Tom Brady: End of an Era?

[clarion contrarion]

^^ spot on , Goodell has gotten 10 fold too much credit for the growth in revenue when the peopel in this forum and our fantasy football legions are the true cause of revenue inflation. I have been preaching for many years this guy is a doofus long before it become common knowledge .
Fantasy football has went hyperdrive the last 5 years and I have people that didn't know if the ball was filled with air or stuffed w/ feathers 5 years ago asking me fantasy advice these days .
that is the facts !
Mainstream fantasy football shows 10 years ago were like sasquatch now they are all over the place like deer , fan duel & draft kings have more commercials on now than ford motor company and budweiser it has been a sea change that has drug the NFL into the center ring of american entertainment. Just waiting for the next collective bargaining agreement for the NFL and demaurice smith / NFLPA to find a way to screw that momentum up & kill the golden goose.

[Csl312]

Some real conspiracy theory stuff in this thread. The phone destroying thing has been blown WAY out of proportion by ESPN. Wells told TB that he did not need the phone, and all the messages on it were handed over. Celebrities regularly destroy phones when they are buying a new one, it is a consequence of gossip rags (ESPN/TMZ...) getting a hold of old devices like that and pulling personal info off. You would do the same thing.

Did Brady break a rule? Probably, but there is no actual proof of that. Even if there was proof the punishment did not fit the crime. Like was stated above this is like pine tar in baseball - you don't get banned for 25% of the season and have your team heavily penalized for it. Failure to cooperate with every whim of your employer conducting an investigation against you (which by some accounts didn't even happen) should not fall under the umbrella of conduct detrimental to the league - a catch all for bad PR not for just doing something the commissioner does not like.

Goodell has been a great commish for the owners. He certainly has elevated revenues and brought the product to the mainstream more than anyone before him. His ties with the telecomm industry and legal history have helped him to do that, and he is most certainly a charismatic guy when it comes to business deals. I also still think a lot of what he does is basically take the fall for owners who are working behind the scenes. If you don't think the Rooneys and the Maras of the NFL were in the background pushing for punishment of the Pats I think you are delusional. The problem is the NFL has 32 owners do not always see it in their best interests to work together, and Goodell is a 'good soldier' not a strong leader. So he takes the fall in the public eye because the owners themselves have more to lose from bad PR (namely having their individual fan bases turned off from their teams).

[ImaRounder]

When this guy takes the field Sunday, all the sellers and doubters of Gronk and Edelman will start crying. I HATE the pats but this could not have played out better. I bought gronk and Edelman everywhere I could afford. It's obviously not Edelmans skill that separates himself from other slot receivers across the league, it's his timing and rapport with Tom. Same goes for Gronk, except he is supremely talented. Can't wait for the return.

[WhatWouldDitkaDo]

https://twitter.com/ESPNNFL/status/782678872055767040

http://www.barstoolsports.com/boston/th ... Socialflow

[JSylvester87]

Gronk is still severely injured and Cleveland (yes I know) always plays the patriots tough.

[clarion contrarion]

while the OP is likely spot on at some point father time will catch up with brady and usually doesn't give much advance notice . Manning was cruising along ,coming off a 39 td season in which he looked less than stellar towards the end of in 2014 and poof it was gone.
It could happen similarly to brady ,especially if gronk is still hobbled and not a default option on every play. He has proven to be an all time great just like manning but at some point he is still 39 and hasn't practiced with his team for a month . I could see a slower than expected start or an injury as a real case scenario and the end could come much quicker than anyone anticipates.
5 of last 9 games last season under 58%completion and 1 game >7.5 ypa where as he only had 1 game belowthat # that 1st half of the season . Not saying it is a lock that he declines but it could happen and the drama of deflate gate could well get the blame when it was in the offing regardless .

[ericanadian]

I moved Brady & Sims for Big Ben & Booker. Was an easy accept for me. I'm very curious to see if Brady can bring out Angry Tom again this year, but I can't see him continuing beyond this year with any significant probability. The defense is good enough that he may hang around for another Superbowl, similar to Manning, but I don't think he'll be a driving force behind the team again after this year.

[DrNoish]

while the OP is likely spot on at some point father time will catch up with brady

You close your dirty little mouth. Tom Brady will play until he's 55

[1standgoal]

I don't know when Tom Brady's game turns south but I will ride him in my lineup until his arthritic old hands cant hit the broad side of a barn with the most deflated old balls.

I don't think Tom is immune to the effects of time, but he is different and I don't think its unreasonable to think that he could play well through the end of this contract in 2019.

Anything after that is just Gravy and although it would be quite 'abnormal', this is Tom Brady we are talking about.

[kris_kapsner]

Brady is getting old but is shattering records for a QB of 40 years of age.

How many more seasons do you think he has left?

[UATahoe]

I think it could vary. I could see him calling it quits after another Super Bowl win honestly to go out on top but could also see him play 2-3 more years regardless of season outcome. A big injury could also change the landscape a lot i would think. I am hoping i have him for at least 2 more solid seasons.

[Acidjazzzz]

I think them trading away Jimmy G shows that they at least see him there for next year. Who knows at this point but I think this years draft might give us some hints. Its really a year to year thing to monitor at this point.

[M-Dub]

I think them trading away Jimmy G shows that they at least see him there for next year. Who knows at this point but I think this years draft might give us some hints. Its really a year to year thing to monitor at this point.

This. I can’t imagine they trade away Garoppolo without at least getting some sort of verbal confirmation from Brady that he’ll be around at least another year, and maybe several.

[Crwdstunna]

Brady is amazing. We all know it. Let's be real though. How many QBs have been a dominant QB1 into their 40s? I can't think of one. After this season I'd trade him for top dollar even if you think he will still be a QB1 next year. The fall is coming and I'd rather be ahead of the curve instead of trading him for a 5th at the tail end.

[thebeast]

I’m sure he will play, but Schefer tweeted something to this effect. There is real tension in NE and sounds like it all surrounds the rift between Belichick and TB12 trainer Alex whatever his last name is. Seems to me NE is becoming a bad situation.