Tag Archives: Super Bowl

The Brady Difference

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The best way to succeed in life is through hard work and determination. The Brady difference as I like to call it, is what sets him apart from any other QB in the NFL. Brady’s quickly approaching his 42nd birthday in August, but if you didn’t know this you’d think he was in his 30’s.

Brady’s Training like A Mad Man

https://twitter.com/patsnationtm/status/1147250290028138497?s=21
This is from Tom v Time

The soon to be 42 year old will do anything it takes to improve his game. He’s looking faster and stronger in 2019 which shows his dedication and commitment. His critics will say he doesn’t have a strong arm, one even going as far to call it a wet noodle. Hi Max! Brady took to his Instagram account to fire back at the known troll.

The Caption Brady had on his post read, “He’s gonna fall off a Cliff” along with ? ? emojis.

It’s safe to say he’s still using everything negative he’s ever heard as fuel to his fire. The Brady difference at its finest.

Tom Brady’s Leadership is Incredible like usual

After winning a Super Bowl as a 41 year old, Tom is showing everyone what a true leader looks like. Josh Gordon is trying to get back on the field in time for training camp. Brady wanted to make sure he knew the team still has his back and got him to come out and throw the ball around.

“Brady to Gordon”
Hoping to hear that all season
Brady isn’t just having Gordon catching footballs. The two have been going out to dinner and spending time together like true friends.

Gordon isn’t the only player Brady’s been working out with, his pal Edelman has been catching passes with other teammates. Baron Davis was spotted with Brady too, and he’s got great hands according to Tom.

Tom’s not just doing all of these things for fun either. He wouldn’t admit it but he wants the Patriots to break the tie with Pittsburgh for SB wins. Great leaders don’t care about personal achievements. For Brady it doesn’t matter what his stats are as long as the Patriots get the win.

Brady doesn’t pad his stats and will gladly hand the ball off at the 5 yard line. After Brady’s incredible throw to Gronk in the Super Bowl to get to the 5 yard line he did the smart thing and handed it off. Most QBs would want that TD pass, that’s the difference. “The Brady Difference.”

Gronkowski Still has ‘The Itch’

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Rob Gronkowski held his 7th annual Citi, Pro Camp for kids. Helping the Boston food bank along with the kids who all brought food for a great cause.

Gronk was his usual happy self on the first day of his camp this year. The future HOF TE was running around playing quarterback, catching passes and teaching kids the importance of teamwork. He’s a great role model and it showed all day.

Everyone Including 800 Children had the same question for Gronk

https://twitter.com/boston_sports18/status/1138166870027177984?s=21

The Patriots could surely use his services on the football field, but for now he is enjoying retirement. Rob is helping out in the community like he’s always done in the past.

This year the whole Gronkowski gang was out participating and having a blast. The event along with the kids brought in over 6,500 food items for the Greater Boston Food Bank.

Over 6500 items of food for the Greater a Boston Food Bank. (Mike Quilty)
  • Gronk taking a bow
    (Mike Quilty)

The greatest TE I’ve ever seen is just as clutch when it comes to the community as his catches were this postseason and Super Bowl.

Gronkowski could potentially come back to the Patriots at some point this upcoming season. The decision will probably be unexpected and a surprise.

The TE had one amazing surprise for two of the Pro Camp participants, what a class act.

https://twitter.com/boston_sports18/status/1137434664975704064?s=21

Gronkowski always knows how to make someone smile, whether he’s off the field continuing his charities, or suiting up for the Patriots at some point in 2019.

The decision to retire is respected by everyone, but some of his ex teammates said they know he can still play and wouldn’t be surprised by a return. Gronk is going to be Gronk whatever he decides to do, he’s a Champion on and off the field.

Thank you to the Gronkowski’s, Rob in particular and everyone involved in a winning Saturday.

The end of a great day


The Brady Difference-Part 2

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This is one of the most ignorant theories used to discredit Brady’s greatness. Another lazy and tired take. Here’s my rebuttal to the haters who claim Brady’s only good against bad teams.

