Mo Bettah Tom Brady

I know this may sound obvious, but that Tom Brady guy? He's pretty good.

So, I was at that point where I thought I'd watched all the Patriots Porn on YouTube (twice) when I came across this; every pass Tom Brady has completed, 2014-2018. Warning! It's a little over 4 hours long and highly addictive if you're a Patriots fan - or deeply self-loathing if you're a Jets fan. In one sense, it wasn't really new. One way or another, I'd seen all of these plays before, either having watched those games live, or again, in one of the hundreds of other Patriots Porn videos on YouTube I've watched (twice), but it was fascinating watching it in this format. 

A few thoughts…

The Blueprint

Tom Brady throwing on schedule is simply beautiful. There may be or may have been quarterbacks as technically sound as Brady but it's hard to conceive that anyone has ever been better. The ball seems to flow out of his hand into a tight spiral that arrives like a laser-guided missile, right between the numbers. Are there perfect things in this life? Probably not. But Tom Brady throwing a football is pretty close.

Tight Windows

I'm now a lot less worried about whether or not N'Keal Harry struggles with separation. I lost count of the "Wait-What? That was a completion? How was that pass not intercepted?" moments across the 4+ hours of game replay. Calling it a window doesn't really do it justice. What's just big enough for the narrow end of the ball? A coffee mug? "He threw that into a small coffee mug" just doesn't have the same ring to it but it is closer to the truth. In other news, I drink way too much coffee.

What Might Have Been…

You probably don't want to hear it Patriots Haters but your lives could actually have been much, much worse. Gronk and Martysaurus Rex played what, four games together? I almost hate to go there, but what if Aaron Hernandez hadn't been a murderer? What if Malcolm Mitchell's knees weren't made of overcooked fettuccine? 

What if Bill Belichick and Nick Caserio actually could draft a wide receiver?

Fingers crossed, N'Keal Harry!

Who Are Those Guys?

As most voter ID carrying citizens of Patriots Nation, I'm familiar with Brady's legendary ability to play at an elite level with an ever changing cast of replacement-level supporting characters (I'm looking at you, Reche Caldwell!) but I don't know how many times I found myself wondering "Who was that guy?" More so during the first hour of highlights, even though that was only four or five years ago. Brian Tyms? Tim Wright? Did I remember that Scott Chandler actually caught passes when he played for the Patriots? Truly, I did not. Yeah, I'm still worried about having Matt LaCosse as New England's TE1 to start the 2019 season but not as much as I was before. 

Somewhat related...

What Happened To Those Guys?

How did Brian Tyms go from making a cameo in "Tom Brady's 5 Best Throws" to, well, does anybody know? (The internet does.) That clearly arbitrary - and dated - list of throws features Malcolm Mitchell, Brandon LaFell (twice!), Tyms (against double coverage for reasons that only make sense when you note that it was against the Buffalo Bills), and Kenbrell Thompkins (the "Unicorns! Show Ponies! Where's the Beef!" catch and call). What? The list of Brady's 5 Best Throws doesn't feature Rob Gronkowski, Randy Moss, Julian Edelman, Wes Welker, Troy Brown, or Deion Branch? Acknowledging that the internet generally has democritized stupidity, I'm still going to say this list only helps to prove the point: League-average players come to Foxborough, have a career year playing with Brady, and get overpaid by other franchises that forget they don't have Tom Brady playing quarterback and watch in dismay as those players go back to being league-average.

It Ain't Over...

The difference between 2014 Tom Brady and 2018 Tom Brady is practically imperceptible. If anything, 2018 Tom Brady is better than 2014 Tom Brady. (2017 Tom Brady may have been the greatest Tom Brady of all.) We know the man has always played with a chip on his shoulder. 

You think he doesn't want to win again without Gronk?

You think he doesn't want to put Pat Mahomes on a couch for the Super Bowl?

You think his "cliff diving" is just a coincidental vacation activity? 

You don't think he wants an unprecedented 3 wins in 4 consecutive Super Bowls?

You don't think his favorite word is unprecedented?

Yeah. Tom Brady is coming for you.

Again.