I believe that the world of sports reflects this nation in a microcosmic fashion. We the fans, to a very large extent, live our lives vicariously through the players and the games. The incredible technological advances in home entertainment have made it possible for almost anyone to have a television set-up at their residence that rivals, and in many cases exceeds, the actual game experience at the venue. I submit to you that there is no sport that has better captured the essence of this “fantasy franchising” better than the National Football League (NFL). All of the various professional sports make money; else they would cease to exist. But the NFL is nothing less than a financial juggernaut. The sheer volume of profit it produces through ticket sales, merchandising, and television rights is mind-boggling. It is also shameful in a world where so much tragedy and poverty exist; but that is an argument for another day.
The National Hockey
League (NHL) gives us a sport that offers a stage for the exceptional
athlete to demonstrate extraordinary skill and ability on the ice; but it’s not
so subtle main attraction is the pure, physical brutality that is an essential
part of its heritage and current existence.
Major League Baseball (MLB) has oftentimes been referred to as
America’s Game, but it is suffering through a transition that has cost it that
alpha position. By simply refusing to
change for decades (likely a sincere effort to preserve the traditions of
the sport that have made it so appealing), it has allowed itself to become
outdated and not quite as desirable to the modern-day sports fan. I think baseball has finally realized this
and will work out its problems; but that is going to take some time and it has
pretty much lost all of the momentum it once held to claim the pinnacle of
sports. The National Basketball
Association has become a caricature of itself and through the bizarre behavior
of its team owners, its pampering of the players to the point of losing control
of the sport on the floor, and the fact that it has sold its soul to the woke extremists
in an attempt to appease every…single…demographic in America, it has
lost the magic that it once possessed. In
my humble opinion, college basketball has replaced the NBA as the primary
showcase of its sport. The problems that
the NBA has created for itself are going to be difficult to solve. The hole they have dug is deep and the
existence of a robust competitor like college basketball will make it extremely problematic for it to ever, once again, regain the popularity status it once held
in the sports world. Whereas college
football serves as an appetizer for the NFL; college basketball has
actually supplanted the NBA. What
can I say about soccer? It is the most
popular sport in the world, but a red-headed stepchild in America. It is the ultimate “participatory”
sport and the wokeria love it for that reason. Me…I would rather watch paint dry than watch
a whole soccer game... just wishing and praying for a single goal to be
scored. Clearly, some of its athletes
are gifted and that skill is occasionally demonstrated on the field. The occasions are just too rare for my taste.
The NFL gives us a
balance of grace blended with pure, physical force. It is precision balanced with brutality. It is strategy and boldness. It is the ultimate test of the risk-reward
quotient. The team owners are spoiled
billionaires who use their teams as playthings to live the ultimate fantasy;
the same one being entertained by nearly every fan viewing the games. We, as fans, first would love to be on that
field and compete with these extraordinary athletes; but reality is far too
omnipresent to allow that fairy tale to survive for long. In lieu of that participation, we become
armchair “experts” in the sport and can readily, and flawlessly, recognize
each and every player error, coaching mistake, and blown call by the
officials. We often announce these
reports not only to the entire household, but to the neighborhood at
large. But the ultimate and ever-elusive
experience would be to own an NFL team.
To cozy up with the players and coaches.
To reside in the owner’s skybox on game day and rub shoulders with the
elites of the sports and entertainment world.
To be down on the field with the warriors and receive their rapt, if
undeserved, attention. To stand up on
that stage after the championships are decided and receive the decadent
trophies that are awarded on such occasions.
All of these fantasies flow through an NFL fan’s mind as the season
progresses. A tiny fraction of the truly
gifted college football players ever has meaningful careers in the NFL; but in
the fevered mind of the typical NFL fan, there is always that wandering figment
of imagination that whispers to us… “I could have made that tackle” … “I could
have made that catch” … “I could have thrown that touchdown pass”. None of this is true of course, but the
phantom belief lies there nonetheless…just beyond the realm of consciousness
and reality. One other point to be made
about the NFL…it is an authentically-American game.
The NFL ownership cabal,
and let’s be honest…that is exactly what it is…a collection of wealth and power
that provides for itself privilege at the highest levels of capitalism and
government and has found for itself the perfect useful idiot for representative
in Commissioner Robert Goodell. In many
ways, Goodel is to the NFL owners what Joe Biden is the Democrat Party. Both are shameful and unabashed slaves to the
directives and agendas of their mentors.
But where Biden is a pitiful incompetent, Goodel is a polished and
effective showpiece that can easily navigate the glitzy, upper crust
environment of the NFL universe. The NFL
has demonstrated an extraordinary ability to change with the times and keep its
sport at the center of the American sports’ dinner table. Over the decades, it has altered the playing
field, expanded its viewership reach, increased the fanbase, changed the rules
of the game, managed to share the wealth in such a way that satisfies most of
the machine parts, and it has done all of this while keeping a keen eye on how
the fans feel about the changes.
When it screws up, it has
shown the ability to pull back and reconsider.
