# Open letter to Tom Brady **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [January 11, 2013, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-letter-to-tom-brady/646843 "2013-01-11T10:24:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Askthepizzaguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askthepizzaguy/32/9405_2.png) [@Askthepizzaguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askthepizzaguy)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-letter-to-tom-brady/646843/1 "2013-01-11T10:24:26Z")
Link to article > **[Seven-year championship itch and counting for Patriots' Tom Brady, Bill...](https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl--seven-year-itch-and-counting-for-patriots--tom-brady--bill-belichick--213152898.html)** > > The pair is eyeing that elusive fourth Super Bowl title and is not taking the Texans lightly. > [@](#): > > Bill Belichick and [Tom Brady](http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/players/5228) both arrived in New England in 2000. The Super Bowl championships came fast – 2001 (Brady’s first as a subbed-in starter), 2003 and 2004. It was a dynasty, almost overnight. And although the task wasn’t easy or simple, it was accelerated. > > Since then, nothing. > > Seven years of falling short and make no mistake, anything less than everything is falling short for competitors of this intensity. Especially by now, with the [Houston Texans](http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/teams/hou) arriving Sunday for an AFC divisional playoff game. Especially after all these years of relentless churn, of boilerplate double-digit win seasons derailed by crushing injuries and gut-punch defeats, of Januarys and Februarys somehow lost. > Everybody is trying to win in the NFL but no one tries (or succeeds) like the Patriots. Other franchises take entire seasons off. The Patriots rarely have a bad week, and never two in a row. This year, they went 12-4, their 10th consecutive season with 10 or more victories, which includes 2008 when Brady suffered a season-ending knee injury in the opener. > > Brady said he sometimes sees the famous video of him after that first Super Bowl, the one of him putting his hands on top of his head as he wears a look of almost shocked joy and marvels at the innocence of it. And to think two more were still to come. > > The success came without sorrow or extreme struggle. It just happened. > “That was some kid back then [not me],” Brady said. "You really don’t quite understand what has happened or what has been accomplished until you try so many times and you don’t get to accomplish those things. > > “It’s very hard to win that final game of the year. We’ve had a chance and lost a few.” > > They’ve lost them in every imaginable way. Two came via painful, final-minute, Super Bowl comeback drives by the New York Giants, one that killed a historic would-be 19-0 perfect season. One was a surprise rising up by a New York Jets team they’d recently dominated in the regular season. One was a listless, embarrassing failure to Baltimore. Another was a close grudge match against Peyton Manning’s Colts. It goes on. > > Each one is seared into their memories. It’s what terrifies them, the fragility of it all. It’s what drives them in OTAs. It’s what makes Week 2 games matter so much. It’s what lasers them in now, quarterback and coach almost offering lock-step answers to questions to the media this week. > > _It’s about preparation. It’s about execution. It’s about attention to detail._ > > Rinse. Repeat. Et cetera. Listen up Tom Brady. I’m a New England Patriots fan. I’m not one of those bandwagoners that joined and became fans \*after \*you won the super bowl for us. I’ve been there since the days of Drew Bledsoe. I remember watching Pats games as a kid, and watching the Pats lose game after game, season after season, consistently get their asses handed to them by better teams. \*\*Nobody \*\*took us seriously. That one year we got to the super bowl, finally, Super Bowl 31. Nobody expected us to win. And we lost as expected. It didn’t matter to me. Back then, every touchdown was precious. Every single play that put us back in the game, every single win was a gift. Because we would lose more than we would win, often times. Didn’t matter. We were the runts that nobody expected to win. The underdogs that couldn’t win a championship to save our lives. But the Pats were MY team. Since Tom Brady came along, I’ve been treated to over a decade of seasons where we were not the underdogs. We were the team to beat, even on years where we lost the super bowl the year before. Because we would crush almost every other team we came across. And if we didn’t win the first time we faced em, we’d beat em the second time. We were the monsters everyone else had to slay to win. And every game was a treat, because there was a good chance I was going to watch my team win. And I’d always see the big plays, the big Tom Brady pass plays, the big long passes, the consistently well done short passes, and a quarterback that didn’t flinch under pressure. I’ve gotten to watch something I never thought possible those years ago, a team everyone needed to beat, and usually couldn’t beat. And I’ve experienced so many fantastic games. I’ve gotten to watch my team win the big game not just once, but three times, and I’ve gotten to see them create record breaking seasons, with 50 touchdowns, and a winning streak unparalleled. I actually predicted you guys would lose the super bowl that year you had your nearly perfect season. I wanted you to win, but I remember you