NFL Free Agency Day 2 Takeaway - Thank You Tom

THANK YOU TOM

After the feeding frenzy of Day 1, the thought was there was not many more storylines to consider except the one person that everybody in the NFL universe wanted to hear from, and at 7.45am Boston time, Tom Brady the greatest Patriots player and the greatest Quarterback the game has ever seen in terms of victories and longevity posted the following statement on

And with that the rest of Day 2 was immaterial, instead it became a day of reflection and goodbyes to No.12 and perhaps after the initial shock and dumbfoundment of it all perhaps it is a time to respect a decision but also how the Patriots perhaps need to fall in line with the rest of the league.

Tom Brady is 42 when the season reconvenes in August pre-season, and as a player he has never had the payday his play naturally deserves and yet Brady ended up taking hometown discounts to stay with the franchise for the betterment of it by giving them the opportunity to purchase talent around him.

This process of 'do your job' and the blueprint has undoubtedly worked culminating in six Super Bowl triumphs, all led by the same QB and head coach with Brady going to the playoffs eighteen times in his career only missing it twice one when he was injured.  Now he is heading for one of three destinations - Tampa Bay to hook up with guru Bruce Arians and a plethora of offensive weapons at his disposal, Los Angeles Chargers which is near to home in California or even Las Vegas to join Jon Gruden and the Raiders. Brady finally has what he wanted, to be coveted to be adored and sought after by admirers something he has never experienced since being drafted in the sixth round by the Patriots in 2000.

Personally, this writer has no problem with Brady's departure while I will miss him and it will take a good few games to realise he is not the QB in Foxboro, there is a part that realises that every dog has its day and Brady who is now the other side of 40 and he has taken a step back in terms of production while you take that statement with a pinch of salt due to the lack of weapons he had following the retirement of Rob Gronkowski and the Antonio Brown furore.

Brady is the greatest player in the Patriots history, and it sticks a little in the stomach that the organisation did not try to entice him to stay offering an option significantly less than those offered by others.  The Patriots need to get in line quick with the rest of the NFL, they are good at finding nuggets through their scouting but they never have paid the stars with people leaving in their prime to get their pay day - this was evidenced the day before by Kyle Van Noy departing for the Miami Dolphins. Van Noy was paramount to the most recent Super Bowl victory over the LA Rams and following another great year he leaves like Richard Seymour did before him.

While this is a sad day for Patriots nation, the cynical nature of this football world means that no-one stays forever, cycles recycle and the world moves on - but never forget what Tom Brady did by defeating the Greatest Show on Turf, leading a dynasty (twice), having one of the greatest passing seasons in history, a few plays from a perfect season.

He was the guy who got up after a Pick 6 in the Super Bowl to lead the Patriots from a 28-3 deficit to the greatest comeback in recent memory. Brady did that and coupled with his performance v Seahawks, he defined himself as the greatest clutch quarterback - a determined competitor who never gave up

We still get to enjoy Tom Brady for perhaps two more seasons, albeit in another uniform, but thanks Tom. You are the greatest.

Brian and Johnny - Football Conundrum

The Cleveland Browns are in an enviable position at this moment in time in the AFC North Division of the NFL. They are a young team that has struggled for several years and ended up 4-12 last season. They were not helped by the injury sustained to quarterback Brian Hoyer when he showed maturity and much needed stability for a side that suffered with Brandon Weeden as a starting QB the season previously.

Yet during the 2014 draft they hit the jackpot so to speak by grabbing vaunted draft prospect and Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel in the first round. Questions then began to circulate that would Johnny Football be the starter for the Browns.

Critics and pundits have long had an opinion that Manziel whilst talented will not be able to translate to the professional level due to his size and lack of arm strength.  Yet Manziel does win football matches as his play in the Bowl victory versus Duke can testify.  However, will Manziel have the same protection as he was afforded at Texas A&M.

The opinion after four days of training camp appears to be that Brian Hoyer will hold onto the starting job following his recovery from a season ending knee injury.  Hoyer is a game manager and a good reader of pressure from defence and rushing linebackers.

The reason we mention about game management is because the Browns are in a position where for once they have to think long term instead of a short term failure.  The AFC North is in a state of flux currently, the Ravens are still suffering a Super Bowl hangover and are now crippled by the max contract they gave to Joe Flacco as well as the suspension given to Ray Rice. The Pittsburgh Steelers are relying on their defence to make plays whilst Big Ben learns Todd Haley's comet of a play book. And the Cincinnati Bengals who have been to he playoffs for three consecutive years remain an uninspiring bunch.

Looking at the schedule the Browns have to play, six games versus those division rivals, they also face the AFC South, NFC South and two very winnable games versus the Oakland Raiders at home and the Buffalo Bills away. They probably get the four better teams at home; New Orleans, Tampa, Indy and Houston, a fortuitous slice of luck from the scheduling computer. They could easily be 5-3 or 4-4 after the first eight games which would be good progress as they would have more wins or as many as last year.

To achieve this they need to give Hoyer the keys; he has greater accuracy with his arm, shows composure in the pocket and is not afraid to use his feet if necessary.  The reason to utilise Manziel is due to his mobility and capability of running plays as the running backs of the Browns depth chart does not inspire confidence.  Yet if Hoyer is making first downs and the play calling for Ben Tate or Chris Ogbonnaya is correct, then things may happen.

In spite of the Josh Gordon suspension hanging over the team, there is talent at their disposal.  Tight end Jordan Cameron is a stud in waiting and made some big plays throughout the season, though petered out near the end of his rookie season. Yet three wide receivers in Miles Austin, Travis Benjamin and Nate Burleson are no slouches at all.