“Well Brady’s Success is due to the AFC East”

The AFC “Least”- Not quite true

The AFC East is thought to be the worst and most dysfunctional division in the NFL. Believed by many as the reason Brady and the Patriots are any good. My question is, are these teams really that awful and dysfunctional, or do the Patriots make them look that way? Using stats it shows that if you remove each division winner from each division, the AFC “Least” has the highest win percentage in the NFL (.457). Looks like that theory holds no weight.

“But Brady wouldn’t thrive in ANY other division!”

Once again the Tom Brady difference shows otherwise. Brady’s win % in every division proves the haters wrong. Let’s take a look.

Here’s the AFC win percentages. AFCE: 79% AFCN: 81% AFCS: 79% and 65% in the AFCW.

Here’s the NFC win percentages. NFCE: 81% NFCN: 85% NFCS: 75% and the NFCW: 67%

So Brady Vs NFC teams is 76% and 77% against the AFC. Another theory debunked, Tom Brady would be a dominant QB anywhere he played. Case closed.

“Yeah But he Needs to Deflate Footballs to win!”

The proof that Deflategate never happened will be In part 3 of this ‘Brady Difference’ Article. Science, math and evidence will be used, along with studies from the top scientists in the country. They’ve debunked the witch hunt called “Deflategate”

That being said, let’s see what’s happened since the second half of the famous AFC championship game. The footballs were inflated to regulation regarding PSI, and Tom Brady went off on the Colts in route to SB49 against the Seahawks. Two weeks of insanity ensued and the NFL had the game balls under lock and key.

Since The Second half Tom Brady has played the best football of his career, weird huh? With regulation footballs all Brady has done is Win three Super Bowls, two SB MVPs, broke the passing record and then broke his own twice! He was also League MVP, selected to two All Pro’s, 4x Pro Bowl selections, and led the league in passing yards and touchdowns. His record since then is 47-13 with 125 TDs, four SB appearances and three straight trips to the big game. The haters will say he gained an unfair advantage, his stats show he’s only gotten better while being under a microscope.

Ajc.com

How about a couple HOF QBs having Brady’s back. Joe Montana’ “It’s a stupid thing to even be talking about because they shouldn’t have the rule anyway.”

Dan Marino said “Every quarterback that has ever played the position understands that getting the footballs the way you like them before a game is part of the game. I mean I did it for years, Jim Kelly up in Buffalo did it, Tom’s doing it, Peyton Manning did it.” There was no unfair advantage at any point.

“Brady Doesn’t Have Any Individual records”

This is the Strangest thing I’ve seen from Brady Haters, so here’s a short list, just to show how nuts people get when talking about the GOAT.

Don’t forget about the 25 point comeback

“Brady Is the check down king”

There is this misconception that Brady doesn’t throw passes further than 5 yards. The problem with this theory is that Brady is 19th in the NFL throwing short passes. His 35.28% of short pass plays is better than quarterbacks like Big Ben, Luck, Ryan, Mahomes and the “Greatest” ever Aaron Rodgers.

The quarterback with the “most talent” Aaron Rodgers, who’s compared to Brady for reasons I don’t understand, throws short more than Tom.

Part 3 will include “Rodgers is better than Brady”, “The science behind Deflategate”, and much more. Feel free to give me any nonsense you’ve heard about Brady and we can put it on the list for the Haters.

New England Patriots To Retain Super Bowl Title Next Year?

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The New England Patriots just love being the underdogs. So often favorites to win on the big stage, Bill Belichick’s men strolled into Kansas City – with many backing the Chiefs to go on and represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. New England’s doubters got it massively wrong on that day and critics were wrong again in the National Football League’s showpiece game just two weeks later.

