Another Brady Article - Brace Yourselves...

[the wrothbroughterer]

Re: Another Brady Article - Brace Yourselves....

After that last article he posted about how the Jets need to get their BFF Roger Goodell to fine the Pats over "abusing the injury report", I don't plan on following anything he posts or ever taking him seriously.

His writing is hot garbage.

Just because it's the dead period of the season doesn't mean lazy journalism and speculation are akin to informative pieces and fact. Mike Florio sucks at his job.

 

[MassPats38]

Re: Another Brady Article

Clarify this for me, please. Both sides have cited issues with the CBA as reasons for not persuing new contracts more aggressively right now. Different situation or not, though, it just shows that Manning is going through some bumps in the road on the way to a new contract with the Colts. Why is it not making more news?

Let me take a stab at this. The Pats wear the black hat in the NFL as a result of winning multiple championships in recent history, followed by Spygate, followed by intense scrutiny in which they remain competitive. That makes bad news to the Pats a far bigger media attraction to the whole of the NFL. Brady has far greater celebrity status than Manning (who shows up more on the celebrity pages) despite Manning's commercial appearances. Belichick is both reviled and respected in the NFL fan circles generally, so any misfortune or poor decision-making is celebrated in the media.

The factual differences between Brady and Manning are readily addressed through Brady's statement on his contract in 2005. Unless we characterize Brady as stupid then, his words would seem to be the best evidence of his position now. His involvement in the NFLPA could reasonably suggest a desire to help players collectively, not himself, when he could readily have claimed a bigger contract in 2005 if he wanted it. It may be crazy, but the fact he becomes a rep on the eve of a huge CBA showdown may symbolize no more than wanting to be a leader in the NFL. The great thing about articles offering only opinions is we can spin this garbage in any direction. Select the facts you like and just sling your story line.

 

[Rob0729]

Re: Another Brady Article

Clarify this for me, please. Both sides have cited issues with the CBA as reasons for not persuing new contracts more aggressively right now. Different situation or not, though, it just shows that Manning is going through some bumps in the road on the way to a new contract with the Colts. Why is it not making more news?

It's simple. It is the perception by the media. The Pats are considered cheap while the Colts are perceived to generously pay their top players. The media seem to ignore that the Pats make guys like Vince Wilfork, Randy Moss, Richard Seymour, Ton Brady, etc. among the highest paid players at their position when they are given new contracts and only focus on guys like Asante Samuel, Deion Branch, and Logan Mankins. The Colts haven't had such contract issues at least until this year.

What the media chooses to ignore is while the Pats are tough negotiators, they clearly are not afraid to pay players they think are worth the money top dollar. They clearly just didn't feel guys Asante Samuel (a great CB, but not elite) and Deion Branch (a good system guy who is a bit too fragile) were worth the money they were looking for. They did feel Seymour was when they made him the highest paid D-lineman at the time and Wilfork who is the highest paid 3-4 NT unless the Redskins decide to keep Haynesworth (which is still iffy). Moss got close to top money and so did Brady (although Brady certainly could have gotten more).

All this talk is just offseason filler. There is next to no chance that the Pats don't resign Brady. Kraft has said as much. Brady wants to stay here. Things will be worked out.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Re: Another Brady Article

I believe that the sports media is attempting to set a Guiness Book Record for consequtive articles written on a topic that contain zero new facts.

More opinion and speculation. Then, it IS off season.

 

[signbabybrady]

Re: Another Brady Article - Brace Yourselves....

Those in the know know that it isn't

This line cracked me up.

I know it is their job to be in the know but if anyone thinks they actually are than I have a bridge to sell you.......... And he just throughs it out there like it is a fact no one would debate. He is basically saying someone in the media wrote it so it must be fact.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Re: Another Brady Article

Let me take a stab at this. The Pats wear the black hat in the NFL as a result of winning multiple championships in recent history, followed by Spygate, followed by intense scrutiny in which they remain competitive. That makes bad news to the Pats a far bigger media attraction to the whole of the NFL. Brady has far greater celebrity status than Manning (who shows up more on the celebrity pages) despite Manning's commercial appearances. Belichick is both reviled and respected in the NFL fan circles generally, so any misfortune or poor decision-making is celebrated in the media.

The factual differences between Brady and Manning are readily addressed through Brady's statement on his contract in 2005. Unless we characterize Brady as stupid then, his words would seem to be the best evidence of his position now. His involvement in the NFLPA could reasonably suggest a desire to help players collectively, not himself, when he could readily have claimed a bigger contract in 2005 if he wanted it. It may be crazy, but the fact he becomes a rep on the eve of a huge CBA showdown may symbolize no more than wanting to be a leader in the NFL. The great thing about articles offering only opinions is we can spin this garbage in any direction. Select the facts you like and just sling your story line.