The answer should be an obvious one, let the veteran guide the ship and if he finds it hard to stay afloat let the young whippersnapper off his leash.  Perhaps Manziel could be the first substitution QB the guy who comes on in last quarter to make big plays, stretch defences and cause panic.  Hoyer has to be used as the man to keep games close, as people forget the Browns defence is better than their record suggests.

Is Eli Elite?

Okay this may be an old question to ask.  But lets go back to the start of this season, when Eli Manning out of the blue asked the media to consider him as an elite quarterback - in the same breath as Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Big Ben and his older brother Peyton. 

Go back to mid-November and many people would have laughed in his face if he asked the question again.  The Giants were on a six game losing skid with the Cowboys in pole position to win the NFC East and head to the playoffs.  Then the Cowboys self-destructed twice away at Arizona then at home to the Giants when from two winning positions they were the makers of their own downfall, admittedly that was a problem for the entire Cowboys season.  The Giants beat Dallas in the last game of the season to win the NFC East and give the Giants a home game to the Falcons.

Whilst the Giants blew out the Falcons 24-2, that was a more a help of the formidable Giants defense with a full personnel present for the first time all season and some horrible playcalling from the Falcons offense who chose to manage the clock with short gains instead of stretching the field over a Giants secondary that is not as good as their front four.

Eli then helped his elite question marks by going into Lambeau Field against the 15-1 Green Bay Packers who had a two week rest.  Like he did five years previously, Eli marched into the cold Lambeau and walked away with the win, thanks in part to some awful defending by the Packers secondary.  A telegraphed hail mary at the end of the first half was picked easily by Hakeem Nicks, with no pressure on the grab.

That performance was Eli's best in the playoffs.  The Conference championship match up against the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park, was an old-fashioned defensive slugfest settled by two error by punt returner Kyle Williams who fumbled twice, the second time led to the game-winning field goal by Lawrence Tynes.  Manning was somewhat absent from the victory, although tellingly he did not throw an interception.

This goes in stark contrast to Tom Brady, who in the previous playoff match agains the Denver Broncos he threw 6 TDs, against the Baltimore Ravens he went for no TDs but 2 picks.  Unusual Brady numbers, but still Brady is at the Superbowl for the 5th time.

For me Brady is assured of a place in the Hall of Fame due to him winning 3 rings already, the most TDs thrown in one season.  For Eli Manning, his legacy is in real question come Sunday in the Superbowl at Indianapolis.

If Manning wins, he would have twice taken a 9-7 team to win the Superbowl. Manning won the Superbowl the first time in Arizona, his drive to win the game at the end when he hooked up with Plaxico Burress for the go ahead and winning TD was down to him.  People will remember the catch by David Tyree where he somehow kept held of the catch under double coverage, my memory is of Tedy Bruschi being unable to sack/tackle Manning who evaded the pocket pressure and was able to get the ball away as he had to because it was 3rd down.  You must remember Tyree made the catch look good, the throw was god awful.

Now five years since, he has improved most significantly since the defeat at home to Seattle Seahawks when he threw a pick 6 in the last two minutes when they were seeking to go ahead, it led to a 97 yard interception return which lost the game.  However, no other QB has led more fourth quarter comebacks and victories than Manning. Manning is the go to QB on third down.  Manning is getting results with a limited field of targets - apart from Nicks, Mario Manningham and breakout star, Victor Cruz; he has maybe Jacobs and Bradshaw running underneath or catching for the short yardage gains.  One big play at Green Bay was a short four yard catch by Ahmad Bradshaw that became a 18 yard gain that led to the hail mary and the lead at halftime, and a huge momentum shift.

Plus with Manning he is playing hard.  He dropped back 56 times in San Francisco, meaning he wants either more time in the pocket or wants to release the ball quickly - yet he got hit 20 odd times, sacked six times yet he keeps getting up and delivering.  So New England can try and hit him, if he can avoid the collision but he will play hurt and remain the leader.

To be elite, you have to be the focal point of the team.  You have to lead by example.  When they went under .500 for the season, there was no sense of alarm by Manning who had to endure a period without many targets, hence why Cruz has come to the fore and without much of a running game.

Personally, for Eli to be elite he has to beat Brady again.  Then he can be considered one of the top 5 QBs in the league along with Brady, Rodgers, Brees and Big Ben (all have won a ring), and join Brady and Big Ben as the only active QB with two rings.  He will also be considered better, even greater, than Peyton because Eli will still have another five to seven years to add to his own legacy with the Giants who will remain a threat in a competitive division.  Whereas, Peyton may not play again for the Colts and will certainly not enjoy the freedom he enjoyed in Indy anywhere else.  Peyton will have to follow a playbook, and not run the show.  At the moment, it looks like Eli is calling the shots and happily Tom Coughlin is letting him do it, so long as it pays dividends.

So is Eli elite? At this moment, he is a SuperBowl winning quarterback who is achieving great things without too many weapons.  Whereas Brady, is the man with a great slot receiver in Wes Welker and two freaks in the form of Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez - two men who will have a big say in the outcome of Sunday's result.

Unfortunately, for Eli whatever the result come Sunday he will still be seeking an answer to this question.  It seems to be a shame that he is alive in a time of great quarterbacks and peers; yet he will certainly go down fighting for the cause - so if you judge eliteness by competitiveness and hunger, Eli would certainly be high on the list.