Heading into the 2019 season, New England may slip further down the projected pecking order. Tom Brady is the greatest player of all-time but age will catch up with him at some point. However, he showed no signs of slowing down last season and plenty of punters will fancy the Patriots quarterback to lead the franchise to another successful year. Write New England off at your peril; that will only fuel their hunger and desire.

<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” data-lang=”en”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the Patriots and NFL (more competition for Patriots players in free agency creates challenge for team; Adam Humphries; wide receiver remains big need; Patriots-Browns too good for opener?; special 2018 locker room etc.). <a href=”https://t.co/Q0ambzH12v”>https://t.co/Q0ambzH12v</a></p>&mdash; Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) <a href=”https://twitter.com/MikeReiss/status/1107225444796059649?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>March 17, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Tom Brady will be 42 years old when the 2019 season gets underway. We repeat: Brady will be 42 years old. He is playing like a 24-year-old and it would be foolish to suggest that his decline is imminent. With Peyton Manning, you could see his form deteriorate but Brady is still one of the best in the business. In those clutch situations, he gives the Patriots a clear advantage over his rivals at the quarterback position.

On paper, the AFC Conference is wide open – the gap between the Patriots and the chasing pack is now closer than ever. There are at least seven or eight contenders to win the AFC title and that enhanced competition will act as the catalyst to motivate Belichick and co. It wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see New England send out a real statement of intent in the early stages of the 2019 campaign.

While the standard inside the conference is improving, the same cannot be said for the AFC East. This is New England’s territory and the free sports picks will all suggest another divisional title. It is hard to see one of the New York Jets, Buffalo Bills or Miami Dolphins bridging the gap to the Patriots. At some point, New England’s rivals will turn things around but not whilst Brady and Belichick are at Gillette Stadium.

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Predicting the Patriots to win the Super Bowl is almost expected these days but reaching the showpiece fixture at 42 years old would be Brady’s best achievement. Retaining the AFC East title for the 11th year in a row has to be the primary objective but New England fans will want more than that. With time running out for both Brady and Belichick, Patriots followers will be hoping for at least one more Super Bowl crown.

The Patriots might not have the most talented roster but anything can happen when you have the greatest head coach of all-time and the greatest player of all-time on your team. If New England reaches the latter stages of the playoffs, the rest of the NFL will start to panic. When push comes to shove, the Patriots step up and prove their worth on the big stage. Watch this space, another Super Bowl berth beckons in 2020.

Golden Tate would love to ‘catch a few passes from Old Tommy Boy’

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There is no denying the Patriots are depleted at wide receiver. They only have Julian Edelman signed for 2019, with Josh Gordon a restricted free agent. Assuming Gordon, and at least one of Dorsett, Patterson, or Hogan return, New England will still need another slot receiver.

Previously on BSE, we mentioned some of the potential free agent wideouts New England could target. Veteran slot receiver Golden Tate is one of the most prominent names. The former Lion is one of the premier receivers on the market, and he mentioned on Wednesday he would love the chance to come to Foxboro.

“I would love it, I would love it,’’ he told ProStyle Podcast. “That organization, they have proven to be champions year in and year out. They work hard for sure, but you know where you’re going to be at the end of the season: you’re going to be not only looking at the playoffs, but you’re looking at maybe a first-round bye with this team. You gotta admire that organization, they do things right, they’ve been doing it for a long, long, long time.’’

It has been common knowledge that Tate wants another chance at a ring before he retires. He’s mentioned that he is on the tail end of his career, and is craving another Super Bowl run. A member of the dominant 2013 Seattle squad, he already has one ring to his name. In the past, where have countless veterans gone to win a Super Bowl at the end of their careers? Three guesses.

Tate obviously makes a ton of sense for the Patriots in free agency. He is a proven receiver with playoff experience, filling up the stat sheet for the last three seasons. After a down year in 2018, and being over 30, the price could be right for New England.

The Patriots need another dynamic receiver for Tom Brady, and Tate fits that bill without breaking the bank. If the feeling is mutual between the two parties, there is a very real possibility this comes to fruition.

