Let me say up front that as injustices go - even considering the larger labor law implications - Tom Brady vs. The NFL hardly rises to the level of tragedy. After this past week, I think we all know what tragedy looks like. This is more of a comedy of errors, full of jokes that nobody gets.
The Second Circuit Court has denied Tom Brady and the NFLPA petition for an en banc hearing. Within the next week we’ll know if Brady and the Union will appeal to the Supreme Court. Actually, I think we already know.
Or do we?
What do we know, anyway?
In no particular order…
It Isn’t Over; It Will Never Be Over
Nobody can say an appeal to SCOTUS is going to happen with certainty but it would be out of character for Brady to quit. It seems likely more hours are going to be billed by the lawyers. As to whether the Supreme Court will hear the NFLPA’s case, well, we’ll have to wait and see.
I’d like to think Brady’s appeal will be accepted, an injunction will be granted, he’ll start all sixteen games in the 2016 season, the Patriots will win Super Bowl 51 and ultimately our nation’s highest court will rule in favor of Brady and the NFLPA.
But ultimately, it doesn’t matter.
For the haters, Brady is already guilty. A single year-old text message, a bathroom visit by a man of a certain age and his refusal to give up his personal phone are all the “evidence” they need.
The Patriots are cheaters.
Tom Brady is a Patriot.
Tom Brady is a cheater.
Worst case, the suspension stands and the NFL will have stolen four games not just from Tom Brady, but from those of us who are fans of the game of football that we can never get back.
Thanks, Roger.
I can hardly wait for Brady’s inevitable induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame (in 2025?) when the trolls call for asterisks on all of TB12’s stats; the TD passes*, the yards*, the completions*, the everything*.
Science Is Dead
Not because of Deflategate.
We live in a country where people built a replica of Noah’s Ark with taxpayer money and included replica dinosaurs in their collection of animals, two by two.
We really shouldn’t be surprised people think the Ideal Gas Law is bullshit.
The AFC East Is Not Up For Grabs
But it doesn’t hurt letting the Jets, Bills and Dolphins think they have a chance. Underestimate Bill Belichick and the Patriots at your own risk. And let’s not forget how much Belichick hates the NFL front office in general and Roger Goodell specifically.
Would I be surprised to learn Belichick had a picture of Goodell’s face painted in his toilet bowl? In every toilet in his house?
I would not.
Will I be surprised if the Patriots go 4-0-0 with Jimmy G. under center?
I will not.
Bravado?
Perhaps.
Anything 2-2-0 or better should be more than good enough. After all, the Pats started 2014 2-2-0 before they were on to Cincinnati. And Super Bowl 49.
Revenge Is A Dish Best Served Cold
Deflategate was and is a rather transparent effort on the part of the NFL - the other 31 owners - to curbstomp the Patriots; to give the other teams in the AFC East a four-game head start and damage New England’s playoff chances. At the very least, the other 31 hope to keep the Patriots from taking home field advantage and at most, eliminate them from the playoffs altogether. Without Brady, they hope the Patriots start 0-4-0, leaving them little margin for error on Brady’s return. 10-6-0 probably doesn’t get it done.
But karma is a bitch.
What follows is conjecture but let’s consider for a moment another law. The Law of Unintended Consequences.
In September, Jimmy Garoppolo makes himself 120 million dollars as he plays lights out. He throws for over 1,000 yards, 10 TD passes with just 2 picks as the Patriots roll to a 4-0-0 start.
Brady returns Week 5 and breaks every single-game passing record in the book; 645 yards on 50 completions in just 52 attempts with 8 TD passes. Three weeks later we see the first of grumblings about New England running up the score as they drop 50-burgers on the Browns, Bengals, Steelers and Bills in succession. The Seahawks manage to hold the Patriots to 47, breaking the string of 50-burgers but not the winning streak. This is followed by a classic Belichick post-game presser in which he expresses just how unimpressed he is by his team’s performance.
The Patriots respond by dropping 63 on the 49ers the following week.
The offense is unstoppable as Gronk and Bennett terrorize linebackers and safeties alike, Edelman, Amendola, Hogan and Lewis attack the short zones and Malcolm Mitchell makes a bid for Offensive Rookie of the Year. The defense takes full advantage as their opponents are consistently playing from behind, setting single season team records for sacks and interceptions.
They roll into the playoffs like a locomotive with methane turbos and this time, they close the deal in Super Bowl 51. More bling for Brady as he wins his second unanimous MVP for the regular season and his fourth Super Bowl MVP award.
But Belichick, Brady and the Patriots aren’t done.
In the offseason that follows, New England trades Garoppolo to the San Francisco 49ers for 1st and 3rd round picks which Belichick turns into two 2nd rounders and three 4th rounders.
The Patriots reload, locking up the core of their young defense - Collins, Hightower, Butler and Sheard - and stock the middle of the roster in free agency. Belichick makes 11 picks in the 2017 draft, backfilling for Vollmer and Ninkovich, who retire after the SB51 victory parade.
Brady finishes his career the way he started it, with three Lombardi Trophies in four years.
If it was a movie, that’s the way I’d write it.
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