The Post-Brady Era (PBE)

So that sucked...

Bernard Pollard took me back to a place I hadn't been in a while; a place I had only been with Aaron Boone and David Tyree in recent memory. Sports heart break. Where changing from 'invincible' to 'invisible' can happen in one moment. Where concern shifts from "How many TDs will Randy Moss get for my fantasy team this week?" to "Are the Patriots finished this season?"

Stories about Brady's injury ran on every channel today from ESPN to Fox News. There was no escaping the punchline of jokes about karma (he had been off of the pregame injury report for the first time in the last 57 games...) and no escaping the awful tabloid headlines like "Breaking Knees."

Boston has always been a hotspot for sports pessimism and from what I've read New England is thoroughly and understandably depressed (I am encouraged however that my dad, a psychologist, probably has lots of opportunity for business as a grief counselor for the next few weeks). But let's try to take the next few minutes and be optimistic.

Maybe this is the chance the Patriots need to restore their image. It's no doubt that the Patriots have replaced the Cowboys as the most hated team in football. We've been almost invincible (there's that word again) for the last few years. We've cheated and been caught. We've blamed losses on flukes. We've turned a thug into the most electric receiver in football. We're the dicks who show up to the party, drink all the good beer, take the girls and leave without saying goodbye.

Now that we've lost the NFL's darling player, we have a chance to become the NFL's darling team. Imagine the Patriots, sans league MVP, making a run for the Lombardi trophy; it's not likely but that's what makes it a cinderella story. And while its easy to see Tom's ripped achilles in the empty glass, you can also see all of the potential in Welker, Moss, Seymour, and Belichick, if you dare look into the full glass. This team may have one anchor, but the boat won't drift away without him.

And if the Patriots can piece together enough wins for the playoffs (thank god for our easy schedule!) just think about the stories that await. The adoration for a team just muddling though, a team going back to its blue-collar roots, will be unequivocal. Football Beatle-mania! Like Andy Dufresne wrote, "And if you've come this far, maybe you're willing to come a little farther." Add that media adoration with a genius mind on the sideline, and a team with AARP-like experience, and the motivation of a bunch of guys who've been counted out, and who knows what might happen. We could shatter the glass ceiling.

Or we can get stuck on the ground floor. No one knows how it's gonna go (and if they do, please tell me so I can gamble accordingly) but what we do know is that Brady will be spending time at home, watching most games with Gisele resting on his right knee. Nothing will change that... unless he wants someone even hotter, but that's not helping the Patriots. What might help, is a fan-base not quitting, like all the pundits have. It might not matter either, but there's no sense in quitting.