News broke this morning that NFL Executive and former longtime Jets employee Mike Kensil was the reported main source for who leaked out false information to Chris Mortensen about 11 of the 12 Patriots footballs that were used in the AFC Championship against the Colts were two pounds under the legal limit the balls could be at.
Kensil is the same guy that told the Patriots equipment manager “we weighed the balls and you’re in big f***ing trouble.” If all this information is true it makes it out to look like the league is out to setup the Patriots, which some people already believed. Per reports, Kensil leaked out information to Mortensen who then reported the information which ended up being false and ended up starting this whole BS “DeflateGate” debacle were in now. Reporting false information like this was sure to make all the headlines and attempt to ruin the reputation of the Patriots and Tom Brady, which the league is trying to do it appears.
Setup the Patriots and make them look bad and then have no supporting evidence or actual evidence information to backup what is being reported, sounds smart NFL. The NFL has gone back and forth about things they have said and done and this is another example of the bias the NFL has shown against the Patriots and how they are in a way out to get the Patriots. The NFL and ESPN refused to let Chris Mortensen talk on WEEI about the information that was reported and this whole debacle that has occurred since. Mortensen has not confirmed that Kensil is the one who gave him the information regarding the footballs in the AFC Championship game. (Although several sources have speculated that Kensil was the leak) The league doesn’t want any information coming out from their side about how they were wrong or any talks behind closed doors that they have had to be known by the public but are fine leaking out anything they possibly can that can go against the Patriots in this case and make it look like they are doing so many things wrong. They want phone records from Brady, Jastremski and McNally and anything they can try to get to make it look like their reports and accusations are correct, but wont even let the man who they gave information to, who they let “report” what has turned into the biggest sports story of the year and most nonsense of all-time, to talk to other media outlets about the situation. To me it sounds like the NFL are the ones who have something to hide and not Brady or the NFLPA.
Day one of New England Patriots training camp is officially in the books. Fans piled into the practice field stands and the famous hill, to watch their favorite team take the field for the first practice of the summer. Many fans most likely had a very tough time telling which players were which, because in typical Bill Belichick fashion he sent his players onto the field without jersey numbers. The only thing the casual fan could tell was that quarterbacks were in red, offense in gray shirts, and defense in blue shirts.
I was in attendance at practice, and because I spend too much learning every minute detail of these players, I did not have an overly tough time deciphering which players were which. Seeing how the players were in just shorts, t-shirts, and helmets there was virtually zero contact.
7/30/15 QBs and WRs
The lack of physicality made it very difficult for defensive players and offensive lineman to stand out. Therefore, I really limited myself to evaluating some of the skill position groups that were really on display. This meant predominately quarterbacks, wide receivers, and slightly tight ends and running backs.
The running backs that were out on the field today were Brandon Bolden, Travaris Cadet, Tyler Gaffney, Dion Lewis, and James White. When it came to first team reps with Tom Brady and company, Brandon Bolden received almost all of the snaps when the offense was in shot gun, (which was almost every snap).
Furthermore, in goal line drills, the Patriots lined up in the jumbo set with six offensive lineman, with Gronkowksi and Chandler on the end, and Jonas Gray running the ball behind James Develin in the, “I” formation. Jonas Gray was big to begin with, now he looks significantly thicker, and Josh McDaniels seems to be looking to get him involved in the passing game.
Patriots.com
Patriots fans got their first glimpse of Tyler Gaffney today, and it was in a limited role. He received decent reps, but mostly just running the ball in simulated goal line situations. He also got some special teams work in.
The wide receivers were harder to tell apart. Obviously Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola are easy to tell apart, but players such as Josh Boyce, Brandon Gibson, and Chris Harper are not as easy. Amendola and Edelman looked impressive as always. Brady targeted Edelman more than any other receivers, connecting every time they attempted, with the exception of one post corner route in the back of the end zone, dropped by Edelman.