A perfect example of this ability is the NFL’s dalliance with the woke
aspects of our culture and society. At
first, the NFL…much like the NBA…leapt headfirst into the woke arena and came
up with numerous efforts to mollify the more liberal elements among us. Recall the knelling fiasco of anti-cop Kaepernick? But the big difference between the NFL and
the NBA is the fact that the NFL is usually able to recognize when it has
over-reached. Has Kaepernick played
football since? It could see that
catering to a handful of fans at the expense of a much larger group of fans was
simply not sustainable and would not lead to fiscal prosperity. While maintaining certain contacts with the “social
consciousness movement”, they have pulled back from the overt and
over-the-top type of “empathetic” displays that are so prevalent in the
NBA. I cannot count the number of times
I have sworn off of watching NFL games because of its woke antics over the last
few years…but I am a weak, weak man. I
always come crawling back. The NFL goes
right up to the edge of the cliff, backs away in some strategic sense, and then
they puuulllll me back in. They
have somehow managed to find a balance between recognizing these concerns,
while preserving the fundamental essence of the sport. This uncanny marketing ability is the primary
reason that the NFL dominates the sports world today.
As we head into this NFL season’s
final playoff chapters and decide the ultimate champion, it is a good time to
put on my fan hat and comment on one of my personal views of the game. I am a proud and unabashed Tom Brady
fan. It is beyond debate that he is the
greatest quarterback to ever play the game and without a doubt, he is
one of the greatest, if not the greatest, players to ever play
the game. He has never been the greatest
athlete, the strongest arm, or the fastest runner; but the ultimate measure in
NFL archives is a player’s personal and team record of accomplishments. In that respect, Tom Brady’s NFL career is
unparalleled. It is true that he has had
the good fortune to be associated, for most of his career, with great teams and
great coaches. He has also been blessed
with good health over his career. But we
have to recognize the fact that the person most responsible for these
things is Tom Brady himself. He
negotiated his contracts with the teams of his choice. He is the one who maintained his body in
peak, physical condition. He is the one
who made the on-field decisions about when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em. Tom Brady seized the good fortune that came
his way and leveraged it into the greatest NFL career in the history of the
sport. And I, for one, hope that he is
not finished yet. He is not always
perfect; not even close. He throws some
bad pics, he fumbles a bit, he misses receivers every now and then, he breaks a
tablet or two, and every once and a while…he might kick or trip an opponent in
an illegal manner. But man…when you take
his career in total and look at his highlight film, you have to admit the fact:
No quarterback has ever done it better.
With Tampa Bay out of the
playoffs and even with exciting and impressive teams remaining to compete for
the championship, sports talk is consumed with the question of “what will
Brady do?”. This fact alone will
tell you how prominent this man has become in his sport. Looking around the NFL landscape, one has to
wonder… Is there another Brady out there? Patrick Mahomes is absolutely incredible and
does things on the field that I have never before seen quarterbacks do…and
he does them with regularity. I
believe he will probably win his second Super Bowl this year. At times Joe Burrow, the Magic Man of the
Bengals, appears very much like Tom Brady in the early stages of his
career. His composure, his
competitiveness, his surgical approach to the game…all of these things are
reminiscent of a young Tom Brady. But
when you look at the sheer numbers that Brady has accumulated and consider the
performance level and longevity required from either of these two outstanding
quarterbacks to equal those marks, one has to reach the conclusion that we will
likely never see an NFL quarterback like Tom Brady again.
I am going to now indulge
in the current question… What will Tom Brady do now? I have read and listened to the musings
of the talking heads, the ones who do this for a living. I have tried to weed out the woke, hysterical
“look at me” sportswriters of today from the truly professional
journalists of the sports world. I have
tried to ratchet back my own desires about what “I” think Brady should do so
that he can continue his arc of success.
Here is what I think… Brady must first decide whether or not, at the age
of 45, he can continue to perform at a level that he finds personally
acceptable. A man like Brady is not
going out on the field and embarrass himself.
He is smart enough, and humble enough, to review this season’s film and
make that decision in the right way.
Secondly, Brady will only go to a team where all the pieces are in
place, or can reasonably be put in place, to win a championship next year. And we should keep in mind, the first step
towards winning a championship means getting into the playoffs. If Brady can find satisfactory answers
to these two questions, I think he will play once again next year. I cannot imagine him being personally
comfortable with the way Tampa Bay’s season unfolded and I think he would like
to write a much different closing chapter to his illustrious career.
So, the question is
before us…Who does Brady end up playing for? Now following the playoffs, the NFL landscape
is going to change dramatically. That
point is easily validated by examining the records of past Super Bowl winners
during their immediate, post-Super Bowl seasons. Coaches will change, the draft will occur,
free agents will shift around, some players will retire…there is much to take
place before the kickoff of the ’23-’24 NFL Season. Taking all of that into account, here is my
best guess. Brady can only go where
there is a need for a new quarterback.
Brady will only go where he is wanted and where he wants to go. Brady will only go to a team that is going to
be equipped to compete for a championship.
