My Favorite (Other) Player

My favorite other player will split opinion. There are some that loathe him (and often with good reason) and some who love him and see that he can do no wrong. For me, it isn’t a love of him, it is sheer admiration of an incredible player and career.

In the words of Dwayne Johnson, in the superb AFC Championship promo video, “You’re not a fan, well you don’t have to like the guy, but you can not ignore the facts.”

TOM BRADY - QUARTERBACK - NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

When Brady’s career is inevitably made into a biopic, it is pretty obvious the first couple of years of his NFL career are going to be Oscar worthy. A real American Dream/Rags to Riches story. The 199th pick in the 2000 draft, very little was expected of him. When you try to explain this to those not NFL educated, the best I can come up with is picking up a player from parks football and then them going on to becoming the best player in the world and winning everything. Watching the 2001 America’s Game, when Bledsoe got injured in week 2, many thought the Pats season was over.

Brady comes across as confident, but grateful for the opportunity. Ironically, Bledsoe comes across as the opposite. Brady led the team to the AFC Championship, including an incredible game against the Raiders, where the tuck rule came in. As they say, even the best need a bit of luck from time to time. In Superbowl XXXVI, Brady became the youngest ever quarterback to win a Superbowl, beating the ‘Greatest Show on Turf’ in the process. In true Hollywood style, the movie would probably end there.

However, Brady’s story didn’t end there. Belichick put his faith in Brady, trading Bledsoe, and his faith was well and truly rewarded. Although they missed out on the post season the following year, they soon added two more titles. Despite going 10 years without a title, Brady was still relevant, and it took some incredible plays and out of this world performances to deny him and the Pats. In subsequent years, Brady has consistently proved his worth, taking on all comers, bouncing back from injuries and annoyingly for everyone else, winning. Two more Superbowls have followed, including the most incredible comeback against the Falcons, cementing himself as a future Hall of Famer. The numbers he has posted, may never be surpassed. The records he holds, may never be broken. For nearly two decades, the crew may have changed but the captain has remained constant. To have that sort of longevity in any career is an achievement, to do it at the level he has is almost unimaginable.

Of course, Brady’s career hasn’t been without it’s controversies. The infamous ‘Deflategate’ is often used by those who try to discredit his greatness. Teams will go to extraordinary lengths to win and this is just a case of it going too far. As I mentioned in my State of the Franchise piece, people are envious of winners and there are none better than Brady.

For me, the reason for Brady being my favourite player is more personal. When I was getting into NFL, the argument was about Brady and Manning. Manning seemed to be the people’s choice, the more aesthetically pleasing and the one most of my mates liked. I went for Brady just because I wanted to be different! As a poor student in 2009, I saved all I could to go and watch the International Series game at Wembley, involving my beloved Bucs. I knew we were going to lose, but I needed to be there, it was a chance of a lifetime. What I did see, despite the inevitable blowout, was the mastery of Brady. Without breaking sweat, Brady managed to throw for over 300 yards and 3TD’s. It was like watching the master at work, a magic trick that left you befuddled, or an incredible artist painting the most beautiful scenery.

Like many of the greats, I don’t think the true level of what Brady achieved will be appreciated until well into the future. Yes we all know he is a great, but for me, he will become the greatest of all time. Our elders all talk about the greats of their generation, often annoying youngsters going on about what they saw and argue long through the night as to who was better. Maradona and Pele, Young and Montana, Edwards and John, even now with Messi and Ronaldo. When we look back, there won’t be a debate. And for me, it gives me great pride, that when I’m old and sat in a chair and grandchildren come and ask me about some of the great players, I can tell them the story of the day I went to Wembley and saw Tom play.