As a born and bred, die hard Green Bay Packers fan, I am somewhat surprised that I am writing an article regarding Super Bowl LI and the astounding Tom Brady. Naturally, as a Packer fan, I was pulling for the Atlanta Falcons. I had fairly indifferent feelings toward both teams as my team was not playing, however, I figured I’d rather have my team go down to the Super Bowl LI champions.
The game started out quite disappointing, as I had hoped for at least a good game that was somewhat exhausting to watch because of high-stress levels and constant back-and-forth scoring. Needless to say, by the third quarter I was left unimpressed by the lack of action throughout the game. I was ultimately happy that the Falcons were up 28-3 with 8:31 left in the third quarter but had wished the game consisted of a little more than just Matt Ryan’s two touchdown passes, a pick six by Alford, and Freeman’s unnecessary dive-in 5-yard touchdown. At this point in time, I had the urge to stop watching and call it a game as no team has ever won a Super Bowl after trailing by more than 10 points. Boy am I glad that I didn’t stop watching.
New England ended up scoring 31 unanswered points to stun the Falcons.
Obviously, this was a team effort, but football fans nationwide are giving credit to the man who made this unheard-of comeback possible, New England’s starting quarterback, Tom Brady. Brady, the youngest of four children, was born in 1977 in San Mateo, California where his interest in football started very young. His family was a family full of sports enthusiasts and one of his earliest football memories was attending the San Francisco 49ers games to watch his favorite quarterbacks, Joe Montana and Steve Young. While attending St. Gregory’s elementary school in San Mateo, he played flag football and touch football at recess, after school, and whenever he had extra time. Can you guess what position he played?
Brady’s first organized football game was as a freshman at San Mateo’s Junipero Serra High School, a Catholic all-boys school. By junior year he was starting quarterback and by his senior year, he had the attention of many different scouts. During his high school quarterback career, he completed 236 of 447 passes for 3,702 yards and thirty-one touchdowns. Originally, he was recruited to play professional baseball for the Montreal Expos right out of high school. Instead, he opted to accept a scholarship to play football for the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
After a frustrating start to his college career riding the bench, Brady considered transferring back to California. Determined to stay at Michigan, Brady earned starting quarterback position during his junior year in 1998 and earned All-Big Ten Conference honorable mention, Academic All-Big Ten Pick, and managed to set several University of Michigan records including the record for most attempts (350) and completions (214) in one season. By the end of his college career, he had won twenty of the twenty-five games he started. During the 200 NFL draft, he was the 199th player chosen and picked up by the then-struggling New England Patriots. Leery of his potential, speed, and skills, sports analysts doubted his success at the NFL level. I bet those analysts are now kicking themselves in the back.
Brady now has won five Super Bowls and has set new records for most passes completed (43) and most passing yards (466) in Super Bowl history. He won his fourth MVP and is now considered to be the greatest quarterback of all time. In the two Super Bowls, New England lost to the New York Giants in 2008 and 2012, freak catches cost the Patriots. David Tyree of the Giants caught a ball against his helmet to help end New England’s quest for an undefeated season. Four years later, Mario Manningham’s footwork helped give the Giants another win. In 2004, New England’s Adam Vinatieri made a forty-one-yard field goal to win the Super Bowl over the Carolina Panthers.
Last week during Super Bowl LI, Brady threw a pass to Julian Edelman over the middle of the field with 2:28 left, down 28-20. Atlanta cornerback Robert Alford tapped the ball up in the air and somehow stuck on his foot as he fell back, giving Edelman a split second to gain possession of the ball before it touched the ground, catching a 23-yard pass play. James White then ran for a touchdown to complete a 10-yard play and a 91-yard drive, one of the best of Brady’s career. Now, trailing 28-26, New England completed the two-point conversion, tying the game at 28 and sending both teams into a sudden death overtime. New England won the overtime coin toss, and put together an efficient 75-yard drive, capped off by White’s 2-yard touchdown run to clinch it. Brady did it again, he had won his fifth Super Bowl.
At the age of 39, Brady has done more than any quarterback in NFL history. No other quarterback has won five Super Bowls and four Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Awards. Like some of the best athletes ever – Tiger Woods and Lance Armstrong, Pete Rose and Barry Bonds – Tom Brady is human and as a human, he has flaws. Marvel at him. Or don’t.
Whether you know him for his Super Bowl wins or the deflategate investigation, you know who Tom Brady is. The question if Tom Brady deserves the recognition he received after the Super Bowl LI win or not is now up in the air. On January 18, 2015, the New England Patriots defeated the Indianapolis Colts, 45-7, to advance to the Super Bowl. Shortly after the game, the NFL started investigating whether the Patriots had used deflated footballs to gain an unfair advantage. At the time, Tom Brady said, “It’s ridiculous, that’s the last of my worries.” A year later, the federal court in New York got involved and Commissioner of the NFL, Roger Goodell, handled the case and whether he violated the league’s collective bargaining agreement. The NFL ended up suspending Tom Brady for four games without pay, putting the Patriots in the position of having to start the season with Jimmy Garoppolo as their quarterback. Brady opted to appeal without his team’s support, however, the ban was upheld and Brady gained a dishonorable reputation across the NFL fan base.
As I watched the game last Sunday and saw Brady’s frustration during the first half, a part of me wanted to feel sorry for the guy. It wasn't looking good for Brady. Never before had a Super Bowl team come back from a 10-point deficit; but there has never been anyone like Brady, either.
So, does Brady deserve the recognition he’s received or does his leery past override his successes?
It wasn’t until the very end of the game when fans saw the very one thing they hope to see whenever they watch sports. Sometimes, yes, it’s for the drama and scandals. In reality, fans don’t watch players because they are likable or follow the rules or are good citizens. They watch them to see them do amazing things and that is exactly what Brady did. As a sports enthusiast who has grown up a Packer fan, I can attest to Brady’s legacy and despite any scandal he may have been a part of, his athleticism and intelligence on the field makes him one of the greatest, most respectable quarterbacks the NFL has ever seen.
