Tom Brady and Father Time
In the history of the world, Father Time is undefeated. Myriads of folk have tried through the years to defy Father Time. From His perspective, He enjoys a good chortle when he sees our feeble attempts to overcome Him. Some may hold him off for a good long while but eventually lose. One such example is Tom Brady.
Now in his Age 39 season, Brady enjoyed another fine season, leading the Patriots to the best record in the NFL at 14-2 and the #1 seed in the AFC Playoffs. His will to win is insatiable. He is OBSESSED with being the greatest QB of all time. Now, he is preparing for the Pittsburgh Steelers as I write this.
Throughout his career, he has been relatively healthy, although a torn ACL against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1 of the 2008 season wiped out that season. The reasons for his being healthy throughout his career are many: he takes care of himself through proper nutrition, training, and recovery; he has always had a very solid offensive line that keeps him upright; he knows how to take a hit, particularly when he does get sacked, which isn’t too often; the Patriots’ offensive scheme relies on him getting the ball out of his hands quickly, coupled with one of the quickest releases in the game. He is still playing at a very high level at an age where 99.9% of his quarterback counterparts have long retired and are on to post-football careers. He is a prime candidate to win MVP honors yet again. Yet even at that age and his playing ability, he is hearing footsteps, and not just from opposing defensive players that want to separate his head from his shoulders. Those footsteps are coming from Father Time.
Brady struggled and had a pedestrian game against the Houston Texans. Granted, the Texans have the #1 total defense in the NFL and they make a LOT of QB’s struggle. He was helped immensely by his ground game and the fact the Patriots made adjustments on defense. In the second half, Brady had a short field to work with more often than not due to the defense forcing turnovers. In that sense, those stats can be somewhat misleading. (There’s lies, damned lies, and statistics, for what it’s worth.)
In the Pittsburgh Steelers, Brady will be facing an ageless wonder and fellow Father Time defier James Harrison, along with a young, fast, and athletic defense surrounding him. (Despite his age, Harrison enjoyed one of the best years of his career.) Plus the Steelers’ offense can put up points, unlike the Texans. What if Brady has another average game like last week, and this time the Steelers win?
To answer that question, if that happens, Father Time’s footsteps will be louder and closer to Brady than ever before. Perhaps the Patriots’ brass has the conversation where they debate about moving on from Brady. Perhaps they would sense the end is near for him. A win over the Steelers, and another Super Bowl title would quell those thoughts, at least momentarily. Father Time waits for no man, not even Tom Brady.
