You’d think the doubters would have learned by now.
Tom Brady, once a 199th overall pick in the NFL Draft, has achieved incredible success over his NFL career. In the process, he’s silenced critics at nearly every turn, from those who said he was too un-athletic to succeed in the NFL to those who suggested he’d lost his touch early in the 2014 season — you know, the one where Brady led the New England Patriots to a Super Bowl championship.
Turns out the haters still are out there. Just this week, we’ve had two scorching Brady takes: One from the New York Daily News’ Manish Mehta suggesting Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers would have been more successful than Brady had he played for the Patriots, and another from FOX Sports 1’s Colin Cowherd, who actually wondered if New England should move on from the four-time Super Bowl champion if it loses in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday.
But those hot takes are just the tip of the iceberg. Brady, of course, missed the first four games of the 2016 season due to his Deflategate suspension, and the days leading up to Week 1 saw some pretty bold questions get asked about his shelf life and his future with the franchise. Brady certainly put that chatter to rest, posting one of the best statistical seasons of his career at the ripe age of 39.
We realize hindsight is 20/20, and some preseason questions about Brady had merit at the time. Others? Eh, not so much. So, as Brady gets ready to appear in his NFL-record 11th conference championship game, here are the most memorable TB12 takes from 2016.
1. Does Jimmy Garoppolo have a chance to steal Brady’s job?
Yes, this actually was a hypothetical posed by ESPN’s “First Take” back on July 18, asking on Twitter what percentage chance fans gave Garoppolo of remaining New England’s starting QB after Brady returned from suspension. Jimmy G actually played well before going down with an injury in Week 2, but Brady is, well, Brady. It’s safe to say throwing 28 touchdown passes and two interceptions in 12 games gives you some job security.
2. Brady’s career is “just about done.”
Another scorcher from our friends at “First Take.” In late July, ESPN’s Max Kellerman predicted Brady’s production would “fall off a cliff” sometime in the near future, and that the 39-year-old “is going to be a bum in short order.” We wouldn’t be surprised if Brady posted this on his bulletin board as he played his way into MVP consideration despite missing a quarter of the season.
3. Could Brady spurn the Patriots to join the Cowboys?Â
This unfortunate from Cowherd take backfired on several levels. In early September, the FS1 talking head suggested Brady would feel Garoppolo breathing down his neck and skip town to Dallas, taking over the reins from the injured Tony Romo to become Jerry Jones’ next franchise QB. But it turns out Brady is just fine where he is, and the Cowboys already have their next franchise QB in Dak Prescott, who led them to a 13-3 record in his rookie season. Swing and a miss.
4. Garoppolo throws a better deep ball than Brady.
This mid-September statement from former Patriots executive Mike Lombardi actually had some validity at the time, as Brady’s deep ball was a noticeable hole in his game entering 2016. Yet apparently the future Hall of Famer was well aware, because he promptly put up excellent numbers on deep balls in his first three games of the season and has found deep ball success on several occasions lately.
5. Is Brady a “system quarterback?”
New England started 3-0 this season with Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett under center. That led some hot take artists to question Brady’s role in the Patriots’ dynasty, wondering if their perennial success was more a result of head coach Bill Belichick’s genius than Brady’s own brilliance. Some of the takes were tongue-in-cheek, sure, but Brady’s 11-1 record as a starter this season slammed the door pretty shut on that theory.
6. Brady is the “fastest person on the field.”
This might be the most ridiculous take of all. OK, maybe not: This one came from Brady’s mom, who, like most moms, thinks her son is the best at everything he does. You get a pass, Mama Brady.
Thumbnail photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images