only just barely beat the Giants during the season. They didn’t have our record but they nearly beat us before, and we had some close calls. Our winning streak involved some one-sided victories but we were definitely vulnerable. I thought you guys would put on a good show but ultimately lose to the team everyone expected would lose, because the confidence going in was unwarranted. Sure you guys kept winning but all good things must come to an end. I did not care. I still wanted to see my team play a game. When it happened that you lost that game, I didn’t care. I’ve seen you win the big game three fricking times. I was used to watching my Pats team not even make the playoffs, or lose early. Now I was used to seeing my Pats team go to the super bowl or get damned close every year. I was used to seeing my Pats team get their butts kicked, or come close to winning. Now I was used to seeing my Pats team kick everyone’s ass, or only come close to losing. You can’t win them all.\*\* You nearly did,\*\* and that’s better than anyone else can say, except for one team that had a shorter season than you did. Some folks have a team that went winless for an entire season. Some folks have teams that haven’t seen a playoff game in a long while. Some folks have had losing seasons for many, many years. I haven’t had to be one of those fans for a long, long time. But I used to be. Thank you for giving a loyal fan something to watch, something to root for, not just out of loyalty to the team, but because there was always a chance when Tom Brady was on the field, that the other team would be utterly destroyed. That is more important to me than a Bowl win. And you’ve got three of them. You can’t expect to win them all. Really, some very good quarterbacks have been some of the best of all time, and failed to win a single Bowl game, because they didn’t have the team to back them up like you have. I know you want to win again, but you do win. You have winning seasons all the time. Many teams do not. You’re one of the best of all time, indisputably. How many seasons of your opponents have you personally ended? How many dreams of championships have you personally crushed? Sometimes you get the bear, sometimes the Bears get you. But usually it’s the Giants. 😉 Don’t make yourself too sick over not having a Championship for seven years. Any real Patriots fan does not care. They come to see you play. They’re here to see you, because you deliver. Every season has been watchable, every season has been inspiring, and every season has been fun. You’re rarely off your game, and you always come back. I remember the quarterback that would have an inspiring game, and then throw four interceptions and get sacked a truckload of times. I remember the guy who flinched under pressure. Who would get shaken and I’d know the game was over. You may lose games, but you don’t lose your cool. You still fire into coverage and make the pass complete. You still confidently wait until the last moment and still throw the perfect pass. You still rally the team from behind… you inspire them like you inspire us Pats fans. We know that with Tom Brady, the Patriots can win. Under any circumstance. The game is never over. Some teams can’t say that. Some teams know their season is over by the third or fourth game. Some teams know the game is over by the end of the first quarter. I’ve never had to say that as a Pats fan since Tom Brady came around. Keep that chin up. As long as you’re on the field, another Super Bowl win is possible. I believe it. But I will also come to see you play, and see you lose, because I’ve only ever wanted to see a team I could be proud to call “my” team. It’s not about the wins for me. Even your opponents know you’re unique, you’re one of the best of all time. It’s a privilege to get to play against you and your team because in the game of football, you’re not going to find a more daunting or consistently skillful opponent. You and your team have been able to tear apart most of the NFL and have a winning record against almost every opponent. If you’re a chess player, you want to play against Bobby Fischer at least once, because you know even if you lose, you’re not going to test yourself against a tougher opponent. If you’re a football player, you want to be able to say you stood toe-to-toe with one of the greats of all time, and had a chance, even a chance, of winning. Every single win every other team has had over Tom Brady is one of the highlights of their season. They got to say they beat you. Some will get to say they came close, which gives them hope that they can win the whole smash. All I ever ask as a fan is that you come to play, you come to try to win, and you give it your all. I want to be able to keep cheering and rooting for you into the final minutes of every game, not turn the channel when you’ve visibly given up. I’ve never had to see that for over a decade now. You and the Pats \*have \*won. I have been and will always be a Pats fan. Just give them all a run for their money, and I’ll keep watching. Just keep putting out that same effort, and I’ll keep tuning in. Even if you start losing more than you win. Because I know Tom Brady is never down and out unless he’s not playing at all. I might be used to the Pats winning but I’ve not become spoiled. I know how precious and rare each of those wins really is in the scheme of things. I haven’t forgotten what it’s like to be a fan of a mediocre team. But I haven’t had to be one for a long, long time. Thanks, from a true fan. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-letter-to-tom-brady/646843/2 "2013-01-11T11:02:14Z")
