Tom Brady lands on cover of Madden 18

[NateDawg122]

Madden Curse couldn't have happened to a more deserving scum bag

I swear Rams fans treat Brady like he's worse than Greg Hardy.

 

[KNUCKLEHEAD]

I swear Rams fans treat Brady like he's worse than Greg Hardy.

...and your point is?

 

[OldSchool]

I swear Rams fans treat Brady like he's worse than Greg Hardy.

They both can't be scum bags? I swear Rams fans try to assume because I call Brady a scum bag that others aren't scum bags also.

 

[Rabid Ram]

I swear Rams fans treat Brady like he's worse than Greg Hardy.

I can't believe some fans can't let it go when someone dislikes a player they like as if that's not possible

 

[CGI_Ram]

 

[NateDawg122]

I can't believe some fans can't let it go when someone dislikes a player they like as if that's not possible

I don't care if y'all don't like him but every time something about Brady gets posted y'all go into absolute hate mode and talk about what a POS he is. It comes off as extremely petty, like a jaded ex-girlfriend.

 

[LACHAMP46]

I'll admit it...I dislike Tom Brady...but I respect his game....and he deserves this....and Madden is a great game.

Don't understand the hate for the GOAT, and never will. It's a joy to watch him play the game.

It is....I was watching the super bowl...knowing...Tom would come back...Reminds me of our 2002 team when they play....without the turnovers and falling behind.

 

[RAMBUSH]

Don't understand the hate for the GOAT, and never will. It's a joy to watch him play the game.

Not trying to be incendiary, just have to be real. Whenever these kinds of topics come I get a little sick, and gotta leave a note.

The cheating dogs cheated the rams in the superbowl . They can go pound sand . Can't stand a single one of them . You can love em all you want . I'm a rams fan , I hate Brady and his whole bunch.

 

[Rabid Ram]

I don't care if y'all don't like him but every time something about Brady gets posted y'all go into absolute hate mode and talk about what a POS he is. It comes off as extremely petty, like a jaded ex-girlfriend.

Obviously you care if you didn't why would you waste time to even talk about it. It's pretty simple don't like it don't read it. People are entitled to their opinion that is diff then yours

 

[NateDawg122]

Obviously you care if you didn't why would you waste time to even talk about it. It's pretty simple don't like it don't read it. People are entitled to their opinion that is diff then yours

And I'm allowed to voice my opinion about your opinion, lol. And that "Don't like it don't read it" goes the same for you. I just find it annoying how ANY football news that has something to do with Brady turns into a hate-fest that ruins whatever topic was originally presented. We can't even talk about a video game without it getting threadjacked by the "fuck Brady" crowd. We get it, you don't like him. Now move on with your life.

 

[Rabid Ram]

And I'm allowed to voice my opinion about your opinion, lol. And that "Don't like it don't read it" goes the same for you. I just find it annoying how ANY football news that has something to do with Brady turns into a hate-fest that ruins whatever topic was originally presented. We can't even talk about a video game without it getting threadjacked by the "freak Brady" crowd. We get it, you don't like him. Now move on with your life.

Thread jacked? Try again this thread is about BRADY being the coverboy for the video game not about a video game and someone randomly brought up Brady. Grow a thicker skin

 

[KNUCKLEHEAD]

Freak Brady! Freak, freak, freak, freak, freak 'em.

 

[tempests]

I just find it annoying how ANY football news that has something to do with Brady turns into a hate-fest that ruins whatever topic was originally presented. We can't even talk about a video game without it getting threadjacked by the "freak Brady" crowd.

Here you go then....

http://www.patriotsplanet.com/BB/

The guy is one of the most despised figures in Ram history. Why don't we hold a fan rally for the 49ers next.

 

[jrry32]

One more reason not to buy Madden (not that I would have bought it if he weren't on the cover).

 

[jrry32]

Don't understand the hate for the GOAT, and never will. It's a joy to watch him play the game.

Not trying to be incendiary, just have to be real. Whenever these kinds of topics come I get a little sick, and gotta leave a note.

You don't "understand" the hate? It's not hard to understand. Ask anyone here why they hate Brady and the Patriots. You'll consistently hear the same word that starts with "ch" and ends with "eat." And no, they aren't talking about Cheetos.

