- Joined
- Mar 25, 2005
- Messages
- 19,929
- Reaction score
- 3
As Brady often says, one injury and it could be over. But that's the case from the time you first step on the field at any level...for every player regardless of age. Tedy underscores the key is protection, as most of us realize. And as Williamson notes the kind of weapons (like these 2 TE's) that allow you to avoid sitting duck kind of injuries.
His deal (as they all have been) is ideal for another incremental extension any time after next season if they want to manage him on their terms. At that point you are simply converting salary to bonus and tacking on a couple of more salary years. Those create potential dead cap, but not so significant - particularly with the cap rising exponentially in 2014 and beyond - as to be a roster killer given he will probably be followed by a youngster on an affordable rookie deal perhaps in tandem with a veteran mentor/backup on an insurance deal. And there is always the tag to play out the string. It limits who else they could use it on, but under the new CBA it's an affordable QB stop gap for a guy who has been earning at the top of the market anyway.
He has after all put up his best statistical production in his 30's. And with all time records increasingly in range as a result, he is nothing if not goal oriented and driven. He won't stay past his ability to be an elite player, but that said, barring another catastrophic injury, I honestly see him starting here in 2016 and possibly thru 2017.
How much longer for Tom Brady? - AFC East Blog - ESPN
His deal (as they all have been) is ideal for another incremental extension any time after next season if they want to manage him on their terms. At that point you are simply converting salary to bonus and tacking on a couple of more salary years. Those create potential dead cap, but not so significant - particularly with the cap rising exponentially in 2014 and beyond - as to be a roster killer given he will probably be followed by a youngster on an affordable rookie deal perhaps in tandem with a veteran mentor/backup on an insurance deal. And there is always the tag to play out the string. It limits who else they could use it on, but under the new CBA it's an affordable QB stop gap for a guy who has been earning at the top of the market anyway.
He has after all put up his best statistical production in his 30's. And with all time records increasingly in range as a result, he is nothing if not goal oriented and driven. He won't stay past his ability to be an elite player, but that said, barring another catastrophic injury, I honestly see him starting here in 2016 and possibly thru 2017.
Here is scary news for the rest of the NFL: Tom Brady wants to play quarterback for the New England Patriots until he's 40 years old.
That means, theoretically, Brady and coach Bill Belichick plan to dominate the AFC East and keep New England in title contention until 2017. Brady will turn 35 in August.
But five more years? That is an eternity in the NFL in which the average career span is approximately 3-4 seasons. Does Brady have enough in the tank to play 17 years at such a demanding position?
Former quarterback and ESPN analyst Trent Dilfer played 14 seasons in the NFL and believes Brady will reach that goal. According to Dilfer, the key to quarterback durability is the lower body, not the upper body.
"What goes first with quarterbacks is their legs. Once you lose your legs, you kind of lose everything else," Dilfer explained. "I remember Kurt Warner talking about that late in his career, and obviously I experienced it. Every quarterback experiences it. I think Tom works hard enough to maintain the leg strength he needs to be as precise as he is, and I think he's a competitor that if he puts something in his mind that he's going to do something, he's a guy that goes out and does it.
"There's very few people in sports like that...I fully expect him to be playing at 40 if he says he's going to."
Brady's Hall of Fame legacy is secure. If he retired today, Brady already would be among the top quarterbacks ever to play the position. He has three Super Bowl rings and could tie his childhood hero -- Joe Montana -- for the most playoff victories (16) with a win over Baltimore Sunday.
But the difference between being a top-five quarterback and the greatest ever could come down to these next five years. Brady can tie Montana (four) and Terry Bradshaw (four) for the most titles in these playoffs. But if Brady plays through age 40, he has a legitimate shot at being the winningest quarterback in NFL history.
How much longer for Tom Brady? - AFC East Blog - ESPN