[ad_1]
I’m going to miss Tom Brady.
You will, too.
Even the haters.
That includes you as well, Jets fans.
Brady, at age 44, made his retirement from the NFL official on Tuesday morning in a lengthy Instagram post.
It came after a clumsy couple of days that included ESPN breaking the news of his impending retirement on Saturday, followed by some close to him, including his father, his agent, as well as the Buccaneers, denying that was the case. That was followed by Brady responding on a podcast that he was still pondering his future.
Then came Tuesday morning, when Brady would announce the inevitable.
It was fitting that — even in his process of retirement — Brady drew our attention.
Ever since that fateful 2001 September day in Foxborough, Mass. when Jets linebacker Mo Lewis knocked Drew Bledsoe into Connecticut with that bruising hit near the sideline that would effectively end Bledsoe’s career in New England and begin Brady’s historic run, Brady has been a magnet for our attention.
At first, Brady drew us to him as a Cinderella story, the 199th overall pick in the 2000 draft after six quarterbacks were already taken.
The irony there was the fact that Brady drew little attention in college as a skinny quarterback at Michigan, where you’d be hard-pressed to say he really distinguished himself as anything special.
If Patriots coach Bill Belichick ever told you that he knew the sixth-round pick he used for Brady would become the greatest, most significant draft pick in NFL history he’d be lying through his gritted teeth. When a quarterback is drafted in the sixth round, he’s usually been selected as a project, a player whose ceiling is probably becoming a dependable back-up.
Not the GOAT.
What transpired after Brady got his shot following Bledsoe getting his unfortunate shot from Lewis was a journey of such profound excellence it’s impossible to imagine it being duplicated.
The added beauty of Brady was all of the drama that came with the excellence he produced on the field.
He helped deliver six Lombardi Trophies to Patriots owner Robert Kraft’s trophy case. He shattered statistical records and opposing teams’ dreams (everyone except the Giants, of course).
He also married one of the most famous supermodels ever and allegedly had footballs deflated to enhance his performance in bad-weather games, for which he was suspended for four games in 2016.
Even in his retirement announcement, Brady, always with a method to his madness, delivered some intrigue by what he didn’t say, which was a mere mention of the Patriots. It seemed like Brady mentioned everyone in his reflective Instagram missive but his friendly neighborhood grocer, the guy who washes his cars … and the Patriots.
There was unconditional love for Brady from Patriots Nation, which affectionately referred to him as “Tawmmy’’ with their New England accents.
There was hate for Brady from fans of teams like the Jets, whom he toyed with like a cat slapping a mouse around for a while before finally putting it out of its misery.
There was jealousy of Brady because his life was so damned perfect, the model wife and kids, wealthy beyond comprehension, adored worldwide and those magazine-cover looks.
Yes, Brady always was the pretty boy who drew all the attention, but he was tough. In 21 seasons as a starter, he missed games due to injury in only one of them — in 2008 when he suffered a season-ending knee injury in the opener.
Brady constantly reinvented himself. When he already was the best player at his position, he never lost the drive to become even better. That’s what set him apart on the field.
Off the field, you have to dig pretty deep to find a teammate that has a bad thing to say about Brady — if that such person even exists.
In the end, through all of the differing emotions Brady has elicited from us, the common denominator is this: Admiration for what he accomplished and how he did it.
And for that, he’ll be missed — even by those who probably never thought they’d ever miss him.
[ad_2]