Brady is looking for a coach that he feels he can work well with. Brady is smart enough to know that the
shortest and best route to the playoffs is a Division Championship; a wildcard
entry into the playoffs is far too unreliable to base short-term career
decision upon. Which teams best fit
these criteria?
I will rank them in what
I consider the most likely probability. First
Option: Tampa Bay. Everyone assumes
that Brady and Tampa Bay are finished.
But if you listen to the smart journalists and especially some of the
local Tampa Bay writers, it becomes clear that there is a very close,
respectful, and strong relationship between Brady and the Glazer family that
owns the Bucs. Does Tampa Bay have some
team weaknesses that must be addressed?
Yes, of course they do. But they
also have some of the most exciting players in the league already in place to
build upon, they are going to make some coaching changes that might improve
their game, they have the draft and free agency to address their needs, and
they are in a weak division that offers a reasonable path to the playoffs. Take away the extraordinary injuries the Bucs
experienced this year and the season could have been very different. Add to this the fact that Brady is already
there in Tampa and has family connections in the area. He clearly likes his teammates and they
clearly like him. If he is going to go
for another round or two…why not just stay with the Bucs?
There is a parallel story
tracking with Brady’s and it is that of coach Sean Payton. No matter what you or I might think of
Payton, he is recognized as one of the most sought-after coaches in the NFL. The intrigue of packaging Payton with Brady
makes for an enticing proposal. You have
to believe that either of these accomplished individuals would love to team up
with the other. Which teams could make
that happen? Second Option: Carolina
Panthers. Carolina is one of the
wealthiest franchises in the NFL; they can find the money to buy Brady and
Payton if they so desire. They have a
good, solid roster in place and with the addition of a few critical pieces,
they could compete at the highest level.
They currently have a coaching vacancy.
They do not have an established quarterback in place. They are located on the east coast where
Brady’s family connections reside. They
are in Tampa Bay’s division and that is one of the weaker divisions in the
NFL. Do not count Carolina out of the
Brady sweepstakes.
I personally believe that
the rumored “arrangement” between Brady and the Miami Dolphins from
earlier this year was in place and blown up by the Flores lawsuit. Would it be possible for that “arrangement”
to once again be resurrected? Option
Three: Miami Dolphins. Miami clearly
has a team in place that can compete for a championship. They are on the east coast. They are in a division that is competitive,
but not formidably dominated by one team.
They have a sharp, offensive-minded coach that has demonstrated an
ability to achieve success on the field.
They have the financial wherewithal to sign Brady. The fly in the Miami ointment, however, is
Tua. Is he the quarterback of the
future for the franchise or is he damaged goods due to his
concussion history? I believe there
is a strong possibility that Miami may try to get the band back together for
next year with Brady handling lead vocals.
And finally, we have the Las
Vegas Raiders… Option Four. The Josh
McDaniels connection is the elephant in the room that is probably keeping the
Raiders front and center of the Brady discussion. The Raiders have money. The Raiders have cut their ties with Carr and
are shopping for a quarterback. Although
the Raiders have some glaring weaknesses, they have shown an ability to
complete at the highest level with some of their gifted playmakers. With some strategic free agent signings and a
good draft, they could put together an impressive roster. Looking at the prism one way, the Raiders
might look like a good fit. But if we
look through another facet of the prism, things do not look so compatible. Las Vegas is a long, long way from the east
coast where Brady’s family connections reside.
And even though it might be near his hometown west coast roots, it is
far away from his kids. This has to be a
prime consideration against signing with the Raiders. Additionally, any reasonable person could
look at the AFC Western Division and call it one of, if not the,
strongest division in the NFL. If you
are Brady and contemplating climbing one or two more mountains before you
retire, why in the world would pick the tallest peak in sight?
All things considered, it
must be enticing for Brady to think about throwing deep to Hill at Miami or
Adams at Vegas. They are truly
extraordinary athletes. From top to
bottom, it is hard to find a stronger team roster than that of the Carolina
Panthers. You have to believe that
somebody is going fill in those blank spaces and find some great success. But at the end of the day, all of these teams
really have nothing more to offer than the Tampa Bay Bucs. Why pack up and move, say good-bye to three
years’ worth of relationships, have to learn a new offense and team philosophy,
and go through the pain and agony of new contract negotiations with strangers
when you can find pretty much all you are looking for right where you are? The grass is not always greener on the
other side.
Who knows? Brady might hang up his cleats and take up
the microphone. He may become
entrepreneur supreme and pursue full-bore capitalism. He may go the Peyton Manning route and carve
out a new direction in covering sports.
I hope he continues to play the game he has shown to be so good at and is
able to end his career on a much higher note than that loss to the Cowboys on
Monday night. In the word of Ronnie
Dunn…. That ain’t no way to go. Whatever
his choice turns out to be, I will bet he is successful with it. He is a class act and an absolute treasure
for football fans everywhere. Best of
luck and good fortune to you, Tom Brady.
One more short blurb: I will predict that Patrick Mahomes gets his
second Super Bowl ring this year and the Chiefs close out this season in which
they have dominated the competition with a Championship performance. They are a great team and will truly deserve
the trophy… if they can win it?
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