Yup. If you actually listen to Brady when he's spoken to his union involvement, even noting his tone, he's pretty short on rhetoric and pretty strong on common sense reasoning. He acknowledges compared to the rest of us they all make too much although he remains concerned about those left behind within football's ranks who didn't make enough (either because they never cracked a top 20 or got beyond a couple of mid level taxi squad seasons or they broke down before they reaped a sizeable reward their talent demanded or they came before the advent of FA or long before a cap floor let alone an exploding cap. I think like his better half Brady genuinely cares about the less fortunate on all levels. Not that Manning doesn't, he runs his camps and charities too. I just think Tom is more inclined to put his own money where his mouth is where football is concerned, too. But he's not a pushover, just smart enough to realize that you and everyone else can made a damn good living in this game without killing the golden goose, he calls it balancing interests, and perhaps you can even right a few wrongs in the process and in the end get everyone a fair deal.

I guess you could spin that guy as personally disconnected or rationally engaged depending largely on which audience you were looking to pander to... I think tom stepped up to the plate because he feared the kind of morons who have tended to represent in the past were not going to be capable of managing what lies ahead in everyone's best interest. Kinda the same reason Kraft became as involved in league business as he has over the last several seasons.

 

[BradyManny]

Re: Another Brady Article - Brace Yourselves....

In terms of the off-season workouts and Brady - Kraft is a shrewd businessman. We are going to see - or already have begun to see - him begin his contingency plan in case the unthinkable happens (Brady and the team cannot reach a long term agreement). Part of that contingency plan is justifying to his fan base how that could happen, and part of that means repeatedly pointing out that Brady is not at the voluntary offseason workouts, in order to intimate he doesn't have the desire he once had. If you notice, Belichick could care less and flat-out stated that these offseason workouts are an individual - not a team - based thing. Kraft, on the other hand, has brought this up numerous times this offseason, to the media - which, goes against the Patriot way of saying "no comment" on matters like this.

 

[Ring 6]

Re: Another Brady Article - Brace Yourselves....

In terms of the off-season workouts and Brady - Kraft is a shrewd businessman. We are going to see - or already have begun to see - him begin his contingency plan in case the unthinkable happens (Brady and the team cannot reach a long term agreement). Part of that contingency plan is justifying to his fan base how that could happen, and part of that means repeatedly pointing out that Brady is not at the voluntary offseason workouts, in order to intimate he doesn't have the desire he once had. If you notice, Belichick could care less and flat-out stated that these offseason workouts are an individual - not a team - based thing. Kraft, on the other hand, has brought this up numerous times this offseason, to the media - which, goes against the Patriot way of saying "no comment" on matters like this.

I don't recall Kraft bringing it up 'numerous times'. Can you link

 

[Pats726]

Re: Another Brady Article - Brace Yourselves....

Just more garbage from Florio....who loves to stir the pot with nothing there

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Re: Another Brady Article - Brace Yourselves....

In terms of the off-season workouts and Brady - Kraft is a shrewd businessman. We are going to see - or already have begun to see - him begin his contingency plan in case the unthinkable happens (Brady and the team cannot reach a long term agreement). Part of that contingency plan is justifying to his fan base how that could happen, and part of that means repeatedly pointing out that Brady is not at the voluntary offseason workouts, in order to intimate he doesn't have the desire he once had. If you notice, Belichick could care less and flat-out stated that these offseason workouts are an individual - not a team - based thing. Kraft, on the other hand, has brought this up numerous times this offseason, to the media - which, goes against the Patriot way of saying "no comment" on matters like this.

He has not brought this up numerous times. He has repeated essentially the same mantra when the media repeatedly askes him the same inane questions...and they have cherry picked and selectively parsed and spun his comments to suit their agendas on numerous occasions.

Brady's contract ends after the coming season, and Kraft was asked whether the team and the quarterback will sit down to start hammering out an extension, he quickly said "yes."

Asked further whether that would happen before the start of regular season, Kraft paused for a moment.

"Let’s put it like this: Tom Brady is going to be part of this franchise. He wants to be, we want him…you know, great things in life happen if you’re flexible and not rigid. We have to find a way to satisfy him and the team and have a team that can win - big time. That’s what it’s about. We’re bound to a lot of different factors in an unknown environment. So, we’re not sleeping…it’s just complicated. And it’s complicated for everyone. So we hope we do a satisfactory job. We’ll figure it out, one way or another," Kraft said.

