Could this be Tom Brady’s finest season yet?

What Tom Brady has been able to achieve this season with essentially spare parts at the offensive skill positions has been absolutely amazing. Could we be witnessing perhaps Brady’s finest season as a New England Patriot thus far?

Tom Brady - By Keith Allison from Baltimore, USA, via Wikimedia Commons

It is not an exaggeration to say that it is a big surprise that the New England Patriots stand as the sole obstacle to Peyton Manning and his All-Star crew making the Superbowl. NFL pundits, fans and the Las Vegas bookmakers all had the Patriots as 4th, 5th and even lower ranked AFC Champion favourites at various points of this crazy NFL season.

The Bengals, The Colts, Chargers, Ravens and Chiefs all received more plaudits than the Patriots at various junctures of the season, and many picked Indianapolis to walk into New England and upset the Patriots in last weekend’s divisional playoff game. However, like a stone cold vampire, like an Egyptian Mummy or any other of the army of the undead, the Patriots keep coming back from seemingly impossible situations, and forcing themselves into the spotlight time and time again.

In seasons past they have done so with a smattering of good-to-great players on defence and a couple of legitimate superstars on offence, all working in tandem with future Hall Of Fame Quarterback, Tom Brady. Name check time. Wes Welker, Rob Gronkowski, Jerod Mayo, Big Vincent Wilfork and Aaron Hernandez among others combined to make the Patriots a dangerous football team last season. Welker and Hernandez are gone, Mayo, Wilfork and Gronk are injured and will take no further part in this season. The heart was ripped out of the Patriots skill positions in particular before this season got meaningful.

Nevermind, the Patriots won the AFC East yet again and qualified for the playoffs with a first round bye to boot. How did this happen? Well, you can’t really say the defence has carried the team in the absence of any big name offensive players. Instead, the defence has had to overcome its own rash of injuries, and has managed to survive without breaking completely only because of some herculean performances from kids who weren’t drafted and the proverbial guys off the street (free agents picked up and thrown in at the deep end). That and the brilliant defensive scheming of Bill Belichick, of course.

The real reason the Patriots have been a playoff calibre team, despite massive obstacles, is the man at the rudder, Tom Brady. He has been a bright, shining light of consistent play all season long. His efficient, calm leadership has kept the Patriots scoring points despite the fact they are lacking literally any big name offensive presence.

Statistically the numbers are good, not great. Brady does manage to hang in around the NFL passing leaders in a few areas though. 4th in completions, 6th in total yards, a good TD/Int ratio of 25/11, and 7th in Yards per game average with 271, Brady has managed to hang around the leader-board despite the fact he had, you know, basically no one of note to throw to.

Achieving ‘good’ statistics when you are throwing to Wide Receivers that would barely make the cut on the Jaguars squad is an incredible feat in itself. Brady has efficiently led a very high scoring offence (The Patriots rank third in the NFL in 2013 with 444 points scored) despite the fact he is playing without a Tight End of note, with several small, slow slot receivers and with absolutely zero deep threat receivers.

A closer look at the gentlemen who fill out the Patriots Wide Receiver depth chart is illuminating.

Danny Amendola figured to be the jewel in the crown, yet has struggled to stay on the field. The Patriots best offensive player other than Tom Brady has probably been hard-nosed, hardworking Julian Edelman. However, and we’re desperate not to insult such a hard working player, it is fair to say Edelman would probably find it hard to get on any other squad in the NFL right now, particularly any playoff squad.

The names at the WR position after those two gents are underwhelming to say the least. Thompkins, Dobson, Collie and Slater are trying their best (when not injured) and again, you hate to insult anyone, but seriously, have a look at that list and consider Brady’s stats above.

It is literally miraculous that the Patriots scored 444 points in 2013.

Furthermore, Brady has done this with little more than the illusion of a running game behind him, with a group of running backs that either can’t stop putting the ball on the ground (Ridley), players no one has ever heard of (Bolden) or players the game of Football had more or less given up on completely (Blount).

In short, you can say with authority, while Peyton Manning lorded it with a cast of super star Pro Bowl types around him, Tom Brady played the 2013 season with, effectively, the bare minimum around him at the skill positions.

The amazing thing is the Patriots managed some very high point totals in ’13 (43, 55, 34 three times) and that is almost entirely down to the skill, experience and competitive tenacity of Tom Brady. He basically willed the Patriots offensive forward.

Here’s the thing, and it’s a great thing and a clue as to why the Patriots are where they are.

Brady himself would absolutely balk (vociferously) at the suggestion that he has not had a supporting cast around him in 2013. He would probably reject the suggestion outright and respectfully point to the various strong points of the players who have been toiling away for the Patriots this season. That’s Brady all over, a consummate leader, a terrific team-mate.

Add to that the experience that Brady and Bill Belichick have together leading the Patriots to 3 SuperBowls, 2 near misses, countless big game wins and a plethora of statistical wonders, and it is a little easier to understand why the Patriots are where they are today, standing once more on the brink of greatness.

Whatever happens this coming weekend In Denver, the 2013 season has been a personal triumph against the odds for Tom Brady.

Then again, when a guy is a 6th round draft pick and climbs to where Brady is at right now, nothing should surprise us.

