Tom Brady’s sixth Super Bowl ring shines a bit brighter than all the others, with perhaps the lone exception being his first when he vanquished The Greatest Show on Turf way back in 2002. This year the Pats were supposed to be a dynasty in the throes of decline, a quarterback whose status among the elite passers in the game was in jeopardy, and a team that would be merely a stepping stone for another more talented lot to trounce, on its way to Super Bowl greatness. But nobody counted on Tom Brady and his band of Patriots to have the temerity and talent to brush all of that discourse aside and just go out and win. Oh, and if you haven’t heard, the Patriots did just that as they defeated the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 and took home another Lombardi Trophy.
If you happened to have clicked on over to Sportsbook Review, read a BetOnline review , and then took a peek at what some of the best online sportsbooks were dealing on Super Bowl 53, you would have seen that the oddsmakers at those premier books, like BetOnline, had installed New England as 2 to 2 ½ point favorites and a total that was in the mid to upper 50’s. The very fact that the Pats were favorites proved that despite what the rest of the nation was saying, or perhaps hoping is the operative word, New England was not a predator turned prey but the team to beat…again. And what do you know, they made Jared and the Juggernauts look like Alvin and the Chipmunks as they suffocated the Rams offense and came away the victors of Super Bowl LIII.
However, this time around, unlike their first championship battle with the Rams 17 years ago, nobody outside the six New England states was rooting for the Patriots. Tom Brady had morphed from a sixth-round pick, whose ideal career projection was that of a journeyman quarterback who would be just good enough to hold a clipboard for another more talented, to a living legend. Brady does not simply walk among the greats, he leads them. In the pantheon of legendary NFL players, he is Zeus sitting on a throne of gold with thunder in one hand and lightning in the other. We have run out of superlatives to describe Brady’s sublime passing prowess and command of the offense.
Yet, as extraordinary as he is on the field, he is an impeccable role model off of it. Money doesn’t buy class which is something we’re reminded of almost daily with professional athletes. Tom Brady was born with it and all the fame and fortune he has derived from being the GOAT has not diminished his ability to relate to the fans who ultimately pay to watch him ply his trade. Perhaps the greatest example of his Zen-like demeanor was watching him field questions while Deflategate was at a fever pitch. The questions from the press outside New England were more like accusations, yet he kept his composure and never retreated from his stance nor engaged with inflammatory responses. He was as cool as the other side of the pillow and that’s exactly why he rallied his team against the Falcons in Super Bowl 51 or was able to muster the wherewithal to lead his team to greatness over these last two decades.
Where the Patriots go from here is anyone’s guess but it’s a virtual certainty that Tom Terrific will be back under center, attempting to do it all over again. Hopefully, Gronk will be back and the Patriots’ brass will add a few field-stretching speed merchants in the process. But whatever happens, we’ve all been truly blessed as football fans to witness the greatest to ever grace the gridiron and one whose deportment brings glory to the entire region.
