At halftime, it looked like the Patriots were going to be outright embarrassed in front of the whole country. After all, no team had overcome a deficit greater than 10 points in the Super Bowl, a feat that the Patriots accomplished against the Seattle Seahawks two years ago to win Super Bowl XLIX.
However, Brady and Belichick have spent their entire careers defying conventions and expectations. Brady, not even the most regarded quarterback at the University of Michigan, had to wait until the 199th pick to hear his name called in the 2000 NFL Draft. His footage at the scouting combine showed someone with little athleticism and a frame that was not too different from your average physically active American. Simply put, he lacked the physical stature and athleticism of a more highly touted player coming out of college, like Michael Vick.
Belichick also spent his entire career beating the odds. As the son of a longtime coach for the United States Naval Academy, Belichick spent his entire life around football. Yet, his first opportunity as a head coach ended in him getting fired from the hapless Cleveland Browns.
Even through his tenure with the Patriots, Belichick has faced the scorn of the media and fans for his seemingly questionable personnel moves and draft selections which have often resulted in star players being jettisoned from the team and under-the-radar players being selected over top prospects.
Yet, year in and year out, Belichick has silenced all those who question him. Since 2001, the Patriots have only missed the playoffs twice. One of those seasons was the year in which the team finished 11-5 despite having quarterback Matt Cassel start all season long. For the past six seasons, the team has made the AFC Championship Game, an unprecedented feat in the era of salary cap parity.
Meanwhile, in the past two years, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has orchestrated a smear campaign against Tom Brady and the Patriots. Much has been said about “deflategate,” but the fact of the matter is that Goodell suspended Brady and punished the Patriots without any substantial proof of wrongdoing. Making matters worse, media organizations such as ESPN were all too willing to join in.
Apart from having his reputation sullied without proof, it was recently revealed that Brady’s mother was undergoing chemotherapy, unable to make a single game this season. In the week leading up to the Super Bowl, it became clear that his mother’s illness was weighing on Brady heavily. The Super Bowl would be the first time Brady’s mother got to see him play in person all season.
Despite all of this adversity, the stage was set for a Hollywood ending for Brady and the Patriots. That is, until kickoff, when the game began to turn into more of a nightmare.
After regrouping at halftime, Brady, Belichick and the Patriots did what they have developed a reputation of doing. They did their job. And they did not give up, even when facing the longest odds.
In doing so, Brady and Belichick further add to their legacies as they look to cement their status at the greatest quarterback and head coach to play in NFL history. The former sixth round pick and the head coach previously fired from the Browns have consistently accomplished what commentators and statistical models said they could not do.
This is, after all, why we watch sports. More than just entertainment, sports provide inspiration for life off the field. It teaches us lessons that are applicable in our personal life. Sports have the power to unite and inspire, and unlike a fictional book or movie, they are not scripted.
So many people across the country vilify Tom Brady and Bill Belichick and see them as everything they despise. They are wealthy, powerful and successful, certainly attracting jealousy.
Yet, to those people, I point to Brady and Belichick’s humble beginnings and have them see the lessons that they can learn from the duo. Brady and Belichick’s hard work, dedication to their craft and persistence in the face of adversity is applicable to the entrepreneur looking to build and expand their business or to the student working towards their medical degree.
Rather than being public enemies, Brady and Belichick should be seen as true American success stories whose characteristics should be admired as opposed to scorned.
As the duck boats paraded through Boston on this week’s snowy Tuesday afternoon, Patriots fans celebrated. Meanwhile, Belichick was already focused on the season ahead, quipping that the Patriots are already five weeks behind the rest of the NFL in preparing for the coming season. For the dynamic duo, the quest for another Super Bowl ring begins anew.