Tom Brady - by Mongomez93

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Why is it okay for Manning to run the score up when Brady was slated for same?

Peyton Manning is scooping up awards and accolades at the same rate Matthew Stafford throws picks, and in general receiving positive press for doing something Tom Brady and the Patriots were widely scolded for doing in 2007: Namely, running up the score. Why the different attitude 6 years on?

Peyton Manning

In 2007 the New England Patriots set the NFL alight with some absolutely stunning football. In a perfect fusion of attacking, offensive football and smothering, point vulturing defence, the Brady Bunch swept all before them in the regular season, driving hard to a perfect 16-0 record. Some of the scorelines are, to this day, shocking. 

Only 4 times all season did the Patriots fail to score 30 more more. They scored over 40 4 times and over 50 twice. From weeks 6 through week 8 they scored a stunning, 48, 49 and 52 points. The Patriots offence was like a hungry Great White shark in a tiny swimming pool with fat, lazy salmon. It was no contest.

The reaction?

At first a kind of a stunned silence. Then some rather angry accusations of running the score up, particularly from teams and writers that were beaten by the bigger scores, for example here and also here.

Scoot forward a few years to 2013, and Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos are setting records that are actually breaking the ones the Patriots set, for example the total Touchdowns thrown, 50 by Brady, now 51 and counting by Manning. The Broncos have put up several lopsided scores and have continued throwing late into games also.

The reaction? 

Nothing short of sycophantic. The mainstream media have been involved in a season long Manning love-fest that is in danger of spiralling out of control. Manning is everywhere, goofily grinning down from billboards, ads and interviews, joking around with Ron Bergundy and basically being rammed down our throats by ESPN and the rest 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The man can do no wrong, even when repeating exactly what Brady did a few years ago, something that, at the time, people declared it very wrong indeed.

Why is this the case? Why can Peyton Manning get away with it?

Perhaps it is his goofy demeanour and enormous forehead? Manning admirably has no issue whatsoever making fun of himself in the National media. He seems like a pretty decent chap, and it would appear that long gone are the days where Manning would throw his own team mates under the bus, as with the Colts a few times after bitter losses (mostly to the Patriots).

Manning's forehead has its own zip code

Whatever about Manning's enormous forehead, perhaps the most logical reason people in general aren't as intimidated by the '13 Broncos as by the '07 Patriots is, Denver just aren't that good. Not only have they lost 3 games, which is 300% more than the '07 Patriots, they have lost to Brady and the most recent, very flawed version of those very same Patriots. Basically, Denver are a circus freak show, they can put up points on a record pace when the situation is in their favour, however when push comes to shove they will most likely fold under the pressure of a relatively predictable offence (stick 9 near the line of scrimmage and Manning has nowhere to go) and a frankly horrendous defence.

They just aren't that scary. 

Unlike the '07 Patriots, who sucked the very life out of several franchises on their way to that stunning 2007 regular season.

Maybe it's the Broncos 3 losses and inability to stop even the worst opposition scoring on them, maybe it's Manning's gigantic rectangular forehead and effortless goofiness. 

Whatever it is, it's fascinating to watch the media sycophantically pour adulation on Manning for doing exactly what Brady did 6 years earlier to, at that time, choruses of boos and angry scribes bashing on their keyboards.

It's amazing what a difference 6 years can make.

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Is President Obama preventing Rob Gronkowski from playing for Patriots?

Group releases documentation they say proves the President is the force keeping the Patriots star off the field of play.

Is Obama behind Gronk's inactivity?

The New England Patriots dramatic comeback win over the Saints on Sunday last has been overshadowed somewhat by the drama surrounding the return to action of Tight End Robert Gronkowski. ‘Gronk’ missed his sixth straight game on Sunday, resulting in thousands of calls to sports talk radio from irate Boston area callers, demanding to know what the hold-up was.

A shroud of mystery has hovered over Gronkowski’s inability to play so far this season, while he recovers from offseason arm and back surgeries. The main problem would appear to be that everyone linked to the big Tight End would appear to be indicating that either he is ready to play, or they are okay with him waiting until he is ready. Thus the question, where’s this ‘problem’ that the sporting media are referring to?

Starting with the team itself, Tom Brady has gone on record to say ‘I don’t think there’s any resentment’ in regards Gronk not taking the field as yet. Patriots owner Robert Kraft has sternly insisted that he is 'completely behind' Rob Gronkowski’s rehab. No problem there, right?

In terms of his own family, Gronkowski’s mother, Diane, told The Boston Herald that her son is “dying to play.” She went on to say; "All I can say is Robbie is dying to play. He wants to get out there. He's doing what he has to do to get back playing. He doesn't like it. He wants to play. It really bothers him that he's not playing." Initial reports tried to link his father, Gordy, to the fact he hasn’t played as yet, however those reports have been strongly rejected by both family and team.

Finally, the doctor involved in the surgery, Dr. James Andrews, is reported to have given the player the all-clear to ‘suit up’.

So where exactly is the blockage?

