The legacy of Tom Brady was on the line. 4th quarter. Down by 10.
A season of turmoil for the NFL spilled over onto the Patriots, enveloping their dour genius  coach, and our Tom Brady. Our Tom?!!! Sure, I can understand Bill Belichick getting chastised. The NFL doesn’t like Bill. He’s got a lousy personality. He doesn’t give good interviews. And worst of all, he wins too much, ruining the NFL’s annual quest for parity. But why go after our Tom, one of the nicest, accommodating players in the league, a real gentleman who doesn’t grab his crotch every time he throws a touchdown pass? But the NFL did, embarrassing him, tainting his image. So it came down in the 4th quarter to Tom Brady against the vaunted Seahawks defense, the #1 defense in the NFL, the LEGION OF BOOM. He had to prove again that as a field general in crunch time there is no one better in football history. Not Joe Montana, not John Elway, not Bart Starr, not Johnnie U. No one had ever led his team back, down by10 points in the 4th quarter. And against a defense that had been mentioned in the same breath as the 86 Bears and the Steel Curtain. I thought, maybe we’re just not good enough. At my age, after so many Boston championships, real life just goes on. It’s only a game, a sport to make you smile….or not. But here come the Pats…..Gronk, Edelman, Amendola, Vereen, Lafell, all catching passes from Tom. All paying a severe price with their bodies, the Seahawks living up to their reputation, viciously hitting every one of our receivers. Gang tackling, trying to cause a fumble or at least a dropped ball. But the boys were in it to win it. And when you’re trying to win a championship, it takes blood and bruises. The Pats would not give in. No fumbles, no drops. After Tom missed an open Edelman, he hit Amendola on the next play. 24-21. Now we’re only down by 3. We needed the ball back one more time to give Tom one last chance. And he only needed that one chance. All the victories , the great successes, the excruciatingly close losses, and he still had to do it one more time…..for history, for his legacy. He attempted 8 passes on that final drive, a drive for the ages. He completed 8 passes, his final pass to the courageous Edelman. 28-24 Pats. YES!!! Unbelievable!! Fan delirium!! After 10 years, the cruel football gods that bestowed their magic on Tyree and Manningham, that pulled Eli away from a sure sack, that snatched the ball from the hands of Assante and Wes, these gods would finally make amends. They would again guide Adam’s kick through the wind and snow. They would confirm Tom’s place in the pantheon of Quarterbacks. These cruel gods’ hands were all over the last few minutes of the game, bestowing and taking. And they finally decided that 10 years was long enough for the greatest quarterback in history to wait to become a legend. Oh, they had some fun with a bouncing ball miracle catch, and by freezing the brain of a coach. But they made the final gesture to a rookie Pats corner, forever etching him in the minds of all fans all over the league. David Tyree, Mario Manningham, Assante Samuel, Wes Welker…..and Malcolm Butler. And with the help of the gods, Tom Brady has cemented his place on the Mount Rushmore of Boston sports. And his name will be forever mentioned in the national conversation of the greatest quarterback of all time.
It’s Tom Brady.