TB12 Tells Kraft he's "willing to play another 6-7 years"

[Ivan]

Just to be fair, that Colts team really seemed to tank on purpose without Manning to ensure that they won the right to draft Luck. I am not saying that team was in good shape without Manning; I am saying if there wasn't an uber prospect like Luck available, the Colts may have won a few more games.

They absolutely tanked the season.

 

[Simpelton]

Watch him wind up with eight or nine rings. Pagano will literally comit suicide. We are witnessing something very rare in team sports... Before now, i dont recall seeing snyone at any age playing like Brady did in l1.

Just curious if any one here ever saw anything like that?

Closest I've seen in my life is probably Randy Johnson who managed a high level season (not up to his career standard but highly respectable) at 44YO.

 

[farn]

Just to be fair, that Colts team really seemed to tank on purpose without Manning to ensure that they won the right to draft Luck. I am not saying that team was in good shape without Manning; I am saying if there wasn't an uber prospect like Luck available, the Colts may have won a few more games.

What I'm saying is : since BB doesn't believe in that philosophy - to the extent that he commented publicly - then maybe this adds to the mosaic of why Jimmy is still here".

 

[Simpelton]

A lot of people in this forum have talked about their ideal situation being for Garoppolo to take over within after this year and Brady riding off into the sunset.

You have to admit that's actually a pretty decent scenario, if Brady was comfortable with the idea. He gets to enjoy life and time with his family as the undisputed GOAT with enough hardware to break any mantle under the sheer weight of it, and we move forward with a young quarterback that quite frankly is starting his career in a better position than TB12 himself ever had, has had a chance to learn and home his game for years understudying behind the best quarterback there ever was, learning the ins and outs of the game from the best coach there ever was, and has an excellent roster around him.

The deck is stacked in Garoppolo's favor if he takes over in New England within the next 2 years. Jimmy G is already generally accepted to be an above average quarterback and has room to grow. We could, theoretically, just keep winning Superbowls much to the disgust of the rest of the league with a young quarterback who could be at that level for another decade. We wouldn't have the GOAT anymore, and I'm positive there would be moments where Garoppolo chooses a bad moment to be young and we lose a critical play Brady might have gotten us, but in theory, Garoppolo could be a Steve Young to Brady's Joe Montana an we just keep going at a relatively high level for several more seasons, maybe even another decade and a half, which Brady wouldn't give us.

That's the sunny-side-up version of the Garoppolo succession scenario and frankly my opinion is that that's a pretty rosy scenario.

 

[Simpelton]

I laugh my ass off at people who think it's impossible. He's been told that his whole life, you think this is any different?

He'll double down on the training regimen, healthy diet and everything else he does just to rub everyone's faces in it who say he can't do it.

To quote John Locke from Lost, "Don't tell me what I can't do!"

Do you really think there's any harder that Brady could possibly work than he's working right now? Do you really think TB12 is not busting his hump right now and doing everything he physically and mentally can to stay fit and healthy?

All this just confirms something I've thought from my observation of Mr. Brady in action.

he is not going to go quietly into that good night. He is not going to accept that he's done even when it's clear that he's done. He is not going to admit when he's had enough, it's going to take someone else making the decision to cut him off, or else a major injury, to get him to walk away from the game.

I'm not interested in moving on from TB12 until we have to. I won't sacrifice Brady's peak years and neither will Belichick or Kraft. But I want the team to be planning, and know the team is planning, for that day that will come when TB12 doesn't have it anymore and the best move the franchise can make is the one where it waves goodbye to Brady and moves on to the next guy.

Which doesn't mean throw away TB12, it means that even if Garoppolo goes, we'll have a guy who is the next guy, in the wings waiting for his chance, for the rest of TB12's career. That's why I've said before that I do expect the team to draft a quarterback in this draft, or sign a UDFA, one of the two, and I expect the team to carry 3 or 4 quarterbacks for the rest of TB12's time here, with 1 always being an obvious prospect.

 

[PP2]

Heck, I'm trying to look like that at 58 ....

I'm trying to look like that at 41.

 

[XLIX]

You have to admit that's actually a pretty decent scenario, if Brady was comfortable with the idea.