Republican think-tank group ‘America for Americans’ has released a report that links clearly the current President of The United States to the Patriots superstar Tight End not being on the field of play, despite being healthy. The 350 page document holds ‘damning evidence’ that President Obama is the mysterious, nefarious force keeping the Patriots best offensive weapon off the gridiron. The group, funded by the infamous Koch brothers, is perhaps best known before now for sending 5,000 ‘Obama did it!’ t-shirts to American troops in the Middle East.

Noted Republican thinker Michele Bachmann said of the report; ‘’This is just another clear set of evidence that Obama is tearing the very fabric of American society down, brick by brick. Would ‘Gronk’ be stopped from playing if he was black? If ‘Gronk’ was Muslim, would he have been allowed play by Obama? I am just asking questions.’’


When pressed on the subject Bachmann shouted 'How can we know Obama is NOT behind Gronk's inactivity?!'

Patriots team officials have refused to comment on the report, and the player himself has refuted all allegations that the President is stopping him from playing. However, Gronkowski was seen talking to men in black suits after the game last weekend. These men may have been reporters, or they may have been Secret Service agents informing Gronk that the President is still not allowing him play.

We’re just asking questions.

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New England Patriots lose Tom Brady to disabled list with 'Lost mind'.

The Patriots just about handle the Jets at wet and windy Gillette Stadium, but lose their MVP level quarterback for a potentially long period to a broken brain related injury. 

Tom Brady - lost his mind

Last night the New England Patriots may have won a battle however they also may have lost the war. In brutal weather conditions the Patriots handled the Jets 13-10 to go 2-0 on the fledgling NFL season but in doing so may have lost their future Hall Of Fame quarterback to injury.

Brady was not seen to be in any trouble leaving the field, however early post-game reports indicate Brady is already listed as doubtful for the Sunday 22nd game against Tampa.

Brady is on the injury report as; Doubtful: Lost his mind. 

Sources indicate the injury may have occurred during any one of the number of drops of Brady passes by his terrified rookie wide receivers.

Dr. Alfonso Marquez, a leading expert in lost minds with a masters from the Cancun University of Good Medicine, spoke to reporters after the news came out that Brady was on the disabled list.

''Basically if you watch the game tape you can actually see the moment Brady loses his mind, as it were. Sometimes if you are near the person you can hear an audible 'pop' as they actually lose their mind'

Dr. Marquez went on to say that 'although unusual, players often do lose their minds in stressful situations, and they can be very tricky to get back'.

As usual the Patriots are keeping very tight lips about the situation, and Bill Belichick had no comment after the game. In other NFL news, Denver have announced that former Patriot receiver Wes Welker has been downgraded to  'probable' for Sunday's game against the Giants, after pulling a muscle in his backside while laughing at the TV last night.

More updates on that situation to follow.

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UGG shoe line brings out new commercial featuring Tom Brady

Five trips to the Superbowl? Three Superbowl wins and two Superbowl MVP awards? Forget all that junk. Tom Brady may have pulled off what was previously thought impossible in the United States. He's made men want to buy UGG shoes! New commercial from Australian company features Patriots quarterback and is actually pretty stylish and creative.

Patriots trigger man Tom Brady in the new commercial

Okay, at the end of the day we're talking about a commercial here, but in the case of this UGG shoes commercial at least a bit of thought went into it, and at least there is a strong sporting theme running through it.

The Australian shoe company's new commercial, titled “For Gamechangers” is basically a walk through the key elements of Tom Brady's sporting journey, told in great detail via a walk through a team bus. If you look closely you will catch references to Brady's;

• High school QB career (with a gentle nod to the fact he almost played baseball instead of football)
• His Michigan Wolverines career
• The fact Brady was the 199th pick of the 2000 NFL Draft
• Brady's Super Bowl MVP turns
• His current NFL career

Enough with the chit-chat, here's the video itself




As you can see, a lot of work went into this pretty stylish commercial. It was shot by filmmaker Spencer Susser on a custom-built 250-foot set on a sound stage in Los Angeles, which took two weeks to design and erect.

The attention to detail is admirable. Junipero Serra football jerseys and baseball uniforms, University of Michigan helmets and then apparently Mr. and Mrs. Brady's 1990's era living room.

Patriots fans will enjoy the finer points of the shot, and fans of other teams will no doubt have fun mocking the New England QB, as they place an order for their first pair of UGGs.

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The New England Patriots snap up Tim Tebow

The New England Patriots have snapped up former Jets backup quarterback Tim Tebow. Let the circus begin. 

Tom Brady and Tim Tebow - the odd couple

There are some who thought this would be a relatively quiet stepping stone like season in New England. The defense would grow up a little more, and Josh McDaniels would have another season to gel with Brady and the offence, perhaps leading to a stronger title challenge in 2014/2015. Well, with the acquisition of Tim Tebow, the Patriots ‘13/’14 season is going to be anything but quiet.

If anything, it will be probably as close to circus like as the astounding 2007/2008 season, and all that went on therein.

What will be extremely interesting is to read, hear and see the first few interviews with Tom Brady, to try and judge how he might be taking this very interesting addition to the New England Patriots roster.

Basically Brady might be looking at the acquisition of Tebow from two angles.

