Deflategate: How 4-Game Suspension Actually Helps Tom Brady, New England Patriots
The deed has been done. To say that the NFL has come down hard on Tom Brady and the New England Patriots would be an understatement. In case you haven’t seen it, here is the here is the NFL’s statement on the violations.
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However, we cannot harp too much on how wrong and messed-up the punishment is. In the sports world, and in life, you have to adjust to adversity and move on. Hopefully, an appeal lessens the suspension of Brady, but we have to carry on with the reality that the Patriots will be without No. 12 for the month of September.
If you want to read commentary on the NFL’s terrible decision, check out what David Smith and Jed Ober have to say.
It’s a hard conclusion to come to in the immediate aftermath of the punishment, but this four-game suspension actually helps Brady and the Patriots.
Remember back in the first month of 2014, when everyone was saying that Brady was too old, washed-up, and finished? Well, it was true that he was struggling in the first four weeks of the season. Age has caught up to Brady to some degree, and it’s hard to imagine him playing many more full 16-game seasons.
On October 18th, the NFL will have a very, very angry Brady on their hands. An angry Brady is a good Brady.
Because of this suspension, Brady will miss the first four games of 2015. That will be four games in which Brady is not under duress, bashing his body on the turf. That will be four games in which Brady will sit on the sidelines, stewing, channeling his anger toward preparing for the Indianapolis Colts on October 18th.
In fact, Brady will sit for the first five weeks of the regular season because the Patriots have a Week 4 bye. All that much more time for him to prepare his soon-to-be 38-year-old body for those 12 regular season games.
In addition, it took the 2014 Patriots as a team four games to truly find their identity. When Brady returns to action, the team ought to have its bearings.
One thing is for sure: the absurdity of the NFL’s punishment will mean the rest of the league will have a very, very angry Brady on their hands. And as Patriots fans know, the best Brady is an angry Brady.