srs bsns ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-letter-to-tom-brady/646843/3 "2013-01-11T12:29:36Z")
It was like “Return of the King”. Every time you thought it was about to finish, it drew breath and went for another burst. ---
**Author:** ![ReticulatingSplines](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@ReticulatingSplines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReticulatingSplines)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-letter-to-tom-brady/646843/4 "2013-01-11T13:26:20Z")
Damn, if I didn’t already know who Tom Brady was, from reading this verbal blowjob I’d think he were a volunteer firefighter or some other kind of actual hero. A little heavy on the apotheosis, guy. ---
**Author:** ![Fool\_in\_the\_Rain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8491ac/32.png) [@Fool\_in\_the\_Rain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fool_in_the_Rain)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-letter-to-tom-brady/646843/5 "2013-01-11T13:57:11Z")
Dear Jerry Jones, For 29 Years the Cowboys had one coach and one GM, winning 3 Super Bowls out of five. They were a perennial playoff team from 1966 to 1985, only missing the playoffs twice. Granted, in the first six years of your ownership they won three Super Bowls, but I believe it was more due to Jimmy Johnson, not you. Since 1996, 17 years, Jerry, you’ve won one, repeat, _one_ playoff game. The one constant Jerry, is you. You’ve changed coaches again and again, players over and over. Yet, here you are, owner, president, CEO and GM. You are the problem Jerry, you. You may be a genius businessman, but you are horrible as a football guy. You fire Rob Ryan who improved the defense from 31st to 16th. Yet keep Romo, who has proven again and again that he cannot win the big games. Please step down as GM, get a football man in there, and get out of the way. Of course you won’t, your ego is too big to admit you are a failure. ~ a Cowboys fan since 1979 ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-letter-to-tom-brady/646843/6 "2013-01-11T14:22:09Z")
> [@bucketybuck](#): > > It was like “Return of the King”. Every time you thought it was about to finish, it drew breath and went for another burst. Bravo! ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-letter-to-tom-brady/646843/7 "2013-01-11T14:48:08Z")
Reported. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-letter-to-tom-brady/646843/8 "2013-01-11T14:57:13Z")
You should be busy complaining about Belichick. His mismanagement has caused the loss of a perfect season, two Superbowls, numerous games, player injuries, and respect for the Superbowls actually won. Still, Brady is an incredible quarterback. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-letter-to-tom-brady/646843/9 "2013-01-11T14:58:58Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > Reported. Moved from MPSIMS to Game Room. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-letter-to-tom-brady/646843/10 "2013-01-11T15:23:45Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > You should be busy complaining about Belichick. His mismanagement has caused the loss of a perfect season, two Superbowls, numerous games, player injuries, and respect for the Superbowls actually won. > > Still, Brady is an incredible quarterback. If Gregg Easterbrook is to be believed, the Patriots’ lack of Superbowl victories is from the Football Gods punishing Belichick for Spygate. ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-letter-to-tom-brady/646843/11 "2013-01-11T15:33:45Z")
> [@bucketybuck](#): > > It was like “Return of the King”. Every time you thought it was about to finish, it drew breath and went for another burst. > [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > Bravo! Encore! ---
**Author:** ![Blaster\_Master](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cab0a1/32.png) [@Blaster\_Master](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blaster_Master)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-letter-to-tom-brady/646843/12 "2013-01-11T15:36:06Z")
If the OP was a Pats fan from before the Belichick era, I can respect that, but frankly, I hate the Patriots. As a born and raised Redskins fan, bred from birth to have an unhealthy hatred for the Cowboys, I can actually say I have a greater hatred for the Patriots. And, frankly, a lot of the reason why is because of the sort of stuff I see and hear like the OP. To be fair, I never liked the Pats, but I was mostly neutral about them before their first Super Bowl win, but ever since them, I’ve just seen tons of band wagon fans, long time fans, and the sports media do nothing but talk about how awesome they are. The whole “tuck rule” crap left a sour taste in a lot of people’s mouths, as I don’t believe they were a better team than the Raiders that year. And though they went on to beat the Rams in the Super Bowl, it was also clear that they didn’t show up, and though they were the better team that day, the Rams were the better team through the year, so I didn’t feel they belonged there, and even then they barely won. There were probably the better team against the Panthers but, again, they barely won. And as for the Eagles, they also didn’t show up, so who knows. Then there was the whole “spygate” thing. I don’t really care so much about that specifically, but what really bugged me was the way they responded to it. Whether they like the rules or not, they broke them, but they responded by going out and running up the score. Even running up the score doesn’t bother me as much