Random Thoughts

--It isn't fair that the younger fans never had to suffer through the 1-15 years like I did.  Then again, that makes them not appreciate these Patriots like I do, and those my age.  Remember when they used to be called the Patsies?  And when someone said Pats, it was with a much more negative tone.

--Brady and Belichick will make the Hall of Fame.  But let's not forget Robert Kraft.

--The fact that the Patriots improved vastly by trading away Randy Moss tells you all you need to know about Randy Moss.  For those of you familiar with old-time baseball, you'll understand when I say that Randy Moss suffers from Rogers Hornsby Syndrome.

--I'll take Deion Branch over Randy Moss any day.  Unless you need a catch in back of the endzone.

--The Pats still get decent picks in that trade for Moss, even though the Vikings discarded him immediately.

--Speaking of the Vikings, the head coach took the hit for the whole organization.  There's been some really bad decisions made up there the last few years.  The owners never fire the owner, do they?

--Speaking of owners, the big guy of the Raiders needs to go.  Can't the NFL make him step aside like baseball did to Marge Schott?

--I'm glad the Bengals and Browns have gotten better.  I was tired of seeing them be the jokes of the league since the Patriots improved.

--More than any other sport, the organization makes or breaks the team in football.  Baseball teams win with bonehead GMs and owners all the time.  (Like the Yanks and A's of the 70s, for example.)  Not so in football.  And before you say Jerry Jones, remember that the Cowboys won a lot when he had a coach he trusted and he wasn't a pastiche of himself.

It's What He Doesn't

So again Brady throws for about 200 yards, but has 2 touchdowns, no picks, and wins handily.  Getting a touchdown from a runback doesn't hurt, either, and of course the second string threw one, but I am again amazed at how much he can do while doing so little.  The point needs to be made again that it's not what he does that testifies to his greatness--because, as great as that is, plenty of people have done more, including Manning and Brees this year--but it's what he doesn't do that makes him surpass the greatness of Manning and, to a lesser extent, Brees.  Each of them have thrown over 15 picks since Brady threw his last one.  And, although they may have thrown more passes for more yards, Brady leads the league in touchdowns, which is what counts.

He doesn't get picked.  He doesn't fumble.  He doesn't take unnecessary sacks.  He doesn't absorb unnecessary hits.  He doesn't hold the ball too long.  He doesn't make ill-advised throws.  He doesn't force something to happen.  He doesn't say stupid things to the press (or to anyone, for all I know).  He doesn't talk garbage about his players or his coach.  He doesn't talk garbage about Randy Moss, who in turn talks about everybody.

This facet separates him from the traditional gunslingers.  Manning, Favre and Bledsoe are/were too much in love with their own arms.  They forced throws.  They took unnecessary hits and sacks.  (The fact that Favre did so more than anyone I've ever seen, and still came to play every week, is an even more unbelievable facet to his record.)  They threw tons of picks because of these things.  Brady doesn't.  That's what elevates him.