First and probably most likely, he will welcome the addition and tout the party line about how the team comes first and so forth. He might actually enjoy a small portion of the attention usually deluged on his shoulders being diverted instead to the Tebow circus. He might see the move as beneficial in a number of ways.

Secondly, and more worryingly for Patriots fans, Brady might be annoyed. Watch closely to see if his interview responses are a little more taut, staged and or barbed in the next few days. Brady might have been hoping for a relatively quiet off-season, leading into a business like, professional attack on the Superbowl. Brady takes the off-season training sessions very seriously and will no doubt bristle at any distraction that occurs.

Brady’s reaction should be watched closely, but, apart from that, there are so many story lines attached to this incredible development. The most glaring is of course, what will the Patriots do with Tebow? Where will he line up? Bear in mind, Tebow, assuming he makes the cut, will be playing for a coach who once deployed Troy Brown as a defensive back, and had Randy Moss in on defence on hail-Mary type situations. In short, a coach who isn't afraid to think outside the box. Way outside, in fact.

Belichick won’t hesitate to roll the dice with Tebow either. Once again assuming he makes the team, can you really bet against Belichick using Tebow on the goal line against the Jets, just because he can (and, it’s the Jets)?

You have to wonder just how much a part of the fact that the Jets failed to find a use for Tebow drove the decision behind bringing him to New England. There is no doubt about it, Belichick has a mischievous streak beneath that hoody, and would no doubt love to have Tebow run in a meaningless touchdown at the end of a rout the next time the Patriots play the Jets.

Whether it gets to that point is anyone’s guess, however, the next couple of months of Patriots training camp reports have instantly become must-read material.

Hey, if anything, this deluge of Tebow mania gives us five seconds breathing room from the usual barrage of LeBron dirge on ESPN.

Small mercies, right?

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Letterman jacket gimmick backfires as Texans taken to school by Patriots

Someone in the Houston Texans coaching or front office planning staff has a few questions to answer today. Earlier this week the Texans gave their players Varsity Letterman style jackets for the trip up to New England. It may have seemed like a good idea at the time, however as the Patriots raced to a shockingly easy 21-0 lead, whoever green-lighted that idea must have been considering their future employment options. The Texans, jackets and all, were quite simply taken to school.

The game was to all intents and purposes over before the end of the first quarter. The Patriots offence had its way with the much ballyhooed Texans defence and J.J. Watt (no sacks and no passes batted down) while the defence, led by the incredible Vince Wilfork, destroyed almost everything Houston tried to do. The Texans ran nine plays that went for negative yardage. Nine! Worse yet for Texans fans, their team appeared to raise the white flag very early. Instead of running a hurry up offence or showing any urgency to even cut into the lead, Houston huddled up after every play and ran running plays to backup Ben Tate before bringing on the punting team.

The signature play of the night? There are a few you could choose from, including Brady’s beautiful play action fake, touchdown toss to Brandon Lloyd, however the funniest was J.J. Watt forcing a fumble off Danny Woodhead only for the ball to roll to Lloyd in the end zone for a Patriots touchdown.

Even when Houston did something right, they did it wrong.

They couldn’t even get out of New England without embarrassment. After the game the team’s equipment organisers had issues getting assorted equipment back to their team truck because the cart they drove down a stadium tunnel had a flat tire.

You can’t make this stuff up.

The fact is, this lopsided beat-down was quite easy to predict. Allow me to sit up straight, clear my throat and point you in the direction of what I wrote on my column on the BetDash blog last week (I know, I know, bold move, but, bear with me here);

My point is, if I can dissect a game like that, there has to be a lot of wise-guys driving around in new cars today after taking their bookmakers to the proverbial cleaners last night.  The signs were all there. Houston’s paper tiger 11-1 record was built off the back of results against largely poor teams with few exceptions. On top of that, three MVP type QBs have now surgically dissected the Texans this season. Rodgers, Brady and Manning have all put up gaudy numbers against this supposed Superbowl candidate.

For Houston, they have a straight shot to the playoffs, sure, but they also have a truck load of questions to answer after last night.

For the Patriots? Last night was almost perfect. The home fans were treated to a display any of the three Patriots championship teams would have been proud of. Brady was sharp, Aaron Hernandez offered tantalizing glimpses of potential (and health!) and Brandon Lloyd got more involved than previously, a really good sign for New England. Perhaps most hearteningly for the Patriots was the play of cornerback Aqib Talib. The Tampa cast-off is a sight to behold. A big, fast, muscular corner who looks happy going toe to toe with any number one receiver. He was excellent last night.  His addition has freed Devin McCourty to play safety, a spot he is most comfortable at, as shown by his stylish pickoff ending a Houston drive when the game was still almost competitive.

As dominant as the Patriots offence was last night, this team will go as far as its defence takes it. Right now, the possibilities around that are endless.

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Making sense of the Patriot's 29-26 win over the Jets

The Patriots squeaked past the Jets last night 29-26 in a thrilling game that had a little bit of everything. Patriots fans were left on the edge of their seats as the secondary leaked like the Titanic post-iceberg, and the offence struggled to do anything right for long periods. The win did come, eventually, and Patriot nation exhaled. Whilst no one is jumping into the Charles this morning, the warning signs are there that the natives are restless. There was plenty of base, knuckle-dragging ‘booing’ throughout the night in New England. Once again, we are reminded, the ridiculous 2007 season ruined the expectations of Patriots fans World wide

 One thing you really have to understand and grasp onto as a Patriots fan is that you can’t win every single game 52-21.