Both Aaron Dobson and Brian Tyms saw a lot of time on opposite sides of the field. Dobson was with Brady and the first team, and Tyms with Garoppolo and the second team. Garoppolo targeted Brian Tyms a total of six times throughout the day during team drills, going four for six, based on my observations, and as expected they were all fade routes and skinny posts. Dobson was on the field a lot with Brady, but the ball did not come his way very often.
At tight end, there are few words to say other than, Rob Gronkowski is a freak. He caught multiple passes in traffic from Tom Brady, the most impressive being a skinny post route in which he caught the ball while shaking off Tavon Wilson like he was nothing, and spiking the ball in the process. In addition, Jake Bequette did not impress at tight end. He has the physical stature to be a beastly blocking tight end, however he has stone hands, dropping passes on multiple occasions.
Quarterback was by the far the easiest position to evaluate, given the fact that there was only two quarterbacks on the field. Tom Brady impressed as he always does in training camp. His passes were pinpoint and he also showed a little bit of athleticism. Early on in practice Brady caught a fade in the corner of the end zone from Julian Edelman. Then later on he caught another pass down the sideline from Julian Edelman on a reverse pass, this time he only needed one hand.
Many were probably expecting to see a slightly improved Jimmy Garoppolo from the one they had seen in December. If you went to Patriots training camp with these expectations, you left disappointed. His first pass of the day was an interception to rookie Matthew Wells or Jordan Richards. He simply can’t throw the ball down field and he seems to be afraid to even try it. Brady certainly does not have a cannon for an arm, but he makes decisions quickly and gets rid of the football. Jimmy panics when his first read is gone, looks around and then dumps it off to James White. If it were a real game situation he would be put in the turf fairly quick.
I hope to attend training camp more in the coming days, so stay tuned for more updates and analysis of the Patriots practices.
It is one of the callings of fall. The days are slowly getting shorter, the grass is freshly cut, and the man in the visor swinging his whistle ferociously, who is better known as the hoodie, is once again patrolling the practice fields of Foxborough. Patriots training camp is upon us. After a very tumultuous offseason in which the Patriots were under heavy fire most of the time, (even though they had just won the Super Bowl) it is time to strap on the pads, buckle up the chinstraps, and play some real football.
This year, more than in years past the Patriots have a plethora of question marks heading into training camp. Who is going to make up for Revis? How will they replace Wilfork? Is this the year Chandler Jones finally makes the leap? Position battles will highlight this summer, given the vast amount of starting roles up for grabs.
If you are going to training camp, you will realize that there is a bunch going on at once as the team breaks off into positional groups. Therefore, your probably thinking to yourself, what positions should I pay closest attention to? Well, here are the five most important positions to watch out for at Gillette this summer.
5. Quarterback: I trying my best to not mention, “deflate-gate” in this article, but I can’t get around it. There is a very good chance that Tom Brady will miss time early on in the season, so now more than ever Patriots fans need to evaluate the back up quarterbacks.
Personally, I will be watching Jimmy Garoppolo very intently. We need to see how he progressed over this offseason. The offseason between a players rookie season and their second season, is the most important of their career. Garoppolo was fully healthy, and I expect nothing less than vast improvement from what we saw in week seventeen last season against the Buffalo Bills.
Photo: masslive.com
In addition, Matt Flynn will battle with Garoppolo for the back up job. Many are sleeping on him, for good reason. He has never won a quarterback battle in training camp, and he has been apart of about three. Nevertheless, he was a very reliable back up for Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay, and always answered the bell when called upon.
4. Safety: The Patriots are now set for the next five seasons at free safety with Devin McCourty receiving an extension worth 47.5 million back in March. However, the safety spot opposite of him will be vastly important in 2015. In today’s NFL, you have to be prepared for passing situations on every down. The Patriots will certainly realize this early on in the season. With all the talented young players in the front seven, Bill Belichick maybe tempted to finally, “turn the dogs loose” up front.
Along with the weak secondary, opposing teams will want to throw the ball given these reasons. With teams throwing the ball non-stop the Patriots need another safety that can cover. That means Duron Harmon needs to have a big camp. Other than Harmon the rest of the safeties on the roster such as Tavon Wilson, Patrick Chung, and Nate Ebner are all tackle machines who can lay the boom, stop the run, and contribute on special teams.
