Tom Brady is a man with a mission
Father time has defeated every opponent that has tried to dethrone him. After Sundays performance by Tom Brady, there is reason to believe he has found his biggest rival.
After turning 30, most players do not last in the league. If they do they are generally called upon for small roles. Only when someone has a unique set of skills and abilities are they able to have a large role. From Kobe Bryant, to Tim Duncan, to Peyton Manning, to Randy Moss; all players have tried to overcome adversity and defeat father time. Sadly they all lost and are no longer in the league. Tom Brady is now taking his turn in the ring with the undefeated champion.
Since he was suspended for a deflate gate scandal for the first four games of the year, he came out with vengeance. I feel bad for the Cleveland Browns for having to be his first victim for his reign of terror. His first three touchdown drives all led to touchdowns, as he spread the ball around to different offensive weapons. Rob Gronkowski was probably the happiest one on the field as he finally had a break out game. The dynamic duo connected for five catches and 109 yards. Another player that definitely benefited from Brady's return is the second tight end Martellus Bennett. He caught all three of Brady's touchdown passes, and was reliable throughout the game. Sadly, the one area that was hurt from his return was the run game. Their leading rusher, LeGarrette Blount, only gained 37 yards. I expect it to balance out as the season goes on and opposing teams focus solely on the passing game.
At the end of the game, Brady finished with 403 yards and a near perfect QBR. As a 39 year old quarterback many believe he is on the decline. When he was asked how he felt after the game he responded saying that he felt better now at 39 than he did ten years ago at 29. There is no certainty that this is true, but after his performance there is reason to believe he may be telling the truth. The other two quarterbacks that have had this much success close to his age were Peyton Manning and Brett Favre. Everyone knows that in both of their final seasons father time got the best of them. Maybe Brady will defy those odds.
One game does not dictate how the rest of the year will go. He could most certainly go off the deep end and not play well. He could also continue on a great pace and remove all theories of old age. During the offseason, he said that he thinks he can play until he is 50. That may be a stretch, but Sunday was a great example that he still has enough left in the tank. Keep an eye on the rest of the season to see how he follows it up.
