- Sep 22, 2013
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Now that NFL Season 53 (or 99, depending on whether or not you count the era of the Super Bowl inception which was 1966) is underway, it might be wise to take stock of what's going on with all the QBs in the league.
NFL Sunday is a time of great beer and unwinding, so it's nice to just 'take stock.'
Of course, Tom Brady and his New England Patriots (coached by owl Bill Belichick) are still considered the contenders to beat, so never count them out until you see Brady old and gray!
However, there are many risen stars who want to make a serious run, including the Cleveland Browns' hot-rookie Baker Mayfield (who is both laborious and energized), the Rams' Jared Goff (who is guiding his team to a super-start which includes a nice win over the aspiring Minnesota Vikings), the Cowboys' Dak Prescott (who might have something up his sleeve), and the Eagles' Nick Foles (still the backup-QB to phenom Carson Wentz but who might still offer his team some exciting 'background play' necessary to create holistic vibrancy we saw last season from the ambitious Philly team).
Tom Brady has won 5 Super Bowl trophies(!) and multiple MVP titles. He is a very unique QB, and Belichick has drained him of all his laurels and gotten anything a coach like Belichick would want from a strong-horse QB marshaling the Patriots(!). Some consider Brady the greatest (or at least most consistent/prolific) QB of all time, but others are still reserved, considering that QB-legends like Fran Tarkenton (Vikings) and Jim Kelly (Buffalo Bills) never won a Super Bowl trophy while still glorifying their teams as great 'dreamers.'
Nevertheless, Brady is very unique and can be considered at least to 'tried-and-true' franchise-mainstays who have provided their teams with the kind of 'social prestige' coaches love --- e.g., Warren Moon (Houston Oilers), Johnny Unitas (Baltimore Colts), Jim Everett (LA Rams), Phil Simms (NY Giants), etc.
So who is giving Brady a 'fun season' this year (so far)? Let's take a look, shall we? I personally love the Rams and Jared Goff (as much as I was touting Derek Carr's Oakland Raiders just 2 seasons ago).
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With Belichick still coaching, Tom Brady will be someone who no one will 'shock' with a whopping 6th Super Bowl title. Nothing is impossible with Tom Brady who started out, if you can believe it, as a backup-QB to then-phenom QB Drew Bledsoe (who started out being hailed as the 'new Dan Marino' before vanishing into the twilight of his unfulfilled career). Now, all NFL-QB intrigue chatter has to involve on some level the Goliath-like Tom Brady.
Rookie's are hot this season so far at least in the mouths of sports-critics, and Baker Mayfield of the Cleveland Browns may offer some needed boost to a leagued plagued by free-agency noise and Tom Brady boredom. Mayfield's Browns are not undefeated, but the rookie-QB has proven he can marshal his team to become an NFL Sunday firecracker.
The Dallas Cowboys were really hot two seasons ago, then their offense-trio of Dak Prescott (QB), Ezekiel Elliot, and Dez Bryant had every Cowboys fan dreaming of the Super Bowl again. Things have changed since then, and the Cowboys never really exploded with this seemingly 'volatile trio' but maybe Prescott can offer the Cowboys some needed leadership this season amidst all the QB-flurry talk (now that many are thinking, even dreaming, about Brady finally retiring!).
The Eagles disappointed their fans early in the season with 2 disappointing losses, but fans still think that the Foles-Wentz 'carousel' may offer some intrigue and energy to keep the Eagles a hot titan in the league. If injuries don't plague Philadelphia, then watching Nick Foles backup Carson Wentz on key orchestrated offensive plays may at least generate some energized talk about an Eagles-Patriots Super Bowl rematch.
Only 2 QBs have defeated Tom Brady in the Super Bowl --- Eli Manning of the NY Giants [2008, 2012] and Nick Foles of the Philadelphia Eagles [2018]. I remember a time when Brady was not there and when QBs like Jim Harbaugh (Chicago Bears) and Randall Cunningham (Philadelphia Eagles) simply made NFL leadership feel more 'unpredictable' and hence 'juicy.' However, this season, to take down Brady and his Patriots, more and more teams, and their hot-QBs like Baker Mayfield, are considering the 'general wisdom' of spread-offenses and spread-plays designed to give the QB more 'options' to dismantle an ambitious defense otherwise 'prepping' their offenses to take the field (i.e., Brady's Patriot offense). Spread-plays are ideal for this generation's batch of teams/QBs trying to capitalize on diversified routes/passes. So which QB will offer the most profitable forms of spread-plays?
I personally like comparing Tom Brady to the great Warren Moon of the Houston Oilers who, incidentally, made a cameo in the modern sports-culture film Jerry Maguire (Tom Hanks). Like Moon, Brady has given his team (and the entire league) a dash of class and consistency that coaches just love (especially Bill Belichick!). Brady may not be as 'vibrant' as a Terry Bradshaw or a Kurt Warner or a Mark Rypien or even a Dan Marino, but he gives his team an undeniable sense of prestige and confidence necessary for on-field greatness. Just like Warren Moon, who gave the Oilers great energy, Brady gives the Patriots great spunk. So those who want to 'take down' Brady this year (e.g., Dak Prescott?) are not unlike those who wanted to take down Warren Moon yesteryear (e.g., Randall Cunningham?).
