one of the top stories on espn.com earlier today: tom brady underwent a second procedure on his left knee to clear out an infection.
go ahead. ooooooh and aaaaaaah.
i mean, is this really news? it must be, given that espn ran a similar story about peyton manning just a week or so ago. perhaps that is more relevant, given that peyton is still playing this season. but does it really matter whether tom brady underwent one or two knee surgeries to take a break from eating chocolate strawberries with gisele? unless that surgery magically cured him and he is ready to put matt cassel back on the bench where he belongs, this really isn't news.
guess espn.com is trying to become more like cnn.com - a provider of irrelevant news, that is. ah well, there's always real newspapers.
Showing posts with label Tom Brady. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tom Brady. Show all posts
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Saturday, September 13, 2008
New England Revolution
There is despair in New England, and understandably so. The franchise quarterback, the man who brought winning back to New England sports, has fallen, and he won’t be coming back. From the despairing fans calling in to local sports radio to the pessimistic analysis in both local and national media, the conclusion seems to be that the 2008 New England Patriots cannot win it all without Tom Brady. There is, however, perhaps a more important question to be asked: could the Patriots have won it all with him?
The Patriots opened the Battle of Wounded Knee with Brady at the helm and an empty backfield behind him, abandoning any pretense of running the ball on their first two possessions. Their second drive was cut short by a fumble, so it's tough to judge its effectiveness, but the first saw the Patriots forced to do the unspeakable: punt. (A Chiefs penalty actually extended that first drive, which also ended in a fumble.)
It would, of course, be ridiculous to dismiss the Brady offense for all of 2008 based on the results of one stunted possession, but this "throw the ball or die trying" approach to football is nothing new for the Patriots. Sometime around November of last year, Bill Belichick officially went insane. (Many will argue that this actually happened much, much earlier). Blessed with perhaps the best offense in the history of football, Belichick’s best move would have been to play things conservatively—after all, common sense dictates that a war of attrition would allow his superior on-field talent to shine through, while a game of risks and razzle-dazzle would leave open the possibility for anything, including an upset, to happen. Conventional wisdom also states that when you have the best passing attack ever assembled at your disposal, you open it up further by establishing the run, rather than undercutting it by allowing your opponent to know what’s coming.
Nevertheless, the Patriots began to rely exclusively on their passing game, as their victories transitioned from laughers to nail-biters (especially over the Ravens, Eagles, and Chargers), and eventually to that one unforgettable loss. I will always believe that it was the possibility of an undefeated season that broke Bill Belichick’s brain, that the need to dominate every down of every game affected his play-calling as the season wore on, culminating in the bizarre failed fourth-and-13 conversion in the Super Bowl. As a Patriots fan, I spent the off-season hoping that the Super Bowl loss had humbled Belichick and restored his sanity. I almost hoped that the Pats would lose their season opener against the Chiefs, so the 19-0 albatross could disappear and I could look forward to a nice, relaxing 13-3 season of good old-fashioned balanced play-calling.
The Patriots did not lose to the Chiefs, but when Bernard Pollard lunged into the left knee of Tom Brady, the outcome was essentially the same: it suddenly became certain that the 2008 New England Patriots would not go undefeated. Even as an admittedly biased fan, I am not naïve enough to think that the team will be better off without Brady than it would have been with him. I do believe, however, that the pressures and expectations that helped to derail the 2007 Patriots have vanished along with their treasured QB. Having seen their worst fears realized, the 2008 Pats now have nowhere to go but up, which, as any Patriots fan can tell you, is a whole lot better than having nowhere to go but down.
The Patriots opened the Battle of Wounded Knee with Brady at the helm and an empty backfield behind him, abandoning any pretense of running the ball on their first two possessions. Their second drive was cut short by a fumble, so it's tough to judge its effectiveness, but the first saw the Patriots forced to do the unspeakable: punt. (A Chiefs penalty actually extended that first drive, which also ended in a fumble.)
It would, of course, be ridiculous to dismiss the Brady offense for all of 2008 based on the results of one stunted possession, but this "throw the ball or die trying" approach to football is nothing new for the Patriots. Sometime around November of last year, Bill Belichick officially went insane. (Many will argue that this actually happened much, much earlier). Blessed with perhaps the best offense in the history of football, Belichick’s best move would have been to play things conservatively—after all, common sense dictates that a war of attrition would allow his superior on-field talent to shine through, while a game of risks and razzle-dazzle would leave open the possibility for anything, including an upset, to happen. Conventional wisdom also states that when you have the best passing attack ever assembled at your disposal, you open it up further by establishing the run, rather than undercutting it by allowing your opponent to know what’s coming.