 

[Snaz]

And I'm allowed to voice my opinion about your opinion, lol. And that "Don't like it don't read it" goes the same for you. I just find it annoying how ANY football news that has something to do with Brady turns into a hate-fest that ruins whatever topic was originally presented. We can't even talk about a video game without it getting threadjacked by the "freak Brady" crowd. We get it, you don't like him. Now move on with your life.

And you continue to perpetuate the argument... I can guarantee you are outnumbered by Rams fans that intensely dislike Brady and the Patriots than those that are on your side of the fence. They have barely outscored their opponents every Superbowl game they won. They could have easily as lost them as won them. The opinion that they had an unfair advantage, aka cheated, stains their success, especially when it was obvious the referees did not call penalties against the anointed team post 911.

 

[Prime Time]

How about this? We allow each member to voice their opinion without attacking the other person. It would also help if members didn't use the word "hate" to describe someone else's opinion.

 

[Austin]

You don't "understand" the hate? It's not hard to understand. Ask anyone here why they hate Brady and the Patriots. You'll consistently hear the same word that starts with "ch" and ends with "eat." And no, they aren't talking about Cheetos.

Well, when I say I don't understand, I don't mean that I am oblivious to the reasons people give for "hating" the Pats and Tom Brady (it was pointed out earlier, hate is a relative term, and I don't mean to assert that there is a boiling demonic hate raging inside of anyone here). I mean that it's a non-starter for me, when I try and understand the frame of mind from the inside. I suppose it's just a fundamental difference in how I see sports, politics, and just general information, and perhaps the word I should've used was empathize.

I don't think--in any case I can think of where cheating was not outright proven--that anyone knows for certain who has cheated and who has not, and what context there is for that, and what effect that has had. There is too much to know, too many pieces of information we simply don't have. For this reason, I find it hard to understand hating someone for something I can't even be reasonably certain they did, or did intentionally (again, "reasonably certain" is a relative measurement, so feel free to say you all are reasonably certain, I just don't think your parameters for "reasonably certain" would, in that case, match up with mine).

Aside from that, I do think every team steps outside the lines where they think they can, for competitive advantage. Hell, I'd say it is probably the majority of individual athletes who would take an unfair tilt their direction, if it could make them more successful, and had no immediate consequences. And probably a lot of them would qualify it by saying it wasn't necessarily cheating, but that's a digression. Is "flopping" cheating? I think it is. It's a deliberate attempt to deceive the officials of the game (not the other team) in order to gain an undeserved edge. But it's ubiquitous at this point, across multiple sports. Is under- or over-inflating a ball cheating? I think it is, but it may have even less of an effect than flopping. Is taping another team's walk-through cheating? Absolutely, and of course it gives one side a powerful edge.

So now, let's assume that all allegations of cheating are true, but then let's assume it for all teams. Every team is guilty of breaking rules, and bending others. I don't watch sports because I think everything's going to be fair, or equal. It isn't, and it won't be. I watch sports because I love my teams (Rams, Lakers, Dodgers) and want to see great performers execute in high-pressure situations, particularly when those players are on my teams. However, I do appreciate watching other teams and players play the game better than everyone else. That is something Brady and Belichick and their teams have done repeatedly. And I will say it's admirable, that year after year, they deliver. (I'm not saying they are admirable, or heroes, in any moral sense, because I have no clue one way or the other. As athletes and as an organization, their track-record and the feats I witness impress me)

Ultimately, I don't have a say in what the rest of my fellow Rams fans feel about the Patriots. You and anyone can comprehensively dislike them, and I don't think it's my concern, and I shouldn't care. It's the kind of thing I know I shouldn't feel aggravated by, know I shouldn't feel compelled to make any statement about. But I do anyway. And I always regret it.

There is no right way to be a fan, and that includes despising or appreciating teams besides the one you root for. We've all got to love our team, and "hate" other teams in our own way and for our own reasons. I hate teams where the personalities of coaches and players wear on me, or the identity of the fanbase/the statements they make piss me off. There's not a lot of teams, and that list fluctuates with rosters and success-levels, but there you go.

So, I apologize for saying I don't "understand." It's a semantic issue. It just felt like the most comfortable word. I probably meant, "I don't empathize." I also apologize for the word "hate," it's meant casually, in the way we all feel some hate for things, and not as a way to invalidate or exaggerate the opinions of others. Anyway, peace, guys. My perspective is now laid out with what I hope is some clarity, and I don't care to argue about this.

