Today’s edition certainly sparks some discussion, so let’s get to it.<\/p>\n
Brady Starting to Ponder His Future? – <\/strong>The last couple of years for Tom Brady have been a little different than pretty much every year prior, especially as it pertains to his image and business interests off the field.<\/p>\n It almost feels like DeflateGate was really a wake-up call for the veteran quarterback, who seemed like he completely changed his approach when much of the world outside of New England turned on him.<\/p>\n Prior to that, Brady didn’t say much, seemingly satisfied with letting his actions on the field speak for him.\u00a0 When DeflateGate started, Brady more or less brushed it off as absurd since he obviously knew what really happened and probably didn’t ever expect things to take on a life of their own.\u00a0 But when things began to spiral, his approach changed. You could sense the frustration, yet he seemed more intent on taking the high road and managed to maintain that despite the fact the whole mess dragged on for well over a year and spilled over into two football seasons.<\/p>\n During that span, Brady only talked to the media when absolutely necessary and spoke to just a select a few outside that general circle for any additional commitments.\u00a0 He admitted at the start of the 2015 season that would be an approach, obviously frustrated with all the false accusations and things being said that he couldn’t control.\u00a0 Instead, he opted to focus on the game and keep the outside stuff to a minimum.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that\u2019s a pretty natural feeling to have,\u201d Brady said via the Boston Herald<\/strong><\/a> back at the beginning of September 2015. \u201cI don\u2019t know exactly how I\u2019ll approach those things each week. A lot of it for me especially this offseason is to try and conserve my energy as best that I possibly can because you deal with things that are pretty mentally tiring. I wouldn\u2019t say physically tiring, but you\u2019re still trying to get ready for a football season. There are a lot of workouts and so forth and you get off the field and you\u2019re dealing with other things and on top of that you have your normal life, which those things are challenging within themselves so I\u2019ll need to converse some energy this year no doubt.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a long season anyway, but the more things that I do \u2014 non-Patriot related really to help other people out \u2014 you\u2019re right, those things take away from the energy that I may have to do other things. I\u2019ve always tried to fulfill different obligations for people and different times it\u2019s hard to fulfill all of them. I get a lot of requests. Things that may be public or private and then I just try and make those decisions based on how the week is, but it\u2019s hard to fulfill them all. We\u2019ll see how that goes this year.\u201d<\/p>\n That translated into Brady starting to focus more on himself and his brand, more so than during any other time of his career.\u00a0 TB12 gained more publicity, he wrote a book outlining his passion for nutrition and the methods he uses to take care of his body, and made the surprising decision to air his own “Tom vs Time” documentary.\u00a0 The project was produced privately, giving him the chance to tell his own story.\u00a0 It gave him the opportunity to open up his life on his own terms, allowing people an inside look at who he really is as a husband and a father, while giving them a real glimpse of what he goes through and how hard he really works.<\/p>\n The fact he decided to do it is probably the thing that’s the most surprising for someone so private.\u00a0 But it made sense because it hopefully showed some of the naysayers that there are reasons far beyond of the ridiculous and untrue implications of why he’s so great.<\/p>\n As it moved along, it seemed like it was headed toward a storybook ending.\u00a0 The team had plenty of momentum heading into their match-up against the Eagles and looked like a group with enough talent to get it done.\u00a0 But following the loss, it seemed like the end of the project was put on hold, with Brady and the people behind the scenes seemingly trying to figure out how they wanted to write the final chapter.<\/p>\n However, following its recent release, Brady’s final words were somewhat concerning.\u00a0 Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston, who like it or not, has connections within the Brady circle and has been telling people for a while now that things may have been a little more serious in Foxboro this season<\/a><\/strong> than many might have thought, pointed out something Brady said that may provide some insight into where he’s at mentally.<\/p>\n Following the loss, the documentary cuts to Brady’s wife, Gisele Bundchen, who insinuates that there may be some frustration in terms of what he’s dealt with and how he feels coming to work each day.<\/p>\n \u201cThese last two years have been very challenging for him in so many ways,\u201d she said via NBC Sports Boston<\/strong><\/a>. \u201cAnd he tells me, \u2018I love it so much and I just want to go to work and feel appreciated and have fun.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n Her words say one thing, but the final scene where Brady revealed his own thoughts spoke volumes.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a big commitment, laying here three days after the game and getting my Achilles worked on and my thumb,\u201d Brady said. \u201cYou go, \u2018What are we doing this for?\u2019 You know? \u2018What are we doing this for, who are we doing this for, why are we doing this?\u2019 You gotta have answers to those questions. And they have to be with a lot of conviction. You know, when you lose your conviction then you probably should be doing something else.\u201d<\/p>\n He’s always been someone who has been pretty clear in terms of his love of the game and his commitment to playing for as long as he can.\u00a0 Hearing him waver from that is the first real hard reminder that the end could be coming sooner than some may have hoped.<\/p>\n Either way, one thing that’s starting to become obvious is that as much as we might not want to admit it, an incredible career that seemingly had 4-5 years left suddenly seems a little shorter.\u00a0 Hopefully for Brady’s sake, he can put together one more championship run that ends his way before it’s over.<\/p>\n First Image of Brady’s Hand Shown –\u00a0<\/strong>There were quite a few whispers surrounding Brady’s thumb injury leading up to the Super Bowl and while it sounded a little exagerated, the image of the actual injury only makes what he did against the Jaguars and Eagles that much more impressive.<\/p>\n NESN.com’s Zach Cox posted the photo on Twitter, revealing the severe, deep gash below Brady’s thumb that he suffered in the incident between he and Rex Burkhead where his hand reportedly got caught on Burkhead’s helmet, leading to the injury before the AFC Championship Game.<\/p>\n Pretty sure this is the first photo we've seen of Tom Brady's injured hand. From the new "Tom vs. Time" episode. pic.twitter.com\/0kLgTkkmxo<\/a><\/p>\n — Zack Cox (@zm_cox) March 12, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n