In the wake of the Matthew Stafford trade to Los Angeles, many football cognoscenti members were highly critical of the move. You know the sort, people like Ryan Clark and Colin Cowherd were throwing the usual lazy tropes about Stafford in their lazy analysis. However, one man drew the ire of many fans for his take. I’ll preface this because there were reports Stafford didn’t want to go near the New England Patriots. Those reports prompted former Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi to suggest that Stafford wasn’t mentally tough enough to play for New England. It was an embarrassing take from a well-respected player; Bruschi dug a deep hole to defend Bill Belichick and the Foxboro dictatorship. In doing so, he opened a can of worms. Disclaimer, the following won’t read well if you are of a New England disposition.
The Patriot Way, That’s BS
To suggest Matthew Stafford is not mentally tough enough to play in New England is naive at best, moronic at worst. It stems from an arrogance built within the clandestine operation at 1 Patriot Place. After spending three years playing for Matt Patricia, Stafford became miserable. With GM Bob Quinn desperate to replicate the Patriot Way (bleurgh) he employed Patricia. Coach Matty P as Bruschi calls him became the Bearded Dicktator of Detroit. Fans got yelled in open practice sessions; music got banned from the practice field. Patricia attacked a journalist for slouching while he repeatedly barked at players for small indiscretions. Then, the former Patriots DC decided it was ok for him to turn up late to team meetings.
The Patriot Way is a miserable existence. Tom Brady made it tolerable as he could guarantee success. All the misery was worth it if there was a shot at a Super Bowl. Without Brady, the Patriot Way is dead in Boston’s Dirty Water. Last week we saw Danny Amendola say that, hell, Rob Gronkowski retired because he got traded from New England to the Midwest Patriots. Matt Patricia was a terrible coach and an even worse person. He modelled himself on Belichick, who is the architect of the Patriot dictatorship. It failed miserably; the foolish Bruschi decided to ignore all of that to support a failing regime.
Two Ruined Franchises
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Lastly, Tedy Bruschi is ignoring the dumpster-fire in Houston. Ex-Patriots employees infiltrated that organization like cockroaches. Jack Easterby, a former college chaplain, is the de-facto team president. He arrived in Houston as a culture coach. That was Bill O’Brien’s idea; we all know where he used to work. Easterby and O’Brien destroyed an entire organization that owns a superstar quarterback. They did it, trying to implement the Patriot Way. Detroit and Houston demonstrated that the Patriot Way is a miserable, condescending, hateful place. No-one wants to go to work and be unhappy. The Patriot Way is a fallacy, a false ideal that got propped up by history’s greatest quarterback. Without Brady, there is absolutely nothing good about the Patriot Way and its acolytes. I imagine Bruschi forgot to mention any of that.
Not Mentally Tough? Give Me a Break
To suggest that Matthew Stafford is not tough enough is clinically stupid. Lions fans watched the Georgia alum ball out for 12 long years. In that time, Stafford never got protection from his offensive line, never had a reliable tight-end and a running game. In Stafford’s rookie season his shoulder got separated on a play that flushed him out of the pocket. Stafford instructed his teammates to go line up for the next play. Stafford got up, then threw the game-winning touchdown pass with the shoulder injury. In 2020, Stafford played through busted ribs, a rolled ankle and a broken thumb; he continued to torch defenses in the air. Matthew Stafford might be the toughest quarterback in the NFL, Tedy Bruschi chose to ignore various instances and instead decided to talk garbage. Bruschi just can’t accept that his team is nothing and elite players don’t want to go there.
Brady and Gronk
The most famous example of success outside New England happened on Super Bowl Sunday. Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski tasted more Super Bowl success as part of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Bruce Arians spoke about how he lets Brady be himself; he doesn’t dictate things for his quarterback. Gronkowski also looks to be enjoying himself in a fun environment. The other Bucs players spoke about how Brady and Gronkowski encouraged them to enjoy themselves while on the field. Embrace the fun element of football. The result was clear to see on Sunday as the Bucs routed Kansas City.
So, Tedy Bruschi, you and your kowtowing ex-Patriots need to shut up! The Patriots are the mood-hoovers of the NFL. Foxboro is the place where fun goes to die. No player wants to go there anymore, its nothing to do with how tough they may or may not be; its more a case of why would they want to go somewhere that makes them miserable.
