He may have his three rings, his MVP, his two Super Bowl MVPs, and his four Pro Bowl selections, but the Patriots' 32-year-old signal-caller isn't done yet sticking it to every fan that ever doubts him. Not after the events of the past year.
Of course, we all know the story. Brady went down in the first quarter of the Pats' season opener at Gillette Stadium last year — a hit by Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard dealt a serious blow to his left knee, and he didn't return. The team confirmed that night that Brady was out for the season and would need surgery; he likely tore both the ACL and the MCL in his left leg.
Now he's back. And after a solid preseason debut against the Eagles a week ago (10-for-15, 100 yards, two touchdowns, one interception), he took the field in Foxboro for the first time since that fateful Sunday last September.
Again, the results were good. Brady completed four of eight passes for 57 yards, leaving after one quarter. Ignoring the game's final score (this is preseason, so no one cares about the final score) it was an encouraging second game for Brady. His numbers were good.
More importantly, his resolve was even better.
Twice, he endured hard hits to stay in the game and do his job. On the third play of the Pats' first drive, he took a hard flinging tackle from the Cincinnati Bengals' Keith Rivers; he did nothing but get up, collect himself and pick up a 32-yard first down on a pass to Wes Welker. The second hit came toward the end of his stint on the field — on his second series in the game, he was flattened by Robert Geathers. Again, he got right back up.
Brady's determination was especially impressive when you consider the story of Thursday night's opposing quarterback.
Carson Palmer, entering his seventh season as the man under center for the struggling Bengals, hasn't been as resilient in the face of career-threatening injuries.
Palmer is famous for suffering a life-changing injury on his very first pass of the 2006 postseason. When hitting Chris Henry with a 66-yard bomb in the first quarter of the Bengals' playoff opener against Pittsburgh, he was hit below the left knee by Steelers tackle Kimo von Oelhoffen. He, too, tore both his ACL and his MCL on a play that should look frighteningly familiar to any Patriots fan.
The Bengals' QB was never the same again. After a career year in 2005, when he looked destined to become the next truly great NFL quarterback, Palmer began a sharp decline at age 26. His ligaments were healed, but his career was damaged forever.
For Brady, the story of Carson Palmer should serve as a cautionary tale.
Palmer missed Thursday night's game against the Patriots — he's nursing a right elbow injury, and coach Marvin Lewis has advised him to play it safe. So while Brady was hitting Welker, Greg Lewis, Joey Galloway and Fred Taylor, Palmer hit the sidelines.
It's sad to watch the decline of these Bengals. Four years ago, they looked primed to make a run at a title. Now, they'd settle for mediocrity. The team has fallen from grace with the decline of its quarterback.
In New England, that won't happen. Brady won't let it.
Pats fans have nothing to worry about. Brady is using this preseason to showcase his healthy return to the Patriots — and healthy he will be. He feels no pressure — he just goes out there and performs, and before you know it, he'll be performing like it's 2007 all over again. He's already pretty close.
Palmer and Brady do have one thing in common: They both have been backed up by Matt Cassel. But the similarities end there. While Palmer watches from the sidelines, Brady broadcasts it to the world: He's back.
Was there ever any doubt?
