Tom Brady is not the G.O.A.T. He was fortunate to have played for the greatest coaching staff and owner in the game’s history. Their steadiness and the work of dedicated players made Brady look great. The GOAT is the New England Patriots.
During my coaching experience over the years, football, baseball, and basketball (all with teenagers), and being an NCAA football official, too, I was always under the impression that every participant was of equal importance.
I lived not far from Gillette Stadium for fifty years, have been there often, refereed high school playoff on that field, and knew some players personally. The coaches have to be in a special category and drive the bus, so to speak. Apparently not with the Patriots all those seasons, though. It seemed to be all about Tom Brady.
Tom Brady was a whisker away from not being drafted at all, and very well could have ended up an employee of the month at Starbucks or 7-11. Yet he was drafted by the best coaching staff in the NFL who (for 19 years) nurtured him, protected him, and surrounded him with exceptional talent.
I never saw Tom Brady make a tackle during nineteen years, intercept a pass, blitz, run down a runner, catch and run back a punt or kick-off. I also never saw him catch a pass, run for a touchdown (sneaks don’t count), throw a block, or tackle a runner. Yet when the game was over, Tom Brady won the game.
A case in point is the Patriots vs. the otherwise high-scoring Rams in the Super Bowl. The coaching gameplan and the Pats’ defense held the Rams to three points. The Pats’ kicker scored enough points to win the game (7). Brady was part of (6), but all we hear is how Brady won the Super Bowl. It was the same story in the SB win over the Falcons. James White carried the team, among others. But in the end, the headlines read: “Brady won the Super Bowl.”
Courtesy: Newsweek
I really think it’s also time to stop this really dumb comparison between Brady and Belichick. Reporters and commentators have to have something to say–however foolish it may be–but let’s check the facts.
Belichick has responsibility for fifty-three players, coaches, the offense, defense, special teams, game plans, and fast decisions, which could mean winning or losing. The so-called experts have the audacity to suggest the success is because of Tom Brady, not the coaches and the owner. These reporters should check where their heads are located.
2020/2021 was a strange year with COVID and everything that went with it. Brady chose carefully where he’d land, and his work obviously paid off. But here’s the thing. Generations of players have played the game–with all the sweat and anguish that goes with it–and most never win a championship. They play the game because they love football, and many put everything they have into it.
You can imagine what many of those players thought when they saw Brady throw the Lombardi Trophy from a boat to boat in over eighty feet of water. It was a display of disrespect to the game and players and to the fans, Vince Lombardi, coaches, and anyone connected with the game.
In closing, let me say something emphatically: Tom Brady is not the G.O.A.T. What is he? Fortunate. Fortunate to have played for the greatest coaching staff and owner in the game’s history. Their steadiness and the work of dedicated players made Brady look great.
The GOAT is the New England Patriots, and everybody connected with that team.
