The Brady Effect

I have been watching all the buzz going on around the NFL. There’s a lot going on with all the teams, but some of it is overshadowed by the controversy surrounding the New England Patriots QB Tom Brady. 

I can only imagine that Miami Dolphins fans couldn’t be happier that Mr. Brady is embroiled in this situation that will take him off the field. His not playing could potentially give the Dolphins a chance to make some headway in the AFC East. I for one would like to think that for the 2015 season, we won’t need to have Tom Brady off the field to accomplish that. I want to think we are good enough to get ahead regardless of his absence or not. 

That won’t be the case for the Dolphins since we won’t meet up with the Patriots during Brady’s suspension if it holds up in federal court, as they won't play New England until week seven. And unless something goes horribly wrong, Tom Brady will be on the field in a Primetime, Thursday night, for all the country to see.  

I’m sure most of us will look for a repeat of week one of the 2014 season that ended with a major opening day embarrassment for the Patriots. By then Brady will have played a couple of games and gotten things back together after his not so little ordeal. 

Now I’m not a Patriots fan by any stretch, I have never liked the team as a whole and Brady least of all. I had a bit of respect for Drew Bledsoe in the 90’s. He was so unlike Brady. Can I deny Brady is a great quarterback? Yes, yes I can! To me, being great is more than just what happens on the playing field.  

How you act after the game makes an impact as well.  And with some of the things I’ve seen Brady do after a loss, there is a part of me that simply refuses to give him that accolade.  That is true of pretty much anyone but in this case it’s Brady.

However, what I can’t deny is the heartbreaking reality of a team that over the last few years has demonstrated that they can be brought down but not for long.  Will this situation really rattle the Patriots as a whole? Possibly. You have to imagine this scenario is affecting the entire team.  

But the question will remain, will it keep them rattled? Will the loss of Brady be enough to affect the dominance they have had. And when the Dolphins meet up with them on their home turf October 29th, will they be able to rattle them some more? As training camp continues…we shall see.

This column was written by Peter Thorpe. Follow him on Twitter: @PeterThorpePM