To put this in perspective, Drew Bledsoe got hurt in the fall of 2001 (when I was a senior in high school) and Brady took over from there. He appeared in nine Super Bowls-winning an unforgettable six of them including four MVP awards-and cemented his legacy as one of the best professional athletes ever. He went from an anonymous sixth-round pick in 2000 (199th overall) from the University of Michigan to the gold standard for winning and excellence. I am 36 years old but Tom is still one of the best quarterbacks in the league. The Pats went 12-4 last season but choked in the first round of the playoffs against Tennessee and much of that failure could be blamed on the lack of weapons that head coach/GM Bill Belichick failed to put around Brady. Yes, TB12 will be 43 years old in August and Father Time will forever remain undefeated but he has done as great a job as anyone we've ever seen to at least slow down that clock.
As the undisputed top head coach in NFL history, Belichick has managed to skirt much criticism over the years for his lack of social skills and general mediocrity as a general manager. He doesn't draft particularly well, his record in free agency is spotty at best and some positions have been nothing but a black hole (namely wide receivers) for the Pats when it comes to developing his own players. Besides the fact that fans of every other NFL team hate him because of how much he wins but that was always a moot point because those same haters would also give up their first born child to have Belichick in charge of their club.
I get that in many ways the Patriots dynasty was rough on the overall quality of the NFL these past two decades and now we'll finally get to (somewhat) settle that age-old tired journalism question: who is more important, Brady or Belichick? Putting aside the fact that it will be utterly bizarre to see Brady wearing any other uniform except the Patriots but now it seems to be down the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or the Los Angeles Chargers for his services in 2020 and beyond. This is yet another reminder (not that we need it at the moment) that nothing in this world lasts forever, in sports or in life. You can be a once-in-a-lifetime player but even that guy hits an invisible term limit and suddenly it's all over. Honestly, I could care less if the team made him a low-ball offer or if he demanded more money (ie. respect) and years. Like any breakup, there will always be a he-said she-said element to it all and that really doesn't mean anything to me.
This is not to say that the Patriots will tank this season which would be perfect since next year they could draft Clemson's outstanding quarterback Trevor Lawrence who will be a junior this fall and is a lock to be the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Nope, that simply won't be possible no matter how you slice it since Belichick is too good of a coach and they still employ plenty of quality players that make 2-14 or 3-13 virtually impossible. In a weird way, it'll be interesting to see how the Pats do with a new starting quarterback (not counting the brief tenures of placeholders Matt Cassel, Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett when Brady was hurt or suspended). The Dolphins and Bills have both already improved in free agency but the Jets will always be the Jets, however the AFC East will no longer be the lock that it was forever under Brady.
The constant drama and behind the scenes sniping back and forth through the media between Belichick and Brady definitely got old the last few years. Belichick obviously will never change or become a fully formed human being anytime soon but perhaps a new quarterback will allow him to ease up just a smidge on his legendary cold disposition. So who will the starting quarterback be for the Pats in their Week 1 game in September? Jarrett Stidham (not ready) or a veteran (please not Andy Dalton) that New England has to trade for or sign in free agency? The new reality is that Brady will no longer be a Patriot which is sobering enough. We have no idea where he'll end up for the last few seasons of his incredible career and likewise, nobody knows how the Patriots will actually proceed moving forward.
Social distancing is the perfect excuse to throw on your Brady Patriots jersey, pop in your favorite Pats Super Bowl DVD and remember all the good times that he gave to us. In the back of our minds, we all knew that this day was coming sometime soon. No matter what else happens with New England, there is less than zero of a chance that they have an unprecedented run of success like the one that we just witnessed. The Patriots have been a cheat code and now we will quickly be reminded of how hard it really is to win in the NFL. Brady and Belichick made it look easy and now let's see how they each do out on their own (with a new head coach and a new QB respectively that will fall well short of their previous partner). It was the ultimate power marriage and now that it's officially done, all we can do is be thankful that it happened in the first place.
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