It also helps that New England boasts the greatest quarterback of all time, which Tate clearly acknowledges. He said this later on in the interview:

“I would definitely love being a part of something like that and catch a few passes from old Tommy Boy,’’ Tate said. “Julian [Edelman] is a buddy of mine, I’m really good buddies with him. I’ve heard good things from Kyle Van Noy, who got traded from Detroit and went there and has just been balling out since. It’s, as I said, a great organization. I definitely would not mind going over there for sure.’’

Tate is the prototypical player the Patriots go after in free agency. He is on the back end of his career, coming off a down season, and is still a productive player. He fills a huge need for the Pats, and has a ton of interest in venturing over to 1 Patriot Place. And after this interview, you can bet Julian Edelman will be recruiting Tate like crazy.

The price should be right for New England, assuming Tate wants a one to two year deal worth around five million a year. When free agency starts on March 14th at 4:00 P.M. est, look out for Golden Tate to potentially be the Patriots marquee signing.

Devin McCourty not retiring quite yet

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Devin McCourty was one of the Patriots who was flirting with retirement before the Super Bowl. Along with Rob Gronkowski, the eldest McCourty brother was unsure prior to the big game whether he would return to Foxboro in 2019.

He put all of those rumors to bed on Thursday, however, when he went on the Sports Spectrum Podcast.

“Yeah, I’m going to play,” McCourty stated.

The veteran safety went on to say, ” I think once you get a chance to step away for a couple of weeks, you’re like I still do want to be around these young guys that come in.”

There was a growing suspicion that if the Patriots won Super Bowl 53, the 31 year-old would ride off into the sunset with a third Lombardi. McCourty has a multitude of off-field activities, including his sickle-cell charity work. It made sense that a Super Bowl win would give the safety a good ending to a great career and an opportunity to focus his efforts on charitable pursuits.

McCourty signed a 5 year extension after the 2014 season, and at the time was the highest paid safety. If he does return to the Patriots, he will have a cap hit of $13.45 million for the 2019 season. This is obviously extremely high for an aging safety and not the team friendly contract the Pats prefer.

Assuming New England hangs on to McCourty, a contract restructure will undoubtedly be on the agenda. He is still a productive player, recording 82 tackles, 4 forced fumbles, and one pick-six this past season. More importantly, he is the heart and soul of the secondary, and is a perennial team captain.

Devin McCourty reached the top speed in the NFL during this Monday Night interception against Buffalo.

The smart move for New England is to keep McCourty for his last season under contract. Of course, this hinges on a restructure, which would reduce his 2019 cap hit. Hopefully he will be open to the idea, since he already has plans on winning number seven for New England.

“If you play this game only for Super Bowls, you’re going to be very empty. Because as soon as you win it, it’s all about how you can win it next year. … You have to play for so much more,” he told the Sports Spectrum Podcast.

The new league season starts on March 14th, so this is when you can expect the majority of deals to go down. The Patriots would like to see if McCourty would take a pay cut before this however, so they can have a better idea of where they’re at financially.

This offseason promises to be a crazy one, and the Patriots are right in the thick of it. Restructuring Devin McCourty should be a top priority for New England, along with resigning his brother Jason. Hopefully with Devin back in a Pats uniform, the youngest McCourty will sign on for another year.

Follow @bossportsextra on Twitter to stay up to date on all NFL offseason news.

Will Gronk be Knock, Knock, Knockin’ on Seven’s Door?

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After three long, grueling months since Boston won a world championship, the Patriots snapped that drought with their sixth Super Bowl title, all under Tom Brady’s watch. If you’re new to the wonderful world of sports wagering and want to learn how to bet then click on over to Sportsbook Review, and you will find an excellent primer.

The good news is that TB-12 will be back under center to try to take the Patriots to the Promised Land. But the bad news is that New England may be without the services of All-World tight end Rob Gronkowski. The parting will come sooner or later but the verdict is still out on just how much gas Gronk has left in his tank. Until this season, Gronkowski has been as stunning and reliable as a Rolex but cost about as much as a top-of-the-line Timex. It’s been a good deal for Gronk but a great deal for New England.

