The assignment: consecrate the greatest quarterback in NFL history at the house he decorated with six Super Bowl banners, re-energizing a fanbase starved of recent relevancy.
The grade: B-
With admission that this writer is no art critic, the statue’s likeness is acceptable. It could have been more dynamic, or more iconic: Brady throwing, Brady mid-celebration, or even Brady shouting his patented, “Let’s go!” Instead, local sculptor Jeff Buccacio focused on Brady as a stoic. Especially late in his career, he was serious and surgical. That’s the Brady who will greet future fans in front of the lighthouse. It’s not a bad statue, but it’s not a total crowd pleaser. They played it safe. If they had gone for it with, say, a shouting Brady, there's a strong chance it ends up looking demented.
Regarding the other goal of re-engaging fans: Kraft is having early success this summer, but he’s still asking too much from folks who watched back-to-back four-win seasons.
Foxborourgh is buzzing again. The Patriots’ lone joint practice with the Washington Commanders drew thousands of fans earlier this week, sending jersey-clad locals to overflow sections on the stadium concourse.
It was nice to see. And yet, Friday night’s ceremony was a reminder of what Robert Kraft’s franchise once was: a phenomenon totally apart and above the rest of the NFL.
Nobody ever won like the Patriots did, and nobody has since.
It was such an unusual stretch of success, sports prognosticators could be forgiven for failing the paternity test of finding its true father until years after he walked out the door.
“Since Tom’s departure, we’ve been reminded just how difficult it is to win in the NFL. But during his time here, winning didn’t just become the expectation – it became the norm,” Kraft admitted to a packed Hall of Fame plaza ahead of the statue’s preseason pregame unveiling.
No. 12 jerseys mobbed the courtyard and baked in the August sun for hours before any VIPs took their seats in front of the 17-foot sculpture, shrouded in navy like the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. Crowds gathered on the decks of Patriot Place eateries and stacked two-rows deep against the rails snaking all the way around the Mass General Brigham Healthcare Center. They were desperate to share another moment with their hero.
Once the cloth slid off bronze Brady, to expletive-sprinkled cheers, the real Brady took to the mic with jokes about the commemoration. He admitted he felt overwhelmed.
“I’m also a little surprised, because usually they don’t build statues until you’re really old, like [head coach Mike ]Vrabel or [Teddy] Bruschi,” he laughed.
The innocent jab was a reminder that it wasn’t that long ago that the entire NFL ran through the Patriots. And fans were here just two years ago to celebrate Brady getting his red jacket.
In the seasons since, they’ve have had little else to celebrate.
But in his opening statements, Kraft tried to rally the troops.
“I hope this is a predictor of the upcoming season, this kind of support,” he said.
If Robert and Jonathan Kraft, (who flanked Brady’s other side during the unveiling), believe they can come close to recapturing the lightning in the bottle they had for two decades….good luck. That mission is as futile as trying to cast Superman after Christopher Reeve, build a band as big as the Beatles, or convey Tom Brady’s greatness in a metal statue.