Bottom line: Brady isn't going anywhere, not if Kraft has anything to say about it, and we're thinking he does.

As to Brady's current absence from the Patriots' offseason workout program, Kraft was candid, but knows that his quarterback's life is vastly different than it was four or five years ago.

"If you’re asking me would I prefer that he be here the whole offseason, yes. You know, to me, he’s the most unique, special leader and player in the NFL...(The workouts are) voluntary, he’s got a family. Look at your lives – you’ve all changed. So it’s priorities. There’s no doubt in my mind he’s working out hard. Would we be better as a team if he was in Foxborough every day between now and the start of training camp? Absolutely. Would that work for him? I don’t know. I think he’s balancing a lot of things. I hope he spends as much time as he can in Foxborough, and I believe he will."

Bob Kraft at the owners meetings March 22nd.

 

[Joker]

Re: Another Brady Article - Brace Yourselves....

is consequitive a word?...it's pretty far away from consecutive so I can't really think it's a misspelling, but I can't find a definition in the dictionary...sorry to stray off topic...my opinion:if Brady goes,BB is soon to follow. I doubt the fanbase would accept a Hoyer rebuild.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Re: Another Brady Article - Brace Yourselves....

is consequitive a word?...it's pretty far away from consecutive so I can't really think it's a misspelling, but I can't find a definition in the dictionary...sorry to stray off topic...my opinion:if Brady goes,BB is soon to follow. I doubt the fanbase would accept a Hoyer rebuild.

a bogus attempt at spelling

 

[Kontradiction]

Re: Another Brady Article

1.) Manning is perceived as having been better compensated in the recent past.

Although this is true, it doesn't really have anything to do with why Manning's contract situation is not getting nearly the amount of press that Brady's contract situation is, in spite of the fact that both parties have cited an uncertain situation with a new CBA as the reasons for why talks have slowed.

2.) Manning has already been informed, publicly, by his team's owner that he will become the highest paid QB in the NFL.

Also true, and this makes a little more sense than the first reason. I've said before and I'll say again that the Pats are their own worst enemy in this situation. Contract talks with any player in this organization are not going to become front page news because of the orgy of details coming from the ownership, coaching staff, or (in this case) the players. Because of that silence, the story has a propensity for inflating. With that said, though, for all we know, the Pats could be waiting on a contract offer from the Colts so they can set the market with Manning and offer Brady something a little better. It's highly doubtful. But with all the relative silence, it's certainly not out of the realm of possiblity.

3.) Manning's not an NFLPA rep seeing his contract used as an example of the 'goodness' of taking less money.

I don't think Brady will be taking less money this time around.

4.) Brady is more than a year younger than Manning, has won more SBs than Manning, and is a better QB than Manning, yet it's generally reported that he'll get a smaller contract than Manning, and nothing Kraft has stated has done anything to counter this assumption.

But Kraft DID state a willingness to get a contract done with Brady and all indications at this junction in the process point to Brady pulling in a large sum of cash (much larger than his last contract). Because Manning stands to make a little more than Brady again this time around speaks more for the general public and the NFL's (particularly the Colts) perception of Manning as a quarterback as opposed to Brady. It's incorrect, but it is what it is. It doesn't really answer my question of why Brady's situation is more reported than Manning's, in spite of the fact that talks from both sides have slowed down.

5.) Manning has not had an ACL injury and missed the better part of a full season as a result, although he's had other surgeries of a 'lesser' nature, including neck surgeries.

Also true, and is a pretty good reason (that I had not though of) for the press on the Brady contract.

6.) Brady has clearly pulled back from the team in the recent offseasons. You may, or may not, accept the stated reasons why, but the withdrawal itself is there for all to see.

Well, to be fair, after 2007 Belichick DID tell Brady himself to take a break from the game. On top of that, there are a lot of athletes who miss OTA's to spend time with their families in other states. Situations change. On top of that, the guy was at mini-camps. He's shown an interest for the team. It's just not the interest he had when he was a single guy. I know your stance on the matter, so I won't beat a dead horse that much. While we're on the subject about this, I'm unsure as to why there isn't as much press on these other athletes as there is for Brady.

In all, I'm buying numbers 2, 3, and 5 as reasons for the discrepency in reporting on the two issues. 1, 4, and 6... not so much.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

Re: Another Brady Article - Brace Yourselves....

In terms of the off-season workouts and Brady - Kraft is a shrewd businessman. We are going to see - or already have begun to see - him begin his contingency plan in case the unthinkable happens (Brady and the team cannot reach a long term agreement). Part of that contingency plan is justifying to his fan base how that could happen, and part of that means repeatedly pointing out that Brady is not at the voluntary offseason workouts, in order to intimate he doesn't have the desire he once had. If you notice, Belichick could care less and flat-out stated that these offseason workouts are an individual - not a team - based thing. Kraft, on the other hand, has brought this up numerous times this offseason, to the media - which, goes against the Patriot way of saying "no comment" on matters like this.