Yet, this season proved that Father Time is winning the battle over the soon-to-be 30-year-old as all those punishing hits in the past have finally taken their toll in the present. Gronk demonstrated in the team’s Super Bowl victory over the Rams that he can still flash his brilliance when he caught a pass thrown on a dime by Brady to set up the eventual touchdown scored by Sony Michel. He also remains a top-notch blocker, an often-overlooked aspect of what makes him so special and will ultimately see him reside in Canton, amongst all the other greats of the game. When the regular season ended, Gronk tallied 47 receptions for 682 yards and three touchdowns in 13 games. But what many didn’t know was that he had been ailing throughout with a bulging disk in his back and an Achilles injury.

When asked about the punishing position he plays and how he deals with the aches and pains, Gronkowski replied thusly, “To take hits to the thigh, take hits to your head. Abusing your body isn’t what your brain wants. When your body is abused, it can bring down your mood. You’ve got to be able to deal with that, too, throughout the season. You’ve got to be able to deal with that in the games.”

The operative sentence in all of that is, “Abusing your body isn’t what your brain wants,” which essentially means “I am just so sick and tired of being sick and tired.” Gronkowski isn’t the first professional athlete to feel this way and he won’t be the last. But walking away from throngs of fans genuflecting at your altar is not easy. The national, and even international, acclaim is an intoxicant, a dopamine rush that never gets old. But in a few months, Gronkowski will be 30-years-old, an age which generally spells the beginning of the end for professional football players. There is also the reported $9 million salary the Patriots will have to pay on Gronk’s contract if he chooses to return but a number that the Patriots may find untenable.

We should hear sooner than later regarding Gronk’s decision and undoubtedly the Patriots will want to know before the draft. There are three very good tight ends in this year’s NFL meat market, including the Hawkeye tandem of TJ Hockenson (who will most likely be long gone by the time the Pats pick at No. 32) and Noah Fant with Alabama’s Irv Smith completing the triumvirate. If New England does decide to opt for a premier tight end to replace (although there’s no replacing) Gronkowski, then they will most likely expend their first-round pick to get the job done. But until Gronk declares his intentions, the Patriots will wait – while Canton awaits.

The Patriots are Super Bowl Champs…Again

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The New England Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 in Super Bowl 53, winning their sixth Championship.

One year ago today, New England lost to Philadelphia in a game that most expected Super Bowl 53 to mirror. A game where the phrase, “Defense wins Championships” is crumpled up and thrown out of a window. A game that has more trick plays than punts, and offensive coaches have a field day. A lot can remembered about Super Bowl 52’s incredible offensive heavyweight bout. However, the one lasting memory for most New England fans is the defense choking when it mattered most.

If there were any predictions for the game last night, they most likely were centered around an offensive outburst. Most people were assuming this would be another bloodbath, similar to the Chiefs-Rams Week 11 matchup that ended 54-51. Maybe not to the extent of 105 combined points, but it is Tom Brady and Sean McVay so it was a possibility. What we got instead was pound for pound football that exemplified this Patriots team resolve in more ways than one.

One could argue Tom Brady would have already had six rings coming into the 2018 season. Brady did after all throw for 505 yards and three touchdowns in Super Bowl 52. But that still wasn’t enough to overcome Matt Patricia’s sorry excuse for a defense. The Malcolm Butler argument can be made all day long but nothing was slowing down Nick Foles that night. This year however, it was the defense who helped Brady capture his record sixth ‘chip.

From Stephon Gilmore to Dont’a Hightower to Jason McCourty, every defensive player on the field made a play. Whether it was Gilmore’s last minute interception or Jason McCourty’s touchdown saving pass breakup, it was the defense who won the game this time around. There has never been a Super Bowl performance quite like the one we saw last night, and Tom Brady and the offense are beyond grateful. Brian Flores forever left his mark on New England lore, helping architect the best defensive performance in Super Bowl history. He will be sorely missed when he heads south to Miami.