Before 2007/2008 the Patriots were a blue collar, hardworking team  that managed to find ways to win close games. They were not generally a team that blew you out. They did the little things, they ‘did their job’ as the mantra goes. Just one season of blowing the doors of all comers right up to the Superbowl, and it would appear many Patriots fans have not adjusted as yet to winning games by a field goal, or indeed less.

Well, it is time to take stock of last night’s result and frankly, apart from that awful secondary, most of the analysis should trend on the positive side.

The Patriots sit top of the AFC East on a 4-3 record, having just beaten a fierce divisional rival. Make no mistake, Rex Ryan has not been lying all these years, the games against New England are indeed the Superbowl for the Jets. Ryan says it all the time, and you can see it from how his players conduct themselves. The two games against the Patriots are the Jets two biggest games every season. This means New England have to weather the storm of someone who is trying that little bit harder to beat you.

Last night? Job done. Storm weathered.

The 4-3 record is misleading, it may seem very ordinary, however on closer analysis, the Patriots have probably achieved more than their record describes. Take their three losses first. Those three ‘L’s were by a combined four points. No, seriously, look it up. That’s sensational, and means that the Patriots have, to some extent, been a little unlucky. Those teams that beat the Patriots by those combined four points are 17-12 against all their other opponents, in other words, they are above decent.

The wins have been pretty impressive. The improving Titans were hammered by 21 points. The Bills were annihilated after a slow start. The broncos scored a few in complete-garbage time to make the score look closer than it was.

The Jets? The Patriots found a way to beat them, in that old-fashioned Patriots way their fans used to be so used to.

If you find yourself, as a New England fan, worried that your team didn’t win 65-0 last night, a couple of tips.

First, calm down, and don’t be an idiot. Nobody likes self-entitled sports fans. Just ask anyone what they think of those moaning, whining Red Sox fans that are in abundance right now. The Patriots will win more than they lose, calm down.

Second, enjoy it! It’s kind of nice to see the Patriots working hard in all aspects of the game to scrape out a win, like their 2001, 2003 and 2004 clubs. Instead of letting Brady hock it up to Randy Moss every couple of plays, New England are utilising their entire roster, and it is refreshing to see.

A win is a win is a win.

Enjoy it, in the NFL they are hard to come by.


Just ask the Jets.

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Drive to extinction: Patriots 7:45 long drive leads directly to demise

Cold, grey January morning here in Dublin. Perfect weather to wake up to a world where Rex Ryan is right, and Braylon Edwards is still in the playoffs. A good friend sent me a short, despairing text which said simply; ‘Brady has lost his magic.’ He’s not alone in thinking that, and all over the globe Patriots fans are questioning how their team lost to the offensively challenged Jets.

However, as with everything in life, the simplest explanation is the most logical explanation.

The Patriots made a key stop with the majority of the fourth quarter remaining. They were only 10 points down. A quick, efficient scoring drive would have given them a Vince Wilfork sized portion of tasty wiggle room. This was easy to envisage as they had sped down the field like an Olympic sprinter on the previous drive, scoring easily after chucking the ball around the park a few times.

The Patriots embarked on their crucial drive, and 7 minutes and 45 seconds later their season was effectively over.

Instead of launching a quick strike attack, something these Patriots are not only famous for, but infinitely well equipped for also, they instead spilled out onto the field into a turgid, slow, painful drive that had players, coaches and indeed fans livid on the field, sideline and sofas. The drive to extinction for the 2010/2011 Patriots started at their own 18. It took 14 plays to make 48 yards (3.4 yards a play) and it ended on downs when Brady and Branch couldn’t hook up down the left sideline.

Side-note, the Patriots could have attempted a 52 yard field goal instead of a 13 yard first down, and you would imagine in hindsight they may have taken that option. But, what is it they say about hindsight?

Two factors on ‘the drive’ would add up to equal fatality. The Patriots looked very, very slow and lethargic out of the huddle. They frequently allowed the play clock to click down to 04, 03 and 02 seconds before running off a play. As the game clock ticked down towards single digits, you were left wondering, ‘what’s the plan here?!’ Secondly, were 7 running plays really going to get the job done at that stage? 7 ineffective run plays, when the Patriots needed to score quickly, stop the Jets and then score again.

You really need look no further at all to find the source of the end of the Patriots season. Brady has not lost his magic, in fact he looked superb on the previous drive. There is no great mystique here. A slow, ultimately ineffective drive killed them off. There is nothing or no one else to blame. The Jets won fair and square, and their class-less, idiotic and childish celebrations at game end were only to be expected from a team as arrogant and mouthy as they are.

The Patriots have only themselves to blame, and that’s what stings perhaps the most.

Now, when do pitchers and catchers report?






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Tom Brady versus Michael Vick - no contest for NFL MVP title

Unbelievably there are a number of writers who actually sat in front of a keyboard after the weekends NFL action and announced that the Eagle’s Michael Vick was their favored NFL MVP candidate.


