If you’re a New England Patriots fan, you have to hope Tom Brady is reading and listening to anything and everything surrounding him right now.
Because if he is, there’s no shortage of motivation for the legendary quarterback.
Brady’s name has been dragged through the mud in recent days, weeks and months, in large part due to his alleged involvement in Deflategate. Real or imagined, Brady’s role, which was further emphasized in the Wells Report, has tarnished his reputation, if nothing else. But for the most part, much of that has been big-picture stuff and not really focused on his play on the field.
That changed, however, Thursday, albeit in a small way. One random NFL.com list of the top 10 quarterbacks in the league today had Brady ranked in the No. 5 position. Seems a little low, no? Well, Brady’s name also comes with an asterisk. We’ll let Bucky Brooks, who wrote the article, explain.
“Despite being a proven winner (four titles, six total Super Bowl appearances) and one of the NFL’s ultimate clutch performers (46 game-winning drives in his 15-year career), Brady’s standing on this list is a reflection of the stench emanating from the Deflategate scandal (hence the asterisk),” Brooks wrote.
“The controversy adds to the notion that the Patriots’ long-term success has been fueled by various misdeeds. While there isn’t a proven correlation between deflated footballs and Brady’s on-field performance, the fact that another scandal is hovering over the Patriots certainly clouds the evaluation.”
For what it’s worth, Brooks ranks Green Bay Packers QB and reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers at No. 1, followed by Ben Roethlisberger, Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson. Coincidentally, Brady and the Patriots beat two of those four on the way to winning the Super Bowl last season.
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
