Tom Brady: “We’re Not” the Same Team
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Tom Brady is back! The Patriots quarterback has participated in only two weeks of the team’s offseason workout program choosing to stay on the west coast with his family instead for most of the last two months. He is now rejoining many of his teammates in Foxboro hoping to plant the seeds for a better 2010 season.
Brady recently spoke to Sports Illustrated and WEEI in Boston on a number of topics ranging from the disappointing end to the 2009 season to how his family life has affected his commitment to the team.
With the sour taste of New England’s 33-14 home playoff loss to Baltimore still in his mouth, Brady told SI’s Peter King that his teammates need to check their egos at the door and start listening to their future Hall of Fame coach. “We’ve got to start listening to coach Belichick. We’ve got the best football coach of all time. He’s got the answers. We as a team have to take the coaching we’re being given,” he said.
Somewhat surprising in his comments to King was his acknowledgement that the Patriot dynasty is now a thing of the past. “Our fans think just because we’re wearing the same jerseys, we’re the same team. And we’re not,” Brady said. “Teams change in this league every year, and ours is no exception.”
On WEEI Wednesday, Brady also gave credence to the idea that a recent leadership and talent drain has hurt the team with the departures of veterans Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel, Richard Seymour and Rodney Harrison among others. “When it comes down to it, games that we lose in the fourth quarter, games that we lose in the second half, or losing on the road like we did, that can be a lack of trust, lack of confidence,” he said. “Coach always used the words ‘mentally tough’ to us. I always agree with him. When the going got tough, we didn’t get going. We weren’t really a mentally tough team last year. Hopefully we find ways to address it with each other and also with coach bringing in different players to see if they can bring a little bit of that to our team.”
Brady also acknowledged in his radio interview that things in his life have changed making it harder for him to be that year-round leader the team needs. “It’s something that is tough for me, because part of being a great player, quarterback and leader is participating,” he said. “There is obviously a little bit of a conflict when I’m not able to be here like I once was.”
Nobody can fault Brady for wanting to spend time with his wife and two children, particularly during the offseason. But it certainly does give off the perception, however real or not, of Brady not being as committed to doing all it takes to win as he did in the past. Selfishly, Patriots fans would like nothing more than for Brady to be in Foxboro 24/7 year-round but that is no longer the case. The question is, can he still be as great as he once was with more going on in his life than ever before? Time will tell.
What Tom Brady does need to do a better job of is being a great and vocal leader for the team when he is in Foxboro be it in-season or not. Too many times last season we saw the Pats QB silent on the sidelines when the team was struggling instead of the Tom Brady of a few years ago who was always that fiery and vocal leader. This team is desperate for that given the leaders they have lost and no one is better suited for that role than him.
The good news is that Brady told SI he is physically prepared for the upcoming season. “This is the best I’ve felt in a long time,” he said. Let’s hope that translates to the old Tom Brady for the 2010 New England Patriots.
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