Comeback played of the year, sure, but MVP, not a snowball's chance in hell.

This is a ridiculously short sighted reaction to one good game. The MVP award is thankfully decided over the course of the season, not one game, and Vick has not been MVP like for the whole season.


Let us imagine for argument sake the MVP award was handed out today and let's have a look at Vick against who most sane people are touting as MVP (Peyton Manning basically threw himself out of the ring with that unfortunate interception binge a few weeks ago, Philip Rivers Chargers are not too far detached from a .500 record), Tom Brady.


Brady is also at the helm of the highest scoring offence in football (30 points a game average), which doubles as the joint best team in football at 12-2. How is this even being discussed?

Look, note to those who think the MVP should be Vick. The amazing Eagles comeback was a wonderful NFL spectacle, one of the best games in years. However, it should not have sent you careening to the nearest computer to demand outrageously that Vick be awarded the MVP. It was one game.

Besides at the end of the day, anyone who ever watched and got enjoyment from dogs killing each other should automatically never be allowed win anything, ever. I know the NFL is with me on this, partly because they wouldn’t be able to stomach the PETA protests tarnishing their shiny Superbowl. Mark my words, no way the NFL allows Vick, and subsequently the Eagles, into the big show.

Remember that when the zebras keep their flags in their pockets every time a Falcons lineman pummels Vick to the ground illegally in the NFC conference final. Think of it as a 09’/10’ Saints in reverse. New Orleans were allowed abuse Brett Favre in the same game last season, with no intervention from a clearly instructed umpiring crew.

If Vick makes it that far, he can expect the same treatment. Dogs around the world, relaxing lazily around warm fires, will chuckle gently to themselves with each hit.

MVP? Morbidly vengeful puppies.


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Jets grounded: Brady and the Patriots win 45-3

For the last week or so we have seen endless streams of copy coming from New York, Jets coach Rex Ryan in particular was his own endless supply of glib quotes. The basic theme was, this Patriots/Jets game was like Ron Bergundy, kind of a big deal. Meanwhile, all week long the Patriots kept their mouths shut. Last night they let their football do the talking.

The Patriots hammered the Jets 45-3 in a game that was not even that close.

The key moments came in the third quarter. The Jets opened the second half with a good drive that looked like it might get them back in the game. Instead, Patriots rookie Brandon Spikes pulled off a huge interception. Brady and the Pats them embarked on a 93 yard drive that effectively killed the game. The stunning 35 yard catch and run by another rookie, Aaron Hernandez was basically the final nail in the Jets proverbial coffin.

A cold but enjoyable night in New England

The turn around from the week two meeting was epitomized best by Jets mouthy, annoying receiver Braylon Edwards. In the week two Jets win, Edwards was called not once, but twice for ‘taunting’ penalties, acting like a five year old after scoring. Do you think Wes Welker will ever be caught taunting after a touchdown? Last night, on four of the passes directed towards Edwards, two were pathetic drops on easily catchable balls, and two were intercepted by Patriots rookies. Nice night’s effort, Braylon. No fancy, taunting dances last night, eh?

The crucial aspect to this game was the battle for the AFC East crown and potentially home field advantage in the AFC playoffs. The Patriots now have the inside track on playing at home in the playoffs, assuming they keep their focus and finish the job. Meanwhile the Jets are left licking their wounds with road games against Pittsburgh (9-3) and Chicago (9-3) looming later this month.

The game has dramatically changed the NFL MVP voting too. Philip Rivers and Peyton Manning are fast becoming after thoughts in the wake of Tom Brady’s recent showings. Last night he was almost flawless, leading a balanced Patriots attack in a complete beat-down of a divisional rival. Brady has now thrown 228 consecutive passes without an interception. Poor old Peyton Manning, who some were touting as an MVP shoe-in earlier in the year, has thrown almost as many interceptions as passes completed the last three or four weeks. Last night Brady also set a new NFL record for consecutive home wins by a QB, passing up Brett Favre with his 26th straight win at The Razor. The long and the short of it is, on a freezing cold wintry night, against the self anointed ‘best’ defence in the NFL, Brady's final numbers were nothing short of spectacular, 21-of-29 for 326 yards, four touchdowns and a passer rating of 148.9. MVP type numbers.


On another note, there is a new Superbowl favourite this morning. Up to last night, the Falcons were the bookies chosen ones, at roughly 6/1 depending on the bookmaker. Well, no prizes for guessing who is now top of the pile at 5/1. That’s right, The Brady Bunch. Of course this means nothing really, the road to the Lombardi Trophy is littered with the rotting carcasses of failed favourites, it’s just an interesting side note when you consider the Patriots were as long as 25/1 earlier in the season.

The Jets have really set themselves up for the ridicule and questioning they are undergoing from the calm, cool and collected New York media (The headlines of the NY Post; ‘’FLAME OUT; Brady and Patriots rout Jets!!’’). From the start of the season they set their stall out, loudly articulating that their season would only be a success if they won the Superbowl. Foolish talk for a relatively young team with so many new parts and a second year quarterback who is still learning his trade. Rex Ryan and his coaching staff have put his team under back breaking pressure allowing themselves to be self proclaimed Super Bowl favourites.