Even though getting yards wasn’t an issue offensively, getting past the Rams 40 yard line was. It seemed like every drive ended with a long field goal attempt or a punt at the L.A. 45. This field position certainly helped the defense, but scoring points would have been far more helpful.

If there was one diamond in the rough for the offense last night, it was Julian Edelman. JE11 turned in perhaps his best game in a Patriot uniform, totaling 141 yards on ten receptions. The Rams Pro Bowl caliber cornerbacks could do nothing to stay in coverage, and no matter what Nickell Robey-Coleman says, they could not stop him. This immaculate performance led the way for the offense, and landed Jules his first Super Bowl MVP.

Julian Edelman shined when it mattered most, taking home the MVP award for Super Bowl 53.

Rob Gronkowski, in what could be his final game, looked like vintage Gronk, going for 87 yards and setting up the game’s only touchdown. Other than those two, the only other Patriot to have a solid offensive night was Sony Michel, who once again scored and had over 90 yards rushing. This was his third straight postseason game with a score and at least 90 yards on the ground, and he could have a monster next year as long as the offensive line stays intact.

Sony Michel scored the only touchdown of the game, capping off his incredible 2018 postseason.

In the end, this game was what no one expected and few wanted. Most people in New England would tell you they wanted a blowout and at least 40 points. Most of America would tell you they wanted the same thing, but in the Rams favor. However, if you look past the boring incomplete passes and negative rushing attempts, you’ll find that this game is what the Patriots are all about. They’re not a one dimensional team like Kansas City, where if the offense doesn’t score then they have no chance of winning.

The New England Patriots always preach that it takes all three phases, offense, defense, special teams, to win football games. That’s what Super Bowl 53 was, an all around effort with each group coming up clutch when they needed to. Without each player doing their job and stepping up to the plate when it mattered most, we would be sitting here thinking about what could have been. Instead? We wake up six time Super Bowl Champions and get ready for our second parade in 100 days.

The Genius of Sean McVay and his Upcoming Chess Match with Bill

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Watching Sean McVay call plays on offense is like watching someone paint. True art, beautiful design, Sean McVay is a true innovator. All someone needs to be a head coach these days is have a cup of coffee with him. Let’s take a look into what McVay does best and how Flores and Belichick can stop him.

McVay and his misdirections

To start, McVay makes a living off of misdirections and different offensive line shifts. This freezes the second and third levels of the defense. Against the Saints, he called play actions and pulled his guards to one side of the field, then had Goff throw to the opposite side. This froze the linebackers and forced them to go up and play the run, while his receivers quickly got open. This will be hard for the Patriots to defend against as they will be looking to stop the rushing attack early. Expect these tricky play action passes early in the game to try and create uncertainty for that Patriots defense.

Stop the run

One key for the Patriots will be stopping the Rams in 11 personnel (one runningback and one tight end). The Rams run out of that personnel at the highest rate in the NFL, and will look to find success out of that formation early. The goal is to unleash their play action pass, which is their forte, and a weakness of the Patriots. The Eagles early establishment of their run game last year was extremely detrimental to the Patriots defense, and ended up deciding the game. That defense could not stop a nosebleed. Hopefully history does not repeat itself. Expect the Patriots to take the ball to start the game if they can. They want to dictate the game and make the Rams play catch up with them. Both teams will want to start fast, put points on the board, and expose the other team’s defense early.

Belichick’s starting alignment  

Belichick will likely start the defense by lining up one defensive tackle in the A-gap and then another in the B-gap. Look for the defensive starters to look something like Flowers, Butler, Guy, and then the surprising Adrian Clayborn. Belichick will likely line up both ends in a seven or nine technique off the very edge of the tackles to establish the edge. This will force Gurley and Anderson inside. This will also keep Goff in the pocket and give him struggles, as he has struggled identifying edge pressure before.

