As a beleaguered Tom Brady stepped to the postgame podium at Raymond James Stadium on Monday evening, many puzzled whether or not it will be for the final time as an lively participant within the NFL.
Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been dominated in what beacme the crew’s lone playoff look in 2022, because the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Bucs 31-14 of their Wild Card spherical showdown.
Maybe it was a becoming finish to a season by which the 45-year-old struggled to take care of his place among the many sport’s elite quarterbacks — most of the time, wanting like the subsequent technology of dual-threat sign callers had eclipsed him.
Nonetheless, Brady completed his 8-9 common season having respectably accomplished 66.8 p.c of his passes for 4694 yards and 25 touchdowns with 9 interceptions. Whereas removed from his finest season, his numbers appear to point that the veteran should have a bit left within the tank.
Consequently, the query is already being requested.
Is that this the final we see of Tom Brady as a participant on a NFL soccer subject?
The situation which is about to play out is one which needs to be fairly acquainted to New England Patriots followers, who clearly bear in mind the legendary quarterback’s exit from the crew in March 2020 following an opening-round playoff loss to the Tennessee Titans.
Brady signed with the Buccaneers, main his new crew to the postseason in every of his three seasons, profitable one Tremendous Bowl championship.
The Patriots, by comparability, have missed the playoffs on two of these three seasons.
Accordingly, Tampa Bay might now be questioning whether or not they’re about to endure the identical destiny of Brady’s former crew.
After a quick 40-day flirtation with retirement final offseason, Brady determined to return for an additional season with the Buccaneers. Regardless of having a largely substandard season (by Brady’s requirements), there have been moments when he continued to flash the flexibility that has made him a legend, and arguably the best the sport has ever seen.
Whether or not a demoralizing loss within the opening spherical of the playoffs is sufficient to drive Brady away from the sport to which he has devoted his life stays to be seen.
Solely he is aware of for positive.
Concerning his future intentions, Brady’s place among the many prime of the pantheon of NFL greats has been firmly established. Ought to this be the top of his illustrious profession, Brady would end with common season totals of 89,214 passing yards, 649 touchdowns and a cumulative 64.3 completion share.
Brady has additionally dominated the postseason, the place he has compiled a document of 35-13, in addition to a quarterback score of 89.8. He accomplished 62.5 p.c of his postseason passes for 13,049 yards and 88 passing touchdowns. Brady has received seven of the ten Tremendous Bowls by which he has performed, incomes the massive sport’s MVP 5 instances.
In brief, Tom Brady has been synonymous with success…and whether or not you’re keen on him, envy him, or like to hate him, his presence can be missed by the NFL universe when he does go away the sport.
Regardless of being engulfed by a sea of envy in many of the nation, in addition to a puddle of resentment concerning his departure, Brady remains to be largely revered in New England. He’s firmly entrenched among the many immortal beloveds of New England sports activities. The truth is, he is perhaps probably the most admired sports activities determine within the historical past of a metropolis that has been the house to such icons as Williams, Orr, Fowl, and Russell. Visions of game-winning drives, inconceivable comebacks and championship parades are ceaselessly part of the area’s generational reminiscence financial institution. Previous to his taking the reins because the Patriots beginning quarterback in 2001, New England knew little however defeat. Since that point, they’ve loved unparalleled success. Although he might have briefly taken his skills to Tampa Bay, Tom Brady will ceaselessly be a Patriot within the eyes of many.
In fact, not everybody can be unhappy to see Brady go. As incredulous as it might be, Brady is a villain in most different sections of NFL fandom. For them, Brady’s retirement can be welcomed with open arms — even inflicting a choose few who’ve particularly suffered by the hands of Brady-led groups, to erupt into decadent delight.
It will additionally make some envy-ridden members of the nationwide (and native) media squeal with glee.
But, a lot to the chagrin of his quite a few detractors, Brady doesn’t discover his motivation in appeasing the unfounded opinions of media “speaking heads.” As an alternative, he’s perpetually motivated by the need to win. This want has served him properly; reaching a stage of rarefied air in securing seven Tremendous Bowl championships, an accomplishment which no different NFL quarterback has ever loved.
Due to this fact, it ought to come as no shock that Brady was non-committal when requested about his future intentions simply minutes after his season had ended.
“I’m going to go house and get a very good evening’s sleep,” Brady stated with a smirk. “In the future at a time.”
Brady’s struggles clearly made him prime kindling for a social media blaze of ridicule. Nonetheless, the reality of the matter is that the Bucs loss was much less about their quarterback’s failures than it was in regards to the Cowboys being a extra proficient and much better-coached crew than Tampa Bay.
With the Buccaneers teaching workers refusing to make the most of the run to facilitate play-action (which is the place Brady is often at his finest), they pressured the ball to stay in his arms by making an attempt a career-high 66 passes. The veteran accomplished 35 of them for 351 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
As he ponders whether or not to return for his twenty third NFL season, hypothesis will proceed to run rampant about the place Brady might play in 2023. Set to enter unrestricted free company, varied experiences have linked him to the Miami Dolphins, Tennessee Titans — in addition to potential reunions with ex-offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels with the Las Vegas Raiders or even with Invoice Belichick in New England.
Surprisingly, Brady’s return to Tampa Bay seems to be his least-likely vacation spot for the upcoming yr, as he apparently intimated throughout his submit sport remarks on Monday evening.
“I really like this group,” Brady stated. “It is a terrific place to be. Thanks everyone for welcoming me. Simply very grateful for the respect and I hope I gave it again to you guys.”
Whether or not he chooses to stroll away at 45, 46 or 50 years of age, Tom Brady will accomplish that as one of many uncommon figures who reached a standing equal to the sport which he performed. His followers will miss him. His depreciators will cynically discover fallacious methods to discredit his accomplishments.
However make no mistake about it, he has earned the correct to make this determination his … and nobody else’s.
In that vein, all eyes can be on Tom Brady’s future within the coming days and weeks, simply as they have been three years in the past.
In spite of everything, as William Shakespeare as soon as wrote: “What’s previous is prologue.”
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