Meanwhile, in New England, the mantra continues, one game at a time.

And last night, what a game.

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UGG? Ugh. Tom Brady’s latest endorsement

Kind of odd timing on New England Patriot’s trigger man Tom Brady’s latest endorsement deal.


Just a handful of days prior to the Jet’s Superbowl, and the Patriots second biggest game of the year (the Colts game was undoubtedly the Patriots biggest game and or challenge in this regular season), Brady has announced he is to endorse, well, basically, a type of women’s boot.

Just to get things straight, although UGGs are primarily known as a women’s brand, Brady is being signed up to market the men’s section of same. Everybody (including us in the above headline!) is going to focus on the UGGS aspect, but we should set the record straight. Deckers, the good people who bring you UGGS, make men's boots, slippers, and casual shoes and started as a men's brand among California surfers. Obviously Deckers decided they had an image problem in the States and the answer to that will be Tom Brady. As they said in a press release;

“We have decided that we needed to just get the word out there that it’s a brand for guys, give guys permission to wear UGG. And who better to give guys permission to wear UGG than … Tom Brady.”

Nevertheless, there is bound to be a backlash against this seemingly very feminine endorsement.

Several years ago Brady took part in a GQ photo shoot where he held a baby goat in his arms. To say he was absolutely destroyed by his teammates after that one would be an enormous understatement. There were rumours his offensive line arranged for a goat to be waiting at his locked after practice. It should be very interesting to see what his Sunday bodyguards come up with this time.

Hey man, can you get me a deal on some UGGs?

Whatever about the decidedly feminine slant to this endorsement, Brady does run the risk of becoming over exposed, his team only recently announced a huge deal with under armour.

Not all the initial feedback on this has been negative or derisory. One fashion piece wrote this morning that ‘’UGGs are overpriced, ugly, and pathetically trendy, but as fashion artifacts, they’re impressively gender-neutral.’’

Oh boy, so Brady is now seen as gender-neutral? Can we get a comment from James Harrison or Dwight Freeney on this?

What does it all boil down to? When all is said and done, this is the type and style of life the Brady’s (Tom and his super model wife Giselle) are going to lead, and it is up to Patriots fans to get comfortable with it. There are some online publications giving this story a decidedly negative slant, however it’s simply not our business. It’s Brady’s business, literally. Ask yourself, whatever line of work you are in, if someone offered you millions to endorse something, how many tenths of a second would it take for you to accept?

The only question at all is in regards the timing. Might have been better to leave this announcement until after this weekend big game.

What next for Brady? Crocs? Actually scratch that, Brett Favre has already got that covered. As Robert Goulet would say, ‘’Little inside, I know!’’

‘’Little inside, I know!’’

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Tom Brady furious at the Colts defensive line; but happy about everything else

The much hyped Patriots v Colts NFL game on Sunday night certainly lived up to expectations. Often a big game can be rammed down our collective throats the week before kick off to the extent that the game itself feels like an anti-climax


Not so this show-down.


The Patriots looked excellent at times, however credit must go to the never-say-die attitude of the Colts, who came roaring back at the end. They were undone by a little bit of arrogance. With a first down deep, deep in Patriots territory and needing only a field goal to force overtime, most teams would have ran the ball down the middle three times, let the clock slip to 0:01 seconds and kick the chip shot. Not the Colts, they heaved a pretty desperate pass into triple coverage and paid the price.

In effect the Colts were playing with house money, still leading their division and watching with glee as the Titans, possibly their most serious rival, started a serious meltdown with their QB chucking his equipment into the stands, before the end of the game (Vince Young, to paraphrase Peter Griffin, who hurt you Vince? Who hurt you?!).

However, if they end up back at ‘The Razor’ in the playoffs, on account of losing this game, they will surely be kicking themselves.

Meanwhile, every single game is a further step in the development of the young Patriots defence. Belichick might be coaching his best season of all time, if his swarming, energetic and pumped-up bunch of rookie defenders are anything to go by. The race between New England and New York for the AFC East is going to be a cracking watch.

Naturally, no Patriots/Colts game can go by without a little controversy. If you noticed, right at the end of the game, with the Patriots taking knees to run out the clock, there was a little bit of a mêlée at the line of scrimmage.

Believe it or not, the Colts were resorting to complete bush-league tactics to try and create a situation where the Patriots would, well, we don’t know exactly what they were trying.

How about we let Tom Brady try and explain it to us.

“The defensive line, they can’t simulate a snap count at the end of the game when you’re kneeling on the ball, and really, the only thing that could have stopped us was an offensive penalty to stop the clock. So you know, I’m in the middle of my snap count, and the defensive tackle is going, ‘Hut! hut!’ to try to get us to jump offsides.’’

Unbelievably bush-league on the part of the Colts. No big deal, no big drama, just childish and pathetic. Kind of sad from an organisation that is so professional most of the time.

Brady was rightly furious at the Colts pathetic tactics and, as everyone saw, barked at the referees on the final snap.

“To me, the only thing that the ref should be listening for is that. I was just creating some awareness for the referees on what they were doing. Not that they care or listen to me; they really don’t.’’