as it does others because it’s the job of the other team to stop them, it was the intent behind it. Leaving in your starters late in a blow out game, going for it on 4th down, all of that stuff rubbed a lot of people the wrong way and it was bound to catch up to them, fortunately it did in the Super Bowl that year. The funny thing was, they were legitimately the better team that year, but finally got a taste of how it was for the teams they’d beaten who didn’t show up. And the fan base… wow. At one point there, the Patriots, Red Sox, and Celtics were either all champions or had been the year before, and running into a Boston sports fan was completely intollerable. I’d rather deal with those obnoxious Cowboys or Yankee fans, both notorious for how intollerable they are. So, yeah, though I don’t expect the Texans to win, I hope they win. I, and as far as I can tell, most of the rest of the sports fans in the US, are completely sick of hearing about the Patriots. They’re close to permanently being in that Cowboys and Yankees group, if they aren’t already, where everyone hates the team and the fans and roots against them no matter what. Really, even if I didn’t hate them, the NFL would be best served if they’d just go away for a while. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-letter-to-tom-brady/646843/13 "2013-01-11T15:43:09Z")
> [@Blaster\_Master](#): > > If the OP was a Pats fan from before the Belichick era, I can respect that, but frankly, I hate the Patriots. As a born and raised Redskins fan, bred from birth to have an unhealthy hatred for the Cowboys, I can actually say I have a greater hatred for the Patriots. And, frankly, a lot of the reason why is because of the sort of stuff I see and hear like the OP. I’m a lifelong Redskins fan also. But I am a fan of the modern Patriots. The players, not the coach though. And go wash your mouth out for saying something nice about the Cowgirls. ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-letter-to-tom-brady/646843/14 "2013-01-11T15:49:29Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > Moved from MPSIMS to Game Room. I thought witnessing was supposed to go in GD. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-letter-to-tom-brady/646843/15 "2013-01-11T15:52:45Z")
Dear Sid Bream: For about 10 seconds, you were the fastest man in baseball. Thank you, The 1992 Atlanta Braves ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-letter-to-tom-brady/646843/16 "2013-01-11T16:14:38Z")
I also wish to thank Tom Brady. ~A Giants fan ETA Oh and thank you for giving up that safety. I was in Vegas last year for the game and put $50 on there being a safety. Won $400. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-letter-to-tom-brady/646843/17 "2013-01-11T18:14:03Z")
> [@Fool\_in\_the\_Rain](#): > > Dear Jerry Jones, > > For 29 Years the Cowboys had one coach and one GM, winning 3 Super Bowls out of five. They were a perennial playoff team from 1966 to 1985, only missing the playoffs twice. > > Granted, in the first six years of your ownership they won three Super Bowls, but I believe it was more due to Jimmy Johnson, not you. > > Since 1996, 17 years, Jerry, you’ve won one, repeat, _one_ playoff game. The one constant Jerry, is you. You’ve changed coaches again and again, players over and over. Yet, here you are, owner, president, CEO and GM. You are the problem Jerry, you. > > You may be a genius businessman, but you are horrible as a football guy. You fire Rob Ryan who improved the defense from 31st to 16th. Yet keep Romo, who has proven again and again that he cannot win the big games. > > Please step down as GM, get a football man in there, and get out of the way. Of course you won’t, your ego is too big to admit you are a failure. > > ~ a Cowboys fan since 1979 I’m not even a Cowboys fan, but I fully endorse this. I guess when you are that wealthy you can afford to feed your ego… ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-letter-to-tom-brady/646843/18 "2013-01-11T18:49:58Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > Moved from MPSIMS to Game Room. Is it also taking liberties with the amount of quoted material? ---
**Author:** ![storyteller0910](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@storyteller0910](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/storyteller0910)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-letter-to-tom-brady/646843/19 "2013-01-11T19:31:39Z")
> [@Blaster\_Master](#): > > And though they went on to beat the Rams in the Super Bowl, it was also clear that they didn’t show up, and though they were the better team that day, the Rams were the better team through the year, so I didn’t feel they belonged there, and even then they barely won. There were probably the better team against the Panthers but, again, they barely won. And as for the Eagles, they also didn’t show up, so who knows. This part is actually pretty unfair. It was clear that the Patriots were _better_ than the Giants through the year both times the Giants beat them in the Super Bowl, but the Giants won and (on behalf of the rest of the fans) I’m not giving those back. If you win, you win; if you want to base an argument for a franchise’s success on whether they played well enough during the season to “deserve” the Super Bowl, I think the Patriots come out further ahead of most of the pack than they already do. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-letter-to-tom-brady/646843/20 "2013-01-11T20:34:00Z")
Tell Tom Peyton says hi. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-letter-to-tom-brady/646843.md?page=2)