Sunday, December 30, 2007

Congrats to Tom Brady and Co.

I'm obviously not the first to mention the fact that late last night New England quarterback threw for his record setting 50th touchdown pass of the season, breaking the mere two-year-old record previously set by Peyton Manning, but I have some of my own thoughts on this achievement that might not be shared by others. After Manning broke the 20-year-old single season mark set by Miami Dolphins legend Dan Marino, this looked to be a mark that perhaps could only be broken by the one who had just broken it, but then there was the trade that sent Randy Moss from the Oakland Raiders to New England for a few pennies and pat on the back. Moss, who had become known more for his antics than his pro-bowl abilities, was thought to be all but washed-up and a risk to any team that would take him, but this isn't any old team and it's coach has always had a way of keeping guys in line. That said, Moss went on to break the single season for touchdown receptions, set by Hall of Famer Jerry Rice.
But I digress. Why? Because I don't really care about that record, albeit nice. Quite frankly, I didn't care about the Patriots winning every game this season. Yes, I've been a fan my whole life and would love to see another championship, but all this crap about team this and team that is getting old. Tom Brady has been a company man long enough and should get to enjoy this record. For years he's been racking up victories and while his last minute heroics may be second to none, the media darling has always been Peyton Manning. Whether the Patriots won every game of the decade, pundits would always praise Peyton Manning and if I were Brady, I'd be sick of it. I'm obviously not Brady and I'm sick of it. So yes, last night I really cared about seeing Tom Brady break that record. After two dropped passes in a row, it looked like Moss might not be up to the challenge and perhaps Brady would have to go to Wes Welker for the record, but then late in the forth quarter, Brady unleashed a Hail Mary on 3rd and 10 for a 65 yard touchdown completion, which gave both Brady and Moss their respective records. And while I don't care to say much about how lame it was listening to Bryant Gumble babble throughout the game, I would like to direct my attention for one last thought on a comment that he a Chris Collinsworth agreed upon nearing the end of the game. To paraphrase, they said that Brady didn't care about setting the single season mark and just wanted to win this game... Wake up guys! Tom Brady has as much pride as anyone and he has three Super bowl rings. To put it bluntly, Tom Brady wanted nothing more than to get that record and hats off to him for making his mark.

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