None of the those players however can pass cover. Also, it should be interesting to watch second round pick Jordan Richards. I was not in the minority of being very skeptical of Bill Belichick for taking Richards that high in the draft. He seems like another Nate Ebner, which is all fine and well, but you can get that player in round five.
3. Running Back: No more Shane Vereen in New England, means it is time for a battle for the third down back role. One of the most important positions on the Patriots roster, because for a vast majority of the time your protecting Tom Brady. In my mind, the battle will come down to three players; Brandon Bolden, Travaris Cadet, and James White.
Last preseason, James White did not impress. He was soft and did not show that burst that he had in college at the University of Wisconsin. Travaris Cadet had a decent season in 2014 racking in thirty-eight receptions. Lastly, Brandon Bolden has seen little time at the third down back role, and when he did in 2013 he had a tough time getting on the same page as Tom Brady.
Bolden’s pass blocking ability is better than any other running back currently on the roster. That is what makes this battle an intriguing one. Which player can put all three phases together, Running the ball, catching the ball, and pass blocking. Personally, I am going with the hulk, Brandon Bolden. Why? He has the most experience in the offense, and two years is enough time to fix the deficiencies he showed in 2013.
2. Guard: With no more Dan Connolly, and Ryan Wendell recovering from a shoulder injury, Patriots offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo will be rotating his young guards around. Tre Jackson was drafted in the fourth round of this years draft along with Shaq Mason.
It would be better off for the Patriots to have a rookie take over the role of Dan Connolly, as oppose to players such as Josh Kline and Jordan Devey. They have proven time and time again that they can’t get the job done.
If neither Jackson or Mason can grasp the complex Patriots system, expect to see Marcus Cannon to slide over to guard. Lets hope we don’t have to see that. Don’t be surprised if there is a repeat of the offensive line debacle of last September this year.
1. Cornerback: Obvious choice here. No more Darrelle Revis, Brandon Browner, Alfonzo Dennard, or Kyle Arrington on the roster, thin would be putting it lightly when talking about the cornerback depth chart on the Patriots. What the Patriots need to do is rely on the few veterans they have right now. Tarell Brown and Bradley Fletcher.
I am in the minority, but I believe that Bradley Fletcher will bounce back and be a serviceable player. The real player to focus on is Malcolm Butler. A young player that shined in year one, and shined in the brightest moment. Can he finally break the trend of Patriots cornerbacks flopping in year two?
Darryl Roberts will also be a player to keep an eye on. He is a seventh round rookie that looks to have the physicality of a player like Brandon Browner. Logan Ryan will receive a ton of reps as well, however he has also proven he can’t fill the cleats. He is targeted immediately when he is on the field.
As all of you know by now, the league and it’s idiotic commissioner Roger Goodell (the money making machine) has stood fast on its 4 game suspension of Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady.
Brady issued his first public statement since this whole debacle (to keep it clean) started, via his Facebook site this morning. In the post he maintained his and any of the Patriots organization’s innocence of any wrongdoing (or knowledge of) pertaining to the inflation of footballs. Brady also mentions that his legal team assured him that his cell phone would not be called into question or need to be turned over to the league. He also addressed the fact that at the time of his appeal, he supplied a list all the recipients of phone calls and text messages for the time frame in question. (Which the league wanted, but refused to look into anyhow)
If all these text messages were so important to the investigation, wouldn’t a fair investigation for BOTH parties involved warrant checking at least a few of these phones? After all we all know that one phone gives you Both sides of text conversations.
This whole process was ridiculous from the start, Once the Wells Report (all 243 pages of nothing more than bird cage floor liner) was disproved as insufficient (by itself and real independent science) the league shifted focus to the fact that Brady didn’t turn over his cell phone as the main reason for the suspension being upheld.
If you’ve ever gotten into an argument with a Patriots hater, this tactic should look very familiar to you, when you point out where they are wrong or ignorant of the facts, what do they do? Yep, they change the subject. Do you think this is any different? If it smells like garbage, that’s probably what we’re looking at.