I'll leave it to others to determine whether or not you are right on the facts ("brought this up numerous times"), but I am convinced that Kraft is a "shrewd" enough businessman to know that Patriots fans are too smart to buy the line of reasoning you are imputing to him.

 

[MassPats38]

Re: Another Brady Article - Brace Yourselves....

I'll leave it to others to determine whether or not you are right on the facts ("brought this up numerous times"), but I am convinced that Kraft is a "shrewd" enough businessman to know that Patriots fans are too smart to buy the line of reasoning you are imputing to him.

The "Patriot way" notion goes a long way (it worked with a storied kicker here a few years ago and the Pats did not eat it for handling that matter as they did), but there may well be no "Patriots way" without Brady.

There will be no soft sell with that business decision, and unless the Pats can identify a QB who can outperform him in the first season, the decision to let him go would backfire in a big way on the organization. There would simply be no way Kraft would attempt to set the groundwork for that. The team is either in or out on keeping Brady, and fans are sufficiently intelligent to figure that out in the end. From what Kraft said and what Belichick has said in the past I am guessing the team is in and will pay the man what he demands. The only question I see remaining is what Brady will demand to stay, and how that impacts the rest of the roster.

 

[Deus Irae]

Re: Another Brady Article

In all, I'm buying numbers 2, 3, and 5 as reasons for the discrepency in reporting on the two issues. 1, 4, and 6... not so much.

Given that Brady, the Patriots, and the media have all talked about #6, for example, I'm not sure how these are really arguable. But, agree to disagree, I guess.

 

[JMarr]

Re: Another Brady Article - Brace Yourselves....

The "Patriot way" notion goes a long way (it worked with a storied kicker here a few years ago and the Pats did not eat it for handling that matter as they did), but there may well be no "Patriots way" without Brady.

There will be no soft sell with that business decision, and unless the Pats can identify a QB who can outperform him in the first season, the decision to let him go would backfire in a big way on the organization. There would simply be no way Kraft would attempt to set the groundwork for that. The team is either in or out on keeping Brady, and fans are sufficiently intelligent to figure that out in the end. From what Kraft said and what Belichick has said in the past I am guessing the team is in and will pay the man what he demands. The only question I see remaining is what Brady will demand to stay, and how that impacts the rest of the roster.

I think that just about covers it. Great post.

Let's get this season rolling already...

 

[Kontradiction]

Re: Another Brady Article

Given that Brady, the Patriots, and the media have all talked about #6, for example, I'm not sure how these are really arguable. But, agree to disagree, I guess.

I know and accept that he's pulled away from the team in recent offseasons. I just don't have a problem with guys missing voluntary workouts to be with their fledgling family. Like I said, lots of athletes do that. It's nothing out of the ordinary and I can't see the story being blown up because of it. Now, if Brady was missing mandatory workouts and training camp dates, then I would be worried and can see why the national media would push this story to the front of the sports page.

 

[WelshPat]

Back to what Dukes said, did anyone else notice he said "You didn't ask me if he deserves his new contract, I'm going to keep that one to myself". Keep in mind that this guy like a year ago said Mike Vick was the best QB in the nfl.

Dukes doesn't think Brady deserves a new deal? He didn't say that, but he kinda hinted as that may be how he feels

 

[Ian]

Re: Another Brady Article

I know and accept that he's pulled away from the team in recent offseasons. I just don't have a problem with guys missing voluntary workouts to be with their fledgling family. Like I said, lots of athletes do that. It's nothing out of the ordinary and I can't see the story being blown up because of it. Now, if Brady was missing mandatory workouts and training camp dates, then I would be worried and can see why the national media would push this story to the front of the sports page.

I think that's a great point. Had he held out like Mankins and really shown there was a problem, I think they'd have a reason to write the story, but obviously that hasn't been the case. Although I don't think even if there was an issue that he'd handle it that way...that's not his style.

Everything published to this point is all conjecture with no substance - including Florio's piece. I think it's actually surprising that we haven't heard anything leak out regarding this from someone that's actually familiar with what's going on. You know there's plenty of people digging...but so far we haven't heard anything. One of the reasons why I'm personally feeling pretty confident is because usually a frustrating situation or a problem with a contract negotiation almost always leads to someone (if not the player, someone "close to him") being upset enough to say the wrong thing to somebody - and that hasn't happened to this point.