Tom Brady will be 33 when the 2010 season begins in September. He's been the team's starter since 2001. His career record is 111-34. He has led the franchise to three championships and several very near misses for Lombardi number four. He is, for me, the greatest Boston athlete in my sports-watching lifetime. I was too young to appreciate Russell or Williams but I grew up on Orr, Cowens, Yaz and have marvelled at Bourque, B
ird, Clemens, Neely, Bledsoe, Pedro, Ortiz, and Rice. Brady tops them all mostly because he delivered what I never thought possible. Super Bowl parades.But it isn't just that he lead the Pats to three championships. It was the way he did it. He was Bourque, Bird, Neely, Ortiz -- and a lot of Terry O'Reilly -- all wrapped in one. He is simply one of the all-time greatest sports stories. Don't let his posing with goats or hiding from the paparazzi make you forget just how amazing his career with the Patriots has been.
Drafted in the -- everyone -- sixth round in 2000, Brady was an interesting mix of raw talent and, as Kramer would say, unbridled enthusiasm. He had some great games at Michigan so he wasn't quite an unknown. But he was no Peyton Manning. He wasn't taken with the first pick and he wasn't able to dictate which team he would play for. I like Manning. He's a regular guy. His commercials are often very funny. Oh, and he's one of the best QBs to ever play the game. I've grown to enjoy watching him (when not playing the Pats) because he almost always does something impossible to turn a sure loss into a victory. Manning has carried the Colts on his back by almost sheer will these past few seasons. I get why he is loved.
I don't get why Brady is not. I know, I know. Giselle. Cover boy. The West Coast mansion. Bridget and the baby. That's the other side of Brady. Brady the football player hasn't changed from when he was headbutting Bledsoe before the Super Bowl in New Orleans. He may be a reluctant celebrity, but he still looks driven to me. He still plays like he is trying to earn his starting spot.
Manning was the sure thing. Brady was the underdog. Manning started out as NFL royalty. Brady started out as NFL working class. Today they are both future Hall of Famers. Who'd a thunk it back in 2001. The two now enter an interesting phase of their careers. The veteran quarterback. Actually, Manning entered it a few years ago while Brady was on the sideline rehabbing from knee surgery. The role starts in earnest this year for #12.
Brady joined a team that had a strong nucleus of veteran leaders. Some -- like Brian Cox and Roman Phifer -- were former Parcells/Belichick guys who were brought in to bring attitude. Others -- like Law, Malloy, Bruschi, McGinnest, Johnson, Brown -- were part of the '96 team that went to the Super Bowl and were entering the peak years of their careers. Brady quickly fit in with that group and almost always played with the poise of a veteran. It was a perfect marriage. Now all those veterans are gone. All of them. Brady is the link between what is quickly becoming the past and what is now the future.
Will he have as much success in this phase of his career (which he says he hopes will last 10 more years)? Go to a training camp practice and watch Brady. He's still practicing like he's a 6th-round pick. One second he's yelling at the offense to pick it up, the next he's firing a bullet to Moss or Welker. He makes everyone around him better. He sets the tone. Veteran quarterback is a role Brady seems ready for.
Brady's contract will be a big topic of discussion during the preseason. And into the season if it is not taken care of by then. There's no doubt that Brady won't let the contract become a distraction for him. But Mr. Kraft and the Patriots can't let their QB's focus on the team make them lose focus of the most important moment in the franchise's history. Signing their Bobby Orr. They better get it done because we saw what can happen when you don't.
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