Robert Kraft as well as Belichick and some of Tom’s teammates had a chance to speak today. Kraft and the Patriots team members spoke of their unwavering support for Brady, and Belichick declined to comment (all of which would be expected).
What was totally unexpected was Patriots owner Robert Kraft’s comments on how the league which he is a very large supporter of, essentially spat in his face (not his words). This is an excerpt from his statement.
It takes a very strong man to admit his mistakes and basically discount his faith in the League as a whole.
The word “Integrity” has been thrown around by alot of individuals over the last 7 months, and that right there, Mr. Goodell is the finest example you will see in your lifetime! Are you paying attention? See you in court.
I am proud to be a member of Patriots Nation! #FreeBrady
After spending 11 hours in the NFL‘s headquarters appealing the 4-game suspension for his involvement in “deflategate”, and months of waiting, Commissioner Roger Goodell had finally reached a decision. Brady’s 4-game suspension would still be upheld. Now, Brady and company are going to court.
We have heard and responses all over social media from fan bases, players, and a response from the New England Patriots organization. However, we have not heard from the man himself, until now.
This morning, Tom Brady released a statement on his Facebook page about the whole situation. This post sheds a new light on the whole investigation and handling of the whole controversy.
As expected, Brady stated that he did “nothing wrong, and no one in the Patriots organization did either”. When it came to the issue about phone records, Brady had said the following, “I also disagree with yesterdays narrative surrounding my cellphone. I replaced my broken Samsung phone with a new iPhone 6 AFTER my attorneys made it clear to the NFL that my actual phone device would not be subjected to investigation under ANY circumstances. As a member of a union, I was under no obligation to set a new precedent going forward, nor was I made aware at any time during Mr. Wells investigation, that failing to subject my cell phone to investigation would result in ANY discipline.” He continues by stating that he and his team of lawyers did everything they could to provide the league with all the electronic communication needed in the investigation.
“I also disagree with yesterdays narrative surrounding my cellphone. I replaced my broken Samsung phone with a new iPhone 6 AFTER my attorneys made it clear to the NFL that my actual phone device would not be subjected to investigation under ANY circumstances. As a member of a union, I was under no obligation to set a new precedent going forward, nor was I made aware at any time during Mr. Wells investigation, that failing to subject my cell phone to investigation would result in ANY discipline.”
Brady continues to state that he feels that there is not a smoking gun.
With Brady and Commissioner Goodell getting ready to clash in the courts, everyone else plays a waiting game. Will Brady start week one, or will the courts uphold the suspension? From the way things have looked, Brady may have the odds on his side.
I went to bed last night, like I have so many times in the past seven months feeling like I can’t defend Tom Brady and the Patriots anymore in the, “deflate gate” saga. The destroyed cell phone almost was the final straw for me. Then, yet again I woke up to a prepared statement, this time from Tom Brady himself.
Brady fired shots at both Roger Goodell and Ted Wells proclaiming his innocence. Some of the key quotes from were as follows; “The fact is neither I, nor any equipment person, did anything of which we have been accused. ”
Also, “Most importantly, I have never written, texted, emailed to anybody at any time anything related to football air pressure at any time before this issue was raised at the AFC Championship game in January. To suggest that I destroyed a phone to avoid giving the NFL information it requested is completely wrong.”
GLENDALE, AZ – FEBRUARY 01 : Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots celebrates holding up the Vince Lombardi Trophy after the Patriots defeated the Seattle Seahawks 28-24 in Super Bowl XLIX February 1, 2015 at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Tom Brady
Lastly, to sum it all up, ” I did nothing wrong, and no one in the Patriots organization did either.”
Those are pretty fierce statements coming from Brady. I find it hard to believe that he would keep going to these lengths if he truly did anything wrong. He won’t be backing down anytime soon, unlike his teams owner.
Now the question is, how will this effect his team. Certainly this cloud will hang over the team for all of training camp and until this conflict is resolved. Players with zero intel to the situation are going to be bombarded with questions, just giving the common Patriot answer. ” Im just here getting better everyday, trying to do my job.”
