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Raiders' revival, Tom Brady's focus among midseason highlights - NFL.com
After Brady prevailed in federal court a week before the Pats' regular-season opener, securing a ruling that nullified his league-mandated four-game suspension on procedural grounds, the future Hall of Fame quarterback smartly resisted the temptation to gloat. Instead, Brady released a reasonably contrite statement that sought to ramp down the rhetoric -- and he has since exhibited what may be an unprecedented level of focus and proficiency. At 38, Brady is having a stunningly successful campaign; he's the clear MVP frontrunner, and the Patriots are 7-0. Yet, in my eyes, his comportment has been equally impressive. Unlike in 2007, when, in the wake of a sideline-videotaping scandal, the Patriots rolled through an undefeated regular season exuding a blatant We Will Crush You vibe -- remember when Bill Belichick ran up the score on Hall of Famer Joe Gibbs? -- Brady and the Pats are simply concentrating on the task at hand and aren't wallowing in their triumphs. The Pats refrained from firing back at Mike Tomlin after the Steelers coach made comments about headset malfunctions following Pittsburgh's Kickoff Classic defeat in Foxborough. In October, Belichick and his players shrugged off any potential "revenge" overtones before and after their victory over the Colts, the team that instigated the deflated-ball investigation, aka PSI: New England. They seem to be trying to move past the scandal rather than taking out their wrath on the world. I know I've expressed a lot of strong opinions about the behavior of Brady and others implicated during the NFL's investigation over the last 10 months, and I'm not expecting a lot of hugs the next time I visit Gillette Stadium. However, I have immense respect for an organization that is blessed to have one of the best coaches of all time, one of the greatest quarterbacks in history and an owner, Robert Kraft, whose vision and ingenuity transformed a long-pathetic franchise into football's crown jewel.
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He still thinks Brady and the Pats are cheats but at least this is a small step in an objective direction....
After Brady prevailed in federal court a week before the Pats' regular-season opener, securing a ruling that nullified his league-mandated four-game suspension on procedural grounds, the future Hall of Fame quarterback smartly resisted the temptation to gloat. Instead, Brady released a reasonably contrite statement that sought to ramp down the rhetoric -- and he has since exhibited what may be an unprecedented level of focus and proficiency. At 38, Brady is having a stunningly successful campaign; he's the clear MVP frontrunner, and the Patriots are 7-0. Yet, in my eyes, his comportment has been equally impressive. Unlike in 2007, when, in the wake of a sideline-videotaping scandal, the Patriots rolled through an undefeated regular season exuding a blatant We Will Crush You vibe -- remember when Bill Belichick ran up the score on Hall of Famer Joe Gibbs? -- Brady and the Pats are simply concentrating on the task at hand and aren't wallowing in their triumphs. The Pats refrained from firing back at Mike Tomlin after the Steelers coach made comments about headset malfunctions following Pittsburgh's Kickoff Classic defeat in Foxborough. In October, Belichick and his players shrugged off any potential "revenge" overtones before and after their victory over the Colts, the team that instigated the deflated-ball investigation, aka PSI: New England. They seem to be trying to move past the scandal rather than taking out their wrath on the world. I know I've expressed a lot of strong opinions about the behavior of Brady and others implicated during the NFL's investigation over the last 10 months, and I'm not expecting a lot of hugs the next time I visit Gillette Stadium. However, I have immense respect for an organization that is blessed to have one of the best coaches of all time, one of the greatest quarterbacks in history and an owner, Robert Kraft, whose vision and ingenuity transformed a long-pathetic franchise into football's crown jewel.
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He still thinks Brady and the Pats are cheats but at least this is a small step in an objective direction....