Is Tom Brady Bigger Than The Patriots?

Has Tom Brady become bigger than the New England Patriots Team?  Now is the perfect time to ask this question.  Why?  Well, we’re in the middle of a week where the biggest story in Boston sports was that Brady’s jersey was found.  Think about that for a minute.  A jersey.  Not a big team win.  Not a player signing or trade.  Not a story about one of the other three teams as they head towards the playoffs and Opening Day.  Nope.  It’s all Tom, all day.  This during a week where:

The Bruins are fighting for their playoff lives and had two big games vs. division rivals.

The Celtics had a big game which had a major impact on the #2 seed in the Eastern Conference vs. the Wizards.

The Red Sox are now less than two weeks from Opening Day.

There’s no story this week about Brady’s recent performance as we’re in the offseason.  No comments from Brady directly through the media other than social media posts.  Boston fans are thirsting for more Brady and they got it this week…because of a jersey.

Seriously.  Do fans really care that this jersey was found?  In the grand scheme of things, what does this actually mean?  It doesn’t get the Patriots any closer to their goal of winning a sixth Super Bowl.  It doesn’t help Brady with his offseason training.  It doesn’t help the Patriots acquire top talent.  What does it do?  It give the fans what they’re craving…more news about Tom Brady.

 

 

Brady has reached an iconic status in Boston and it’s well deserved.  He’s now in the Russell, Orr, Williams, Bird category.  We don’t need to run through his accomplishments.  He has had an amazing career and he has been the best player in Boston sports along with David Ortiz over the past fifteen years.  Some would argue that he’s been the best player in all of sports during that timeframe.  With that said, is it possible that it has gone too far?  Do we really need to have every piece of news surrounding #12 to be breaking news over everything else that’s happening in the sports world?

Early in Brady’s career, “The Patriots Way” was a hot topic in New England.  The Patriots were very successful and it was clear that no player was bigger than the rest of the team.  Brady was certainly the most popular player on the team, but it was at a reasonable level.  There were several players on the team who got a lot of recognition in the media and from the fans.  The Patriots have been equally as successful recently, but something has changed over time.  Brady has become bigger than the New England Patriots from a fans perspective.

Think about it.

The majority of Patriots fans want Jimmy Garoppolo gone.  They want the first round pick.  Why?  Not because they crave getting a high pick in the first round.  They want Brady to last forever…and the only thing that stands in the way, at least for right now, is Jimmy G.  In other words, fans would rather see the window close more in regards to the Patriots long term future if that means Brady plays an extra year or two.  They’re alright with risking the next ten years.  Who knows?  Maybe Tom will play until he’s 50?

When they talk about Super Bowl wins, we don’t hear about the Patriots team winning five Super Bowls as much as we do about Tom Brady winning five Super Bowls.  Brady’s comparison to Joe Montana is discussed a lot more than the argument of the Patriots legacy in comparison to the 49ers and Steelers.

James White caught fourteen passes and scored three touchdowns including the game winning score in the big game that fans will be discussing for years.  Pretty impressive, right?  Was there even a peep about White being MVP of that game?

The Patriots best defensive player has been speculated to be traded to the New Orleans Saints over the past week.  Their best defensive player!  Do you know what most fans cared more about than potentially losing the best defensive player on the New England Patriots?  Hint:  It had a #12 on it and it smelled like a group of dead birds.

All Tom, all day.

 

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