It’s often been said that many folks age gracefully, kind of like an old bottle of vintage wine. Some folks decline and breakdown faster than others while occasionally there’s that rare exception of a chosen few who can cheat father time and actually get better with age. Enter Tom Brady, who at age 41 is still playing at a high level in his 19th season in the league. Despite some occasional chatter amongst anti Patriots fans that Brady is washed up, or that he’s past his prime, this is far from reality.
Brady posted an impressive 11-5 record during the regular season, leading the Patriots to the AFC East Crown which he seemingly seems to do every year. He also had a 65.8 % completion percentage, passing for 4,355 yards with 29 touchdowns and 11 interceptions during the regular season.
Keep in mind that Brady did all this while not having Julian Edelman the first four games of the year, Gronk was banged up and Josh Gordon relapsed, leaving the Patriots with virtually no deep threat who can stretch the field. The Patriots have a proven system and a mental toughness that other teams don’t seem to have.
After what was then believed to be a devastating loss on the road vs Miami in week 11 on a last second hook and lateral play that Kenyan Drake took in for a touchdown, the Patriots fell to 9-4. New England then followed that up with another loss at Pittsburgh, stumbling to 9-5.
They basically lost any opportunities at home field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs and many were counting Tom and the Patriots out, thinking they may have an early exit in January. New England may not have the fastest receivers in the league, the biggest running backs, or the most dominant personnel on both sides of the football when it comes to stats and numbers.
However, what they do possess is the combination of the greatest coach and quarterback duo in NFL history who can beat any opponent with their minds. Physical ability and athleticism are vital to succeed in the NFL, but coaching and great quarterback play and reads at the line of scrimmage are even more essential to a team’s success.
Every year when the Patriots seem to be counted out or they fall behind in a big game, (just ask the Atlanta Falcons about that) number 12 and Mr. Bill Belichick find ways to outsmart their opponents, thus frequently overcoming many obstacles and winning games and championships along the way. Tom Brady has clearly conquered father time up to this point and is showing no signs of erosion in my opinion.
He’s led 44 fourth quarter comebacks and 56 game winning drives in his career. He’s also posted career numbers of 70,514 yards, 517 TD’s, 171 interceptions and a QBR of 97.6%. Tom never had the big play receiver (with the exception of Randy Moss for 3 seasons), or the flashiest running backs to work with.
What Brady does have is a great will to win, wonderful leadership skills, and a brilliant coach who is the best at making in game adjustments and taking the opponents strengths away from them. Last year in Superbowl LII, the Eagles upset the Patriots 41-33. I personally don’t think Brady or Belichick have forgotten about that disappointing loss. I also don’t see New England losing back to back Superbowls.
When it’s all said and done in Atlanta for Superbowl 53, I think Tom Brady will not only hoist the Lombardy Trophy, he’ll also pop open that aging bottle of wine since they go hand in hand, only getting better over time.