The date was Dec. 8, 2019.
The Chiefs were visiting the Patriots, the first meeting between the teams since the shocking Pats win at Arrowhead in the AFC Championship just that January. The weather was, predictably, miserable, but Foxboro fans were fired up for what they believed to be a preview of another AFC Championship to come, a game they felt the 10-2 Pats would likely be hosting.
The game got off to a great start with Tom Brady tossing a long flea-flicker TD to a very banged-up Julian Edelman. Touchdown Pats! Their dominance over Mahomes certain to continue. And then the Chiefs did what they do, rattling off 21 points before the half, as the Patriots offense did their thing, stalling out, lacking any rhythm or consistency. They’d labored to score 21 themselves over their previous four games. It seemed un-Patriots-like during the Brady Era.
As the teams trotted toward to their locker rooms at the half the seemingly unthinkable occurred; Pats fans booed their team off the field. It was jarring to say the least. Fans in attendance (present company included) as well as those at home were surprised, and dismayed.
Patriots getting booed at home now, with belichick and Brady still with the team, and after winning the SB last year...
— #FireGruden (@G_Falcetano) December 8, 2019
They’re in for a rude awakening when they leave
The Pats would go on to lose the game (still waiting for the NFL to send the apology FedEx over the blown N’Keal Harry TD run). But the biggest takeaway wasn’t Mahomes finally besting Brady. It was the idea that Brady & Belichick, the greatest coach & QB combo in NFL history, were booed, at all, let alone in a season following a stunning yet spectacular Super Bowl championship, their sixth together.
Unthinkable.
You change another man’s radio. You don’t talk politics and religion at the dinner table. And you don’t boo the defending champs at home, no matter what. Pats fans had obviously become accustomed to dominance, to productivity, to comebacks, to scoring, to winning, to being the best. That’s what came with Tom Brady, and what he meant to us, among many things, for so long. And when he was unable to lift up an offense hampered by injuries, retirement and a lack of productivity the fans let him hear it.
Flash forward to March 2020. After being unable to come to an agreement on a final deal with the team Tom labels himself, “Forever A Patriot” and moves on. How? Why? What happened? It wasn’t because he was booed in that game, was it? Of course not. Even Brady himself said the fans had a right to express their feelings. There were a host of reasons why Tom decided to take his talents elsewhere and ultimately finish his career in Tampa.
Sure, his relationship with Bill Belichick, like any long-term successful marriage, had deteriorated a bit. Sure, he’s changed a bit, as has his game, though we’ve seen recently he can still sling it with the best of them. And yes, he’s professed openly to being all set with the weather up this way (tough to blame him on this one). But one thing Brady wanted, perhaps then more than ever, was an influx of talent. A reinforcement of experienced offensive ability that would allow him to compete with the Chiefs and the better offenses in the league, but also allow him to go out on top, enhancing his numbers as he nears the end of his illustrious career. Not trying to get Harry to reach his potential, or throwing to the void of talent that the tight end position has become in the post-Gronk Era.
Again, hard to blame him.
Ultimately he chose to finish his career someplace warmer, where he believed the system and staff to be more flexible (that remains up for debate), with an pre-assembled arsenal of fantasy football all-star receivers who just needed a smart if not great QB to be plug-and-play contenders. That’s why he’s in Tompa Bay and not here, throwing touchdowns, routinely scoring more than thirty points a game, while the Patriots haven’t scored a touchdown in over nine quarters. Imagine how frustrated Brady, who routinely expressed his displeasure with his receivers, who famously referred to himself as “the most miserable 8-0 quarterback” last season, would be this season if he were saddled with inconsistent wide receiver play and no tight ends all over again?
That’s why I believe the Pats did Brady a favor not bringing him back.
I wish it was simple. The team’s decision to let Tom walk being as pure as wanting to see him flourish elsewhere as they became mired in cap woes, draft misses, free agent departures and even COVID opt-outs. We all know that’s not entirely the case. Mr. Kraft and Coach Belichick would’ve welcomed Brady back but at a reduced price, certainly far less than he received in tax-free Florida. He deserved more money, and truly needed more help. He’s Tom Brady, after all, but the days of him willing the lesser-knowns and lower-picks and undrafted-guys to greatness had mostly passed him by (though Scotty Miller would like a word this season). Had Brady returned the offensive assets most certainly would not have improved from what they are now. The situation would only have gotten worse: the QB grumpier, the coach more frustrated, their relationship more strained. Football game Sunday, blame game the other six days. Again, it’s best he left.
Look at the way Cam Newton and the offense have struggled to move the ball, let alone score touchdowns, this season. It’s been THE storyline of the first post-Brady season, and THE reason we all contribute money into the family swear jar watching games, not to mention THE basis of most angry calls at the radio station.
Facts Only Dept.: You don’t just simply move on from the greatest ever and pick up where he left off. In fact history shows you’re supposed to struggled for a while when replacing an all-time great, no matter the peripheral talent.
Now, has Cam Newton been to blame for some of the team’s offensive struggles? Sure. Would the team be better if Brady were still here? Probably. I’d say three wins better, but that may not be enough even to be in first in the division Brady ran for two decades. He’ll likely be a Wild Card in Tampa. And though he and his coach have had their issues this season he’s likely having more fun there than he would be here. That realization, coupled in tandem with the Pats missing the playoffs in the first non-Brady year, hurts where it counts.
Could Belichick have realized that Brady would’ve have been more discontent with the offense this season and thus lowballed him, figuring if he stayed they’d try their best but likely falter again? Perhaps. Or maybe this is a thought I’m comforting myself with as the Pats stay home in January, Brady continues and oh also COVID makes everything kinda suck.
It’s hardly a fantasy, but something I’ve thought about a good deal recently that makes more sense than the average frustrated fan may give it. If Tom wanted to go why try and make him stay where he wouldn’t be his best anymore? Don’t make him languish where he’d once thrived and dominated. You have to rebuild at some point, so best rip the bandage off now, let him go and set about the new New England. Belichick may not have lavished Brady with daily praise like we did, but he did say time and again there was no quarterback he’d rather have. I’d fo further with some sort of, “if you love someone set them free” motif but let’s not get too huggy-squeezy here. It’s Belichick and Brady after all.
Of course we wanted to see Brady stay. To finish his career where it began. To not just be “Forever A Patriot” but “Only A Patriot”. He was ours. He made us better as he made himself better. There are countless reasons why Brady was the best thing to happen to the Patriots, and Boston sports, and maybe to the region, in decades. But he wasn’t going to be able to be the Tom Brady we knew for all those years here anymore. He’d struggle. He’s get aggravated. We’d get frustrated. We’d wonder what happened, why Brady couldn’t be Brady anymore. With some time to think about it all -- which is so unusual for a Pats fan to have this time of year -- you realize that though saying goodbye was and continues to be rough, the aforementioned scenario would’ve been worse.
Tom Brady knows how thankful we are for the 20 years of greatness he delivered. For all those years of relevance, comebacks, playoffs, championships, parades...all of it. He knows he didn’t deserve to get booed that night last year, either. And while he might still be frustrated with management on his former team I hope he realizes in letting him leave the only job he knew as a professional football player his former coach and owner actually did him a favor, preventing any further issues between Brady and the fans who adored him so.
We miss him, but we'll be fine. Got 20 years of great memories. And some time to watch him again this January.