The bizarre aspect to this is what the Colts were hoping to achieve? Say for example if the Patriots had committed a false-start penalty. It would have been 2nd and 15 and the Patriots would have re-grouped and then run the ball down the throats of the Colts D to run out the clock. There was absolutely nothing to gain with this pathetic ploy.

Before any Colts apologists start hammering away at the comments section as to how anything is fair game in the trenches in the NFL, no, it is not. This is a penalty, when the referees spot it, simulating the snap-count is unsportsmanlike conduct, and results in a 15 yard penalty.

Very strange end to an otherwise wildly enjoyable game.




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Goodbye Nike, hello Under Armour: Tom Brady switches endorsement deals

The colourful, multi-faceted world of Tom Brady continues to expand and diversify before our eyes. Brady has apparently left Nike (amiably, his contract simply ran out) and has now signed on to an endorsement contract with Under Armour.

The Baltimore, MD-based sports performance apparel, footwear and accessories company, has announced a multi-year partnership with three-time Super Bowl champion.

As part of the deal, Brady will wear Under Armour apparel and footwear for training and a new line of customized cleats (customized ‘Under Armour Fierce’ model, apparently) at future games. The multi-year endorsement deal will also include various in-store and promotional advertising campaigns. The New England Patriots QB joins wide receivers Miles Austin and Anquan Boldin as a spokesman for the brand.

Brady has gone for an interesting method of payments, accepting a number of shares as opposed to dollars up front. His financial team must feel that Under Armour has a bright future on the stock exchange (shares closed at $51.76 Monday). Brady and his team have obviously considered the share performance of Nike and Under Armour when making the decision. Nike shares are up 26% year-to-date after closing at $83.61 Monday, which analysts are calling a ‘solid’ figure, but that pales in comparison to the whopping 88% gain enjoyed by Under Armour.

Another potentially interesting aspect is a comment Brady made in the press statement announcing the new deal. Brady said it was important to align with a brand that shares his values. Considering Brady just left Nike, who stood behind Tiger Woods during his ‘issues’, is this comment a not-so-veiled swipe at his former endorsed mega-company? Perhaps it’s nothing at all, perhaps it is actually Brady dissociating himself from Nike because it still backs Woods and his dubious morals.



The quote in question;

"It was important for me to align with a brand that shares my value''

Of course the major story here is, how will this effect Brady’s current ‘emo’ hairstyle? Will the stylists at Under Armour demand that Brady adopts a more streamlined style, to fit in with the product and the sport in question? Will this spark off a major war between the company stylist and Giselle? Only time will tell.

Now, let’s see what those customized ‘Under Armour Fierce’ cleats look like…



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Tom Brady: NFL MVP at the half way point?

It is half way through the NFL season, and in and around the time where people start making lists. NFL rookie of the year, wildest Randy Moss moment of the year and of course, the NFL MVP award. A glance at the names on the suspects list for the latter shows the usual characters, Peyton Manning, Phillip Rivers and perhaps Chris Johnson, maybe even LaDainian Tomlinson.

Manning has lost his annual security blanket, Dallas Clarke, and his wide outs are currently busy injuring themselves any which way possible, yet still Manning is second in the NFL with 15 TD passes, second in passer rating at 101.4 and fourth in completion percentage at 65.9. Most importantly, the Colts are 5-2. Rivers is right now at this very moment sitting somewhere with his right elbow in an ice bucket, having tossed the pigskin for an incredible 2,649 yards to date. He would need a complete U-Turn by the Chargers though, to be seriously considered. There’s a reason he has to throw it so often! Johnson and LaDainian Tomlinson would also need strong second halves, but are very much in the equation.

Right now however, if you had to choose a worthy winner for NFL MVP, would there be any better candidate than the boy with the family name from County Cork in Ireland, Tom Brady?


Brady appears to be back to his game-managing best, doing everything he can to push the Patriots forward. He is doing so with a curious cast of characters around him. Gone is Randy Moss, in are the non-household names, the blue collar, almost nameless non-elite, Aaron Hernandez, Rob Gronkowski, Danny Woodhead and BenJarvus Green-Ellis. Brady’s excellent fake for the Danny Woodhead touchdown against the Vikings was a fully and passionately executed play fake, his athletic scramble and heat-seeking-missile accurate bullet of a throw to Tate in the same game was a thing of beauty. The former was someone doing a menial task diligently and faithfully, the latter was someone doing something roughly .05 % of humans could do. Brady is delivering from all angles.

Not only is he delivering in terms of what some would call intangibles, Brady is also submitting some fresh, progressive numbers too. He is completing 65.3% of his passes and that has added up to a decent 1,602 passing yards. He has 12 TDs and owns a very respectable 96.6 QB rating.

As the Patriots offence kicks into gear and shakes the rust off, he should see those numbers rise in tandem.

The most important numbers of all? His New England Patriots are 6-1, and scoring just a hair under 30 points a game (both NFL bests).

All things considered, the great personnel turn-over, the change of style of play and the drama surrounding Moss, Brady is submitting one of his finest bodies of work to date. With a good, healthy and productive second half of the season, perhaps it will turn into his finest yet.