If Brady takes this to court, it will drag out through the season, which makes me feel uneasy as a Patriots fan. Why? The reason is, no matter how confident you are with the case that Brady’s camp has, you never no what can happen in court.
The NFL is taking off and running with their, “destroyed cell phone” case. However, the NFL already had the messages from John Jastremski and Jim McNally, and any other messages that were needed were offered to be retrieved by the Brady camp. That was turned down by the league.
If Brady goes to court and it is heard midway through the season, there is no telling what could happen. What if it goes to court in December and the suspension stays. Then Patriots fans could see Jimmy Garoppolo under center in a playoff game. That is a scary sight to think about.
Nevertheless, the fight must go on from Brady’s side. They have dug in their heels and they are not backing down anytime soon. They can’t, it would look terrible on their part if they talked it up like they have, and then backed down, (Robert Kraft).
In the end, I think I speak for all Patriots fans, and football fans in general when I say that I want this whole thing to just be over with. It is late July, we should be focusing on position battles and the upcoming season. Instead we are discussing cell phones being destroyed and air pressure in footballs.
Removing the rose colored glasses from a New England Patriots fan’s face, July twenty eighth looks pretty bad. Four game suspension upheld. Tom Brady reportedly destroyed his cell phone on the day he was was asked to turn it in. Everybody outside of New England thinks Tom Brady is a cheater. The opportunity for an injunction being granted allowing Brady to play until a definitive judicial decision can be made, is in doubt. The sky is falling in the six states of New England.
It is fitting that the day after Shane Victorino leaves the Red Sox that the song “Three little birds”, by Bob Marley, in which Victorino is so closely identified with, encapsulates so much. In actuality, even though the thought seems ridiculous, every little thing is going to be alright. Tom Brady will always be one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game of football. No amount of tuck rules, spy gates or deflated footballs will stop that from being fact.
Is Tom Brady a cheater? Perhaps. Destroying his phone doesn’t scream innocent but what if he did bend the rules? What if Tom Brady knew that the footballs were being tampered with after the officials checked them? What does it change? In short, not a thing. In essence it makes him human. It paints a picture of a man willing to cut corners in order to achieve ultimate success. Winning is clearly everything to him. Has Patriot nation not lauded this man for this very reason over the last fifteen years?
What pains many people in the New England area is the very idea that their quarterback is looked at as less than perfect. It’s as though acknowledging that all this drama could be fact, suddenly allows for Peyton Manning to cease choking in big game situations or the New York Jets will be more respected. Skill and precison make Brady a fantastic quarterback, not the opinions of NFL message board trolls.
Facts need to be admonished. Regardless of what can be overturned, thrown out or proven in a court of law, the court of public opinion believes that Tom Brady is a cheater. If it were Eli Manning or Ben Roethlisberger in the same situation, New England fans would feel as the rest of the country does about Brady.
Although this situation stings quite egregiously at the moment, history looks back on athletes in a filter which usually represents them in the best possible light.Nothing Tom Brady may have done will ultimately change his incredible legacy.
My advice is to weather the storm, embrace the hate because if it wasn’t “cheater” fans in other regions would have another name or excuse to prod Patriot nation with. In the end, every little thing truly will be alright.
The verdict is in, and the Ginger Hammer strikes again!
A decision that should’ve brought out the duck boats on Boylston street again has left all of Patriots Nation in a state of upheaval.
I can’t imagine that any of you can find a silver lining to what has unfolded in the past few hours, but I have one. At least you’re not in Miami, listening to incessant rants from delusional Dolphins fans who are banking on the Harvard College Sports Analysis Collective’s Super Bowl 50 predictions (not to mention the humidity, which makes you feel like you’re a walking fried egg).
The fate of Deflategate, or “Deflatefate” is currently a four-game suspension for the four-time Super Bowl Champion Tom Brady. Let me be the first to point out that I am in no way looking to berate the league or its commissioner, however, I have read the Final Decision and the evidence Goodell finds sufficient enough to arrive to this conclusion, and I’m still inconclusive here.
