One of the myths of the Super Bowl rematch between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots is the notion that this is a revenge game for Tom Brady.
Tom Brady seemed very thin-skinned during the Patriots playoff victory this year over the Denver Broncos. He resented the overexposure of Tim Tebow and Tebowmania. On behalf of the Raider Nation, I resent the exposure of Tom Brady and Bradymania.
The Raider Nation will be supporting the Giants because of the Tuck Rule. Not Justin Tuck, the Brady Tuck Rue that cheated the Raiders in years ago. Charles Woodson hit Tom Brady. Brady fumbled. Greg Biekert fell on it. Yet the victory was stolen from the Raiders and given to the Patriots.
Every time the Patriots lose a game, the story becomes about Brady’s revenge.
Before the Patriots played the Ravens, there was talk about the playoff game from two years earlier when the Ravens throttled the Patriots. Left out of the storyline was the 2007 game where the Ravens were cheated out of a win that would have ended New England’ perfect season. New England gets all of the close calls. They have no reason to want revenge.
Yes, the Giants shocked the world and defeated the Patriots in the Super Bowl. Yet that was a rematch of a regular season game the Patriots had already won. Yes, the Giants won in New England earlier this year. Yet the notion that Brady with all of his success should be vengeful turns the meaning of the word on its head.
Simply put, Tom Brady has become Michael Jordan. Jordan was so good that he needed to manufacture enemies to motivate himself. He would convince himself that the Knicks did not respect him. Meanwhile the Knicks were practically cowering in their locker room wondering who on their team made Jordan mad.
Everybody in the league respects Tom Brady. He has had a great career. Yet if anybody deserves revenge, it is the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders defeated the Patriots one year after the Tuck Rule game, and had the Raiders won the Super Bowl perhaps that would have been enough. They didn’t, and it wasn’t.
Some are saying the Patriots should win due to the sentimentality effect. The death of Myra Kraft, the loving wife of owner Robert Kraft, was very sad. She loved the players and they loved her. Yet She was not the owner. The death of Al Davis should have been a much bigger story, but sadly they did not win enough games.
Tom Brady has three Super Bowl rings. He was a couple of stunning comebacks away from five Super Bowl rings. In addition to the Super Bowl against the Giants, one year earlier the Patriots blew a 21-3 lead in the AFC TItle Game and lost to the Colts 38-34. Peyton Manning finally got his ring.
Tom Brady will be a Hall of Famer on the first ballot. Yet the way Tom Brady feels about Tim Tebow is how I feel about Tom Brady.
Drop the chip from your shoulder. There is no reason for it to be there. You are rich, successful, and handsome. Now shut up. Go away. Enough already.
Hopefully Al Davis will have the last laugh as the Giants defeat the Patriots in the Super Bowl. It will not reverse the Tuck Rule, but it will at least cause the pain not to be enhanced.
eric