====
{Tom Brady & Warren Moon}
NFL Sunday is a time of great beer and unwinding, so it's nice to just 'take stock.'
Of course, Tom Brady and his New England Patriots (coached by owl Bill Belichick) are still considered the contenders to beat, so never count them out until you see Brady old and gray!
However, there are many risen stars who want to make a serious run, including the Cleveland Browns' hot-rookie Baker Mayfield (who is both laborious and energized), the Rams' Jared Goff (who is guiding his team to a super-start which includes a nice win over the aspiring Minnesota Vikings), the Cowboys' Dak Prescott (who might have something up his sleeve), and the Eagles' Nick Foles (still the backup-QB to phenom Carson Wentz but who might still offer his team some exciting 'background play' necessary to create holistic vibrancy we saw last season from the ambitious Philly team).
Tom Brady has won 5 Super Bowl trophies(!) and multiple MVP titles. He is a very unique QB, and Belichick has drained him of all his laurels and gotten anything a coach like Belichick would want from a strong-horse QB marshaling the Patriots(!). Some consider Brady the greatest (or at least most consistent/prolific) QB of all time, but others are still reserved, considering that QB-legends like Fran Tarkenton (Vikings) and Jim Kelly (Buffalo Bills) never won a Super Bowl trophy while still glorifying their teams as great 'dreamers.'
Nevertheless, Brady is very unique and can be considered at least to 'tried-and-true' franchise-mainstays who have provided their teams with the kind of 'social prestige' coaches love --- e.g., Warren Moon (Houston Oilers), Johnny Unitas (Baltimore Colts), Jim Everett (LA Rams), Phil Simms (NY Giants), etc.
So who is giving Brady a 'fun season' this year (so far)? Let's take a look, shall we? I personally love the Rams and Jared Goff (as much as I was touting Derek Carr's Oakland Raiders just 2 seasons ago).
====
With Belichick still coaching, Tom Brady will be someone who no one will 'shock' with a whopping 6th Super Bowl title. Nothing is impossible with Tom Brady who started out, if you can believe it, as a backup-QB to then-phenom QB Drew Bledsoe (who started out being hailed as the 'new Dan Marino' before vanishing into the twilight of his unfulfilled career). Now, all NFL-QB intrigue chatter has to involve on some level the Goliath-like Tom Brady.
Rookie's are hot this season so far at least in the mouths of sports-critics, and Baker Mayfield of the Cleveland Browns may offer some needed boost to a leagued plagued by free-agency noise and Tom Brady boredom. Mayfield's Browns are not undefeated, but the rookie-QB has proven he can marshal his team to become an NFL Sunday firecracker.
The Dallas Cowboys were really hot two seasons ago, then their offense-trio of Dak Prescott (QB), Ezekiel Elliot, and Dez Bryant had every Cowboys fan dreaming of the Super Bowl again. Things have changed since then, and the Cowboys never really exploded with this seemingly 'volatile trio' but maybe Prescott can offer the Cowboys some needed leadership this season amidst all the QB-flurry talk (now that many are thinking, even dreaming, about Brady finally retiring!).
The Eagles disappointed their fans early in the season with 2 disappointing losses, but fans still think that the Foles-Wentz 'carousel' may offer some intrigue and energy to keep the Eagles a hot titan in the league. If injuries don't plague Philadelphia, then watching Nick Foles backup Carson Wentz on key orchestrated offensive plays may at least generate some energized talk about an Eagles-Patriots Super Bowl rematch.
Only 2 QBs have defeated Tom Brady in the Super Bowl --- Eli Manning of the NY Giants [2008, 2012] and Nick Foles of the Philadelphia Eagles [2018]. I remember a time when Brady was not there and when QBs like Jim Harbaugh (Chicago Bears) and Randall Cunningham (Philadelphia Eagles) simply made NFL leadership feel more 'unpredictable' and hence 'juicy.' However, this season, to take down Brady and his Patriots, more and more teams, and their hot-QBs like Baker Mayfield, are considering the 'general wisdom' of spread-offenses and spread-plays designed to give the QB more 'options' to dismantle an ambitious defense otherwise 'prepping' their offenses to take the field (i.e., Brady's Patriot offense). Spread-plays are ideal for this generation's batch of teams/QBs trying to capitalize on diversified routes/passes. So which QB will offer the most profitable forms of spread-plays?
I personally like comparing Tom Brady to the great Warren Moon of the Houston Oilers who, incidentally, made a cameo in the modern sports-culture film Jerry Maguire (Tom Hanks). Like Moon, Brady has given his team (and the entire league) a dash of class and consistency that coaches just love (especially Bill Belichick!). Brady may not be as 'vibrant' as a Terry Bradshaw or a Kurt Warner or a Mark Rypien or even a Dan Marino, but he gives his team an undeniable sense of prestige and confidence necessary for on-field greatness. Just like Warren Moon, who gave the Oilers great energy, Brady gives the Patriots great spunk. So those who want to 'take down' Brady this year (e.g., Dak Prescott?) are not unlike those who wanted to take down Warren Moon yesteryear (e.g., Randall Cunningham?).
====
{Tom Brady & Warren Moon}
