can still bring him back if he chooses to go back. I think he will not go back since I believe he believes that he has been looked at as under Bill Belichicks shadow this whole time and he wants to break out of it. This is so Tom can prove he can win without Belichick. Since most NFL teams are in need of a quarterback this off season, there are a lot of teams Tom can go to. Some likely teams that re to land him are my Los Angeles Chargers, which I hope is not the case since he is a 42-year-old man in a young man’s sport and because I would have to root for a man I have despised for years. However, the Chargers have all the pieces he needs other than a good offensive line. Another team is the Raiders, since they have a lot of money to spend and they just moved into a new Stadium in Las Vegas so having Tom Brady would be an attraction. Lastly, another team is the Tennessee Titans, since they have a very talented team on both sides of the ball, and the coach of the Titans is Tom’s old teammate. I honestly hope Tom does not join my Chargers, I hope Bill Belichick continues winning without Tom to show that it was all the coach the entire time, and I hope Tom ends his career in a place he likes, but I hope he doesn’t win.