Nevertheless, the Patriots began to rely exclusively on their passing game, as their victories transitioned from laughers to nail-biters (especially over the Ravens, Eagles, and Chargers), and eventually to that one unforgettable loss. I will always believe that it was the possibility of an undefeated season that broke Bill Belichick’s brain, that the need to dominate every down of every game affected his play-calling as the season wore on, culminating in the bizarre failed fourth-and-13 conversion in the Super Bowl. As a Patriots fan, I spent the off-season hoping that the Super Bowl loss had humbled Belichick and restored his sanity. I almost hoped that the Pats would lose their season opener against the Chiefs, so the 19-0 albatross could disappear and I could look forward to a nice, relaxing 13-3 season of good old-fashioned balanced play-calling.
The Patriots did not lose to the Chiefs, but when Bernard Pollard lunged into the left knee of Tom Brady, the outcome was essentially the same: it suddenly became certain that the 2008 New England Patriots would not go undefeated. Even as an admittedly biased fan, I am not naïve enough to think that the team will be better off without Brady than it would have been with him. I do believe, however, that the pressures and expectations that helped to derail the 2007 Patriots have vanished along with their treasured QB. Having seen their worst fears realized, the 2008 Pats now have nowhere to go but up, which, as any Patriots fan can tell you, is a whole lot better than having nowhere to go but down.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Maybe It's Me?
I arrived in Boston as a college student in September of 2004.
Yes, the Patriots had just won the Super Bowl in January earlier that year, but what other sports success had the city had in the recent years before? Celtics? No chance. Red Sox, remember that Curse? Bruins? Please.
I'll go ahead and take credit for that Patriots' championship prior to my arrival, because I knew I was headed to Boston back in December 2003.
Then, what happens?
The Red Sox beat the odds (and the Curse) and win the World Series in 2004, and cap it off with another Series victory in 2007 to bookend my college life in Boston with 2 Championships.
The Patriots won again in 2005, allowing Boston to continue their celebration in the wake of the Sox Curse-Breaking win.
Then, in my final week in Boston, the Celtics brought home a long overdue championship.
Sure, the Patriots lost in the 2008 Super Bowl, but who can argue with the 17-0 record prior to that as not being successful? Perhaps that Super Bowl loss was just a sign of things to come for the city.
Now? I'm gone. I've left Boston, and it's sports are a question mark.
Brady's out. With one whack to the knee, the MVP is out for the year, and the Patriots chances of remedying their Super Bowl disappointment last season just went down the tubes.
The Red Sox, leading in the AL East when I left Boston, are now trailing Tampa Bay for the division lead and are risking not making the playoffs at all.
The Celtics are celebrating way too much, and are poised to struggle in their effort to defend their championship (OK, so this is just wishful thinking, but it definitely falls in line with my theory).
The Bruins? Who?
And now, the good news? I've relocated to LA. Having attached "Los Angeles" to their name, the Angels may reap the benefits of me being in the City of Angels, and the Lakers are destined to have Andrew Bynum and Co. make a repeat (and hopefully successful) trip to the NBA Finals.
I'm liking my theory.
Yes, the Patriots had just won the Super Bowl in January earlier that year, but what other sports success had the city had in the recent years before? Celtics? No chance. Red Sox, remember that Curse? Bruins? Please.
I'll go ahead and take credit for that Patriots' championship prior to my arrival, because I knew I was headed to Boston back in December 2003.
Then, what happens?
The Red Sox beat the odds (and the Curse) and win the World Series in 2004, and cap it off with another Series victory in 2007 to bookend my college life in Boston with 2 Championships.
The Patriots won again in 2005, allowing Boston to continue their celebration in the wake of the Sox Curse-Breaking win.
Then, in my final week in Boston, the Celtics brought home a long overdue championship.
Sure, the Patriots lost in the 2008 Super Bowl, but who can argue with the 17-0 record prior to that as not being successful? Perhaps that Super Bowl loss was just a sign of things to come for the city.
Now? I'm gone. I've left Boston, and it's sports are a question mark.
Brady's out. With one whack to the knee, the MVP is out for the year, and the Patriots chances of remedying their Super Bowl disappointment last season just went down the tubes.
The Red Sox, leading in the AL East when I left Boston, are now trailing Tampa Bay for the division lead and are risking not making the playoffs at all.
The Celtics are celebrating way too much, and are poised to struggle in their effort to defend their championship (OK, so this is just wishful thinking, but it definitely falls in line with my theory).
The Bruins? Who?
And now, the good news? I've relocated to LA. Having attached "Los Angeles" to their name, the Angels may reap the benefits of me being in the City of Angels, and the Lakers are destined to have Andrew Bynum and Co. make a repeat (and hopefully successful) trip to the NBA Finals.
I'm liking my theory.
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