Any thoughts that the Patriots are already preparing for life without Tom Brady perished when they shipped out backup Jimmy Garoppolo on the eve of the trade deadline. That they no longer have any other quarterback on the roster speaks volumes of their level of comfort in keeping him at center. Forget that he’s 40, with 17 years’ worth of wear and tear on his body; as far as they’re concerned, he’s their immediate future, and — given his plan to play five more years — beyond.
Granted, stalwarts of the blue, red, and silver won’t be shorthanded for long. With the expected signing of Brian Hoyer, they’ll have an insurance policy to deal with the possibility of the otherwise-durable Brady suffering from a freak injury. That said, they clearly believe they won’t have reason to cash in on it; their new old acquisition (which is how the comebacking Patriot can best be described) is nowhere near as good as Garoppolo, who showed both talent and poise in limited duty since being drafted 62nd overall in 2014.
Certainly, any franchise other than the Patroits would have been taken to task for brazenly flirting with disaster. For one thing, they didn’t need to let go of Garoppolo so soon; they had until March, when the QB becomes an unrestricted free agent, to decide. Then again, coach Bill Belichick’s history of unconventional successes has earned him the benefit of the doubt; he likely thought the 2018 second-round pick he got from the 49ers — who, it must be noted, remain winless with two months left in the season — was the best he could get for the erstwhile Number Two.
Needless to say, the deal wouldn’t have been consummated had Brady not been living up to promise at a time when just about all others that came before him were already candidates for the rocking chair. And with him at the helm, the Patriots rightly deem their campaign as Super Bowl or bust. In defending the move, Belichick partly alluded to the need to be fair to Garoppolo, who now has the chance to shine as a starter. Mostly, though, they’re being fair to themselves.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is the Senior Vice-President and General Manager of Basic Energy Corp.
