When I think of the Patriots and the guiding light to the Super Bowl, I think of Mr. Tom Brady; the GOAT, the legend, the man. I’ve never known a time when the Patriots didn’t have Brady as their quarterback.
Over the past two decades he has demonstrated leadership, strength and focus. It’s these qualities that have led him to be one of the most successful quarterbacks in NFL history.
Brady pushed teammates to be as equally successful as himself. He provided Patriots’ fans the ability to experience an era that can never be replicated.
Over the years Tom Brady has brought New England together into what we call Pats Nation. When you enter the New England region not only during football season but all year long, you can walk down the street, walk by a restaurant, peer into a classroom and see countless Patriot logos. This team has brought together people from all walks of life because of the values that Brady shows every season and has instilled in his teammates.
But what’s to come? How is Patriot Nation going to come together to adjust to this monumental change?
I’m not sure it will come together for the 2020 season. It truly is an end to a sports era that we may never experience again. The fondest memory for any Patriot fan is that of going to a home game at Gillette Stadium, this is something I got to experience this year. The atmosphere is something that dreams are made of. There is nothing like the energy that is created within Gillette Stadium. Standing next to thousands of fans, cheering for the same home team makes the whole stadium pulsate with excitement. Every move that is made on the field, you feel it ten times over in the stands.
This man didn’t just bring the crowds together to cheer on the Patriots; he inspired young men to start their own football career. As a young boy in New England, Brady was my role model; he turned a Sunday afternoon game that I like to watch on T.V. into a passion of mine. The skills he demonstrated with his own team and Pats Nation pushed me to expand my football capabilities, to be more involved in my own community, and to be a leader with my fellow teammates.
With Brady’s departure, the whole Patriot’s dynamic has forever changed. There is no longer a strong leader pushing the team in the same direction. Right now, the roster is stacked with some great individual players but we are missing that leader; which in the past two decades has been fulfilled by Tom Brady.
Change is always inevitable when it comes to sports teams. I’m excited to see where this leads the Patriots in the future. Looking at the qualifications of the existing Patriots team, Edelman played QB in college. If they moved him to QB, he would perform adequately but the Patriots would suffer a tremendous loss offensively.
In addition to Edelman, they have three quarterbacks on roster but their skills are nowhere near that of Brady.
Looking at the team from a holistic sense, Brady may have been the quarterback, but it takes a whole team to win. Just like it takes a whole community to support the team. His fellow Patriots are still going to show up for pre-season and put in the work and Pats Nation is going to be tailgating and cheering for every game. It may take us some time to get used to the new normal but Brady spent so many years working to make the team a team, and his legacy will still live on even when he steps onto a different home turf next year.