But the minor inconvenience to the above is that by all accounts (including the subject of this very thread), Brady is not even remotely "comfortable" with the idea.

 

[Ivan]

You have to admit that's actually a pretty decent scenario, if Brady was comfortable with the idea. He gets to enjoy life and time with his family as the undisputed GOAT with enough hardware to break any mantle under the sheer weight of it, and we move forward with a young quarterback that quite frankly is starting his career in a better position than TB12 himself ever had, has had a chance to learn and home his game for years understudying behind the best quarterback there ever was, learning the ins and outs of the game from the best coach there ever was, and has an excellent roster around him.

The deck is stacked in Garoppolo's favor if he takes over in New England within the next 2 years. Jimmy G is already generally accepted to be an above average quarterback and has room to grow. We could, theoretically, just keep winning Superbowls much to the disgust of the rest of the league with a young quarterback who could be at that level for another decade. We wouldn't have the GOAT anymore, and I'm positive there would be moments where Garoppolo chooses a bad moment to be young and we lose a critical play Brady might have gotten us, but in theory, Garoppolo could be a Steve Young to Brady's Joe Montana an we just keep going at a relatively high level for several more seasons, maybe even another decade and a half, which Brady wouldn't give us.

That's the sunny-side-up version of the Garoppolo succession scenario and frankly my opinion is that that's a pretty rosy scenario.

Belichick isn't going to dump Brady for a QB who couldn't make it through two games.

 

[Snooky97]

The other thing with Brady is he's never totally relied on his physical ability

 

[bormio]

Belichick isn't going to dump Brady for a QB who couldn't make it through two games.

Brady has this job until he shows he cannot play. The "year early instead of a year late" rule does not apply to Brady. It simply does not.

 

[Ivan]

What I'm saying is : since BB doesn't believe in that philosophy - to the extent that he commented publicly - then maybe this adds to the mosaic of why Jimmy is still here".

Belichick also believes that availability is the most important thing for any player, and Jimmy Garrapolo couldn't make it through two games and wasn't available when they needed him week four.

 

[Kontradiction]

Brady has this job until he shows he cannot play. The "year early instead of a year late" rule does not apply to Brady. It simply does not.

Uh... yeah it will. He'll do what he did with Bruschi and sit Brady down, have a heart to heart with him, and Brady will more than likely retire. Belichick is at the top of Mt. Rushmore in the business of football and the bottom line in the business of football is winning. Otherwise, what the hell is he doing in the profession? He won't let the team take a nosedive just to let Brady play beyond his prime playing years. The decision will suck, but he'll do what's best for the franchise. He doesn't have the same kind of sentimentality that the fans do... and, really, he can't. It's his business to make sure the team is set up to win a championship. The day Brady stands in the way of that instead of piloting the team toward that goal is the day that unfortunate conversation happens.

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

Closest I've seen in my life is probably Randy Johnson who managed a high level season (not up to his career standard but highly respectable) at 44YO.

Nolan Ryan had over 200 strikeouts and a 2.91 ERA at age 44. He played two more years after that, but those seasons were shortened by injuries- muscle pulls, IIRC.

Nolan Ryan Stats | Baseball-Reference.com

 

[Simpelton]

Brady has this job until he shows he cannot play. The "year early instead of a year late" rule does not apply to Brady. It simply does not.

You cannot make that statement as a truism. It doesn't apply to any other position. And we won't know whether it applies to TB12 or not unless BB fires him. BB is just ruthless enough that I wouldn't put it past him if he's convinced it's the best thing for the New England Patriots. That's definitely not the case this year. Who's to say what the climate will be in 2 seasons?

 

[bormio]

Uh... yeah it will. He'll do what he did with Bruschi and sit Brady down, have a heart to heart with him, and Brady will more than likely retire. Belichick is at the top of Mt. Rushmore in the business of football and the bottom line in the business of football is winning. Otherwise, what the hell is he doing in the profession? He won't let the team take a nosedive just to let Brady play beyond his prime playing years. The decision will suck, but he'll do what's best for the franchise. He doesn't have the same kind of sentimentality that the fans do... and, really, he can't. It's his business to make sure the team is set up to win a championship. The day Brady stands in the way of that instead of piloting the team toward that goal is the day that unfortunate conversation happens.