Fighting against the misdirections and nifty play action McVay calls will not be easy. Although the Bears and Lions had success with the strategy of straight up ignoring it earlier this season.

Will McVay be enough?

The key will be stopping the run early to prevent Los Angeles from really digging into their playbook in that first half. Winning the first half will be key for the Patriots to win as getting into a shootout with this Rams team is not something anyone wants to do. The good news is the gameplan has been similar for the Patriots in both playoff games. If the Patriots can stick to the gameplan on defense and start hot, McVay and his genius mind will not be enough to finish on top.

The Result No One Expected Not Even Tom Brady

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Tom Brady entered Super Bowl LII against the Philadelphia Eagles coming off one of the best seasons in his hall of fame career. Just seizing his third MVP trophy and on the verge of his sixth super bowl ring. Then on February 4th, 2018 the world came collapsing around Brady and the Patriots. Despite throwing for over five hundred yards Tom Brady saw his chance at another Super Bowl ring slip right through his fingers. As Nick Foles hoisted the Lombardy trophy controversy surrounded the Patriots following the benching of number one corner Malcolm Butler. During the legendary dynasty of the Patriots there have been devastating losses but none had eve felt like this one did, this loss cut deep.

The offseason only validated the divide inside of the walls of Gillete Stadium. Thirty one of thirty two quarterbacks showed up for voluntary passing camp and OTAS the only one who did not Tom Brady. The once brushed aside story of a crack in the foundation of the Patriots dynasty had become a reality. Belichick and Brady very much seemed at odds as Bill traded away Brandon Cooks, and let one of Brady’s most reliable targets in Danny Amendola walk away in free agency. As the season came along it was hard not to think that the dynasty was coming to a close.

Tom Brady was quoted saying that “this team needs a great quarterback”. The question however remained could the aging legend still be a great quarterback? For much of the regular season Brady looked like a 41 year old quarterback. He seemed slow on his reads, he was not stepping into his throws the way he use to, and was ducking out of throws to avoid contact even when it was not imminent. Brady finished the season with 29 touchdowns and 11 interceptions on route to leading the Patriots to an 11-5 record. The team appeared to be mentally soft going 3-5 on the road. Losing to the dreads of the league in the Lions, Jaguars, and Dolphins. With a home divisional game against the 12-4 Chargers around the corner the Patriots appeared to be in danger of a first round exit.

As the Patriots walked out of the tunnels onto the turf of Gillete Stadium in front of a sold out crowd it was hard not to remember what Brady said about this team “it needs a great quarterback”. That statement remained true and despite an up and down season Brady came out of the tunnel with one goal. To be the best player on the field for the next sixty minutes. The Patriots went onto to embarrass the Chargers jumping out to a 35-7 halftime lead. They became the first team to score a touchdown on its first four offensive drives in a postseason game. After the Patriots 41-28 playoff win Brady stood on the field during a postgame interview with CBS letting the world know that the Patriots heard the noise. Brady embraced the underdog roll saying “I know everyone thinks we suck, and can’t win any games,”. What lied ahead was a trip to Arrowhead stadium to face the prolific Chiefs offense and rookie sensation Patrick Mahomes. a game that everyone expect the Patriots thought they would lose.

Following a season where the Patriots had proven they could not win on the road consistently. Winning a game in the most hostile environment in the NFL seemed all but impossible. Tom Brady showed everyone once again why picking against him is asking for trouble. Leading his less talented roster to an overtime victory and a chance at redemption. Converting three consecutive third down throws setting up Rex Burkhead’s eventual walk off touchdown. 364 days filled with drama and controversy. 364 days of thinking about the one title that got away.

The Patriots and Tom Brady will have a chance to play for the Lombardi trophy against the Rams exactly nineteen years after winning their first one. No one can predict what will happen on Sunday. But if the Rams are going to win this game they are going to have to give up their lives. Since Brady has giving up his already.