Let’s begin with what the report claims as “the most significant new information” – a destroyed cellphone.
Tom Brady admitted to having his assistant destroy a cellphone he had been using since November 2014 at his appeal hearing in June. It is presumed (because NOWHERE in this report can an exact date be determined) that this was deliberately done “on or around” March 6th, the day the Patriots quarterback met with Ted Wells, the independent investigator hired by the league. During the appeal, Brady’s representatives presented a letter from the destroyed phone’s carrier indicating that text messages sent to and received by this phone could not be retrieved, but offered to devise a spreadsheet of all the individuals he had contact with from November 2014 – March 2015.
So, if the league cannot access phone records for a phone that was presumably destroyed, how can they estimate that around 10,000 text messages were sent during that time period?
The intention of devising a spreadsheet that includes all of the individuals Brady had contact with during that time period was for the league to use it at their will (you know, contact these individuals, receive their consent and review their phone records for any evidence). But of course, the league decided this was not practical. The most significant new information is really no information at all then. Brady was tampering with evidence and obstructing the investigation? How can that be proven when you can’t even bother to try an alternative method of obtaining information that can potentially substantiate a 139-page report that concludes “more probable than not” manipulation of footballs?
The report continues with a section called “Factual Determination and Findings” where for the millionth time we are reminded of what the weight of the footballs should be. Pop quiz: How many pounds per square inch should an NFL football weigh in order to be used in a game? (If you didn’t answer 12.5 to 13.5 psi, you must be a Dolphins fan.)
According to the report, inflation levels of footballs were “a matter of particular interest to Mr. Brady.” (Wouldn’t that be a detail of particular interest to any quarterback, or any ball handler for that matter, Mr. Goodell?)
Tom Brady informed his equipment staff he preferred the footballs to be inflated at the “lowest permissible level” and was even gracious enough to have the equipment staff present a “highlighted copy of the provision of the Playing Rules” to game officials. What happens after that cannot be proven to implicate the three-time Super Bowl MVP.
Another factor that played into Goodell’s decision was the fact that neither John Jastremski nor James McNally were called to testify during the appeal in June. The report indicates that there were important topics that could’ve have been addressed, particularly text messages where McNally refers to himself as “The Deflator”.
Wait, that and those other important topics that needed to be addressed were kept out of that infamous 139-page report?
Goodell concludes that the evidence in these reports support the idea that Brady was involved in an elaborate scheme to tamper with footballs after they had been inspected by game officials and obstructed the investigation by destroying his phone. He drew “upon his experience of more than thirty years in the National Football League, including nearly nine as a Commissioner.”
Hmmm…
Did he draw upon his extensive experience in the NFL when he initially suspended Ray Rice for two games after he brutally beat his wife unconscious on camera?
Did he also draw upon his extensive experience in the NFL when he reduced Le’Veon Bell’s suspension to two games after he was arrested and charged with a DUI and possession of marijuana?
Look, there’s no denying that rules were broken here. Brady was appealing the punishment itself and it was upheld after more than six months of investigation that still fail to prove that he DEFINITELY played a role in this ridiculous scandal. So if this is sending any message to the league’s teams, players and fans, it’s one that implicates that the man at the helm’s judgement is deflated. (Too soon?)
Top 5 Things to Look Forward to when Brady takes the NFL to Court
I for one think Brady had some knowledge about what was going on. Information came to light today that didn’t look good for our hero . However, I’ve yet to see cold hard facts that state he tampered with footballs before we gave the Colts an ass kicking. Here are a few things we should all be looking forward to when 12 takes on the NFL in federal court.
5) Kraft on the Stand (Again) – The last time we saw Krafty Bob take the witness stand was during the Aaron Hernandez trial. He looked nervous, but also gave that power stare to the prosecution that just screamed, “I know the exact location of your season tickets counselor.”