The difference is BB often moves on from players at a lot of positions before they have really shown that they cannot play - a "year early". He knows the chances are they will deteriorate and he makes a change to go younger. I do not believe that will be the case with Brady (if it was he might already be gone). I think Brady will have to show that he no longer has it before BB will do what you say.

 

[TruthSeeker]

Brady has this job until he shows he cannot play. The "year early instead of a year late" rule does not apply to Brady. It simply does not.

The reason it doesn't apply is because none of us really have a clue when "a year too early" is. Is it this year? 2019? 2022? Who knows? We're all just guessing because Tom Brady is on a regimen unlike any other - and it's clearly been working the past 3 years. It's uncharted territory - which makes it such a great discussion topic.

 

[reflexblue]

I don't know about playing at 46 or 47, i think G will divorce him, she asked him to retire after the SB.

 

[Kontradiction]

The difference is BB often moves on from players at a lot of positions before they have really shown that they cannot play - a "year early". He knows the chances are they will deteriorate and he makes a change to go younger. I do not believe that will be the case with Brady (if it was he might already be gone). I think Brady will have to show that he no longer has it before BB will do what you say.

Which is exactly what will happen. Brady is still playing like the GOAT, so he's not going anywhere anytime soon. But that conversation will happen. Brady will not be an exception.

 

[Ivan]

Uh... yeah it will. He'll do what he did with Bruschi and sit Brady down, have a heart to heart with him, and Brady will more than likely retire. Belichick is at the top of Mt. Rushmore in the business of football and the bottom line in the business of football is winning. Otherwise, what the hell is he doing in the profession? He won't let the team take a nosedive just to let Brady play beyond his prime playing years. The decision will suck, but he'll do what's best for the franchise. He doesn't have the same kind of sentimentality that the fans do... and, really, he can't. It's his business to make sure the team is set up to win a championship. The day Brady stands in the way of that instead of piloting the team toward that goal is the day that unfortunate conversation happens.

I don't believe Belichick would allow any player to diminish the fortunes of the team, and that includes Brady. That's different however from giving the job to a player who isn't as good, and moving on from him while he is still one of the best players in football, which is exactly what a number of people have been arguing for. I honestly think that Brady, like Bruschi, will be the first one to recognize that he can't perform at the level he needs to and will hang them up without Belichick having to tell him.

My recollection of what happened with Bruschi is that he watched tape of a practice early in that seasons camp and saw how slow he was and went to Belichick to tell him he was retiring.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Here's an important question that no one seems to be considering: What do you think JG's reaction was upon hearing this news? I can tell you -- besides disgust, he wants out. Heck, he deserves to be traded, to have the opportunity to play the game. He's waited long enough. Even if Brady is wrong and he only plays 3 more seasons -- that's 6 years on the bench for JG. That's just not fair for a guy who has talent. He's wanted elsewhere.

At least Malcolm Butler gets to play. He has one more year and he'll collect a huge payday. JG? He's living a nightmare at this point. Sure, he'll get paid after this year. If NE gives him the franchise tag, he'll be making more money than Brady. But he can make his money AND play. JG's instagram message bidding farewell wasn't hacked -- it was his way of saying "enough."

None of this adds up. Free Jimmy Garoppolo. I mean, at what point does this just become a cruel mind game for JG?

If I'm Garoppolo, I'm on the phone to Belichick begging him to trade me. Literally begging the man. And if it doesn't happen, I'm gone as soon as I can get out of NE.

Agreed except for "disgust". If JAG is half the man many of us think he is, he is NOT going to sign up to sit on the bench here for an INDETERMINATE number of seasons hoping Tommy Boy breaks a leg or some such. Not even if he gets some BullSnot fantasy cap manipulation contract (which BTW would eviscerate the TEAM depth that is a cornerstone of BB's philosophy) of 10s of millions that the panting JAGwads here fantasize about. The best thing for Jimmy is to get traded. If he doesn't like where he ends up after the fact, he can always sign with the NEP as a FA in the early 2020s.