4) That Rat Bastard Jim Irsay Getting Subpoenaed – Chances are fairly high that someone will have to wake Irsay out of an oxy induced coma the morning he is to be questioned. He and his scumbag GM were the catalysts for this entire debacle. I said it before and I’ll say it again, “Pray for Indy”.
3) Walt Anderson’s Testimony – This has been suspect since day one. Anderson and his crew had ONE JOB, the day of the AFC Championship Game, and that was to keep an eye on the footballs. For the first time in nineteen years, according to Anderson, the balls disappeared prior to kickoff. Does that seem the least bit questionable to anyone but me?
2) Brady’s Testimony – In New England, everything Brady says is typically gospel. However, he does have some explaining to do. Why did he order his phone destroyed the day he met with Wells? What in fact were those conversations about with the ball boys? All of this is going to come out in the wash. I do hope they ask him what exactly was on his phone and he answers with homemade videos of him and Super G.
Suit game, casual version
1) Brady’s Suit Game – His suit game is going to be so on point, and you know it. Does he go double breasted? Will he rock a pocket square that just screams four titles? Maybe he goes with the Mr. Kraft power shirt? Anything he does, will INSTANTLY become to go-to for late summer/fall Men’s fashion. I’m maxing out my Amex and buying the entire get up the second he takes the stand.
With the whole aftermath of the “Deflategate” scandal there is only one thing that is safe to say, Tom Brady is pissed and the NFL should be worried. Brady is one of the most competitive players in the NFL and in all sports as a whole and giving him more fuel to add to the fire won’t be good for the Patriots opposing teams in 2015 and maybe even beyond.
The league is trying to tarnish Brady’s name and legacy, something he has worked hard for since coming into the NFL and even before during his college days at Michigan. Brady has set numerous records as well as four Super Bowl Championships and other accolades and accomplishments throughout his career.
via bostonherald.com
Going into last season Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus stated that Tom Brady was no longer a top five quarterback, which was widely viewed by people as a bit of an over statement. With the statement from Monson and after a rough first month of the season including a 41-14 blowout loss to the Kansas City Chiefs where the now famous words from Trent Dilfer, “The New England Patriots, lets face it there not good anymore”, you could tell Brady was determined and pissed. The next week Brady and the Patriots went on to put a beat down on the undefeated Cincinnati Bengals which set the tone for the rest of the season and made Dilfer eat his words on the way to the teams fourth Super Bowl title. No one was second-guessing Brady’s ability to continue to play at a high level and to continue to be the best quarterback in the game.
This isn’t the first time Brady has been pissed off regarding people talking about him or the Patriots. How about in 2007 when Steelers safety Anthony Smith guaranteed a victory against the Patriots. Brady heard, and made Smith amongst the rest of the Steelers look foolish. Brady scored on a rushing touchdown where he proceeded to spike the ball and chirp at Anthony Smith while doing so. Brady also was targeting Smith all game throwing at him and Smith could do nothing about it, most notably the famous Brady to Moss to Brady to Gaffney touchdown pass (one of my all-time favorite plays). Another example of if you make Brady mad you’re going to pay for it. We’ve seen Brady’s intensity and passion on the sidelines many times before and I expect him to play with that even more than usual during the 2015 season.
via nesn.com
Former teammate Rodney Harrison and current teammate Julian Edelman have talked about Brady being mad about this whole situation and how the NFL is adding fuel to the fire, giving Brady more of a reason to be great and excel on the field and to show the league that he is the best quarterback to play the game and a true winner.
via zimbio.com
So once Brady’s suspension is exonerated and he is allowed to play in all 16 games of the regular season and he is going to be out to make a point and to quiet the league and its fans. Brady is going to be shattering records this year, Brady could be so mad the Patriots may not run the ball this year. LaGarrette Blount is suspended the first game of the year and it may not even matter Brady could throw the ball 50 times per game just to make a statement to the sports world. So a quick little thank you to the NFL, once this whole mess with Brady is fixed and cleared up and he is out there on opening night it wont be a pretty sight for the Steelers and every other opponent the Patriots play in 2015 and is giving Tom even more of a reason to get ring number five this season.
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