(Edited to address the use of "hate")

 

[jrry32]

You don't have to empathize. That's your choice. Nobody here mandates other posters hate the Patriots and Brady, but you gotta be aware of your audience. Most Rams fans do hate them because like many of the players and coaches from the 2001 Rams, we feel cheated. I recognize that cheating is common, but there's a difference between the cheating everyone is doing (athletes using PEDs) and the cheating only a few are doing.

At the end of the day, you can respect Brady and Belichick. You don't have to hate them or dislike them. However, many of us do. Just don't be surprised when a discussion on one or both reflects that reality. And if you are surprised/bothered by it, don't be surprised if there's not a lot of support here.

Nobody will begrudge you for not disliking them. Nobody will begrudge you for even rooting for them (although, we will bust your balls for it). Don't begrudge us for feeling differently. Now, if you act like Patriots fans and are condescending towards us for believing that the cheating happened, people will begrudge you. But you've earned that at that point.

 

[Prime Time]

Thanks for taking the time to respond, @Austin
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that anyone knows for certain who has cheated and who has not, and what context there is for that, and what effect that has had

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When tape goes missing or a cell phone is destroyed, then it's tough to prove anything. Any person or organization who does that is attempting to hide proof of their guilt. You can mark the ascendancy of the Patriots with the downward trajectory of the Rams when they met in the Super Bowl. That to me is the effect cheating had. Since the 2002 season...

Patriots: 185 wins
Rams: 87 wins

My main memory of that game is three-fold, 1) screaming at the TV for the refs to call the blatant holding of Marshall Faulk and other Rams players 2) screaming at the TV for Mike Martz to adjust his game plan 3) The image below from half-time

Whether the Patriots filmed the Rams before the game is unknown. Some say yes, some say no. Did the league collude with the refs to hand the win to the underdog Patriots? You make the call. While a lot of the blame as far as I'm concerned goes to Martz's stubbornness and inability to adapt his game plan to what was going on, my deep dislike for all things Patriots is because that game is when things began to unravel for the Rams.

Take a look at this...Keep in mind that this is from the East-Coast loving guys at ESPN.
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http://www.espn.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/13533995/split-nfl-new-england-patriots-apart

Don Van Natta Jr./Seth Wickersham

Spygate - During the first half of the New England Patriots' game against the New York Jets at Giants Stadium, a 26-year-old Patriots video assistant named Matt Estrella had been caught on the sideline, illegally videotaping Jets coaches' defensive signals.

April 1, 2008, the NFL commissioner convened an emergency session of the league's spring meeting at The Breakers hotel in Palm Beach, Florida. Attendance was limited to each team's owner and head coach.

Robert Kraft, the billionaire Patriots owner stood and apologized for the damage his team had done to the league and the public's confidence in pro football.

Then the Patriots' coach, Bill Belichick, the cheating program's mastermind, spoke. He said he had merely misinterpreted a league rule, explaining that he thought it was legal to videotape opposing teams' signals as long as the material wasn't used in real time. Few in the room bought it. Belichick said he had made a mistake -- "my mistake."

Goodell had imposed a $500,000 fine on Belichick, a $250,000 fine on the team and the loss of a first-round draft pick just four days after league security officials had caught the Patriots and before he'd even sent a team of investigators to Foxborough, Massachusetts.

Those investigators hadn't come up empty: Inside a room accessible only to Belichick and a few others, they found a library of scouting material containing videotapes of opponents' signals, with detailed notes matching signals to plays for many teams going back seven seasons.

Among them were handwritten diagrams of the defensive signals of the Pittsburgh Steelers, including the notes used in the January 2002 AFC Championship Game won by the Patriots 24-17.

Yet almost as quickly as the tapes and notes were found, they were destroyed, on Goodell's orders: League executives stomped the tapes into pieces and shredded the papers inside a Gillette Stadium conference room.

To many owners and coaches, the expediency of the NFL's investigation -- and the Patriots' and Goodell's insistence that no games were tilted by the spying -- seemed dubious. It reminded them of something they had seen before from the league and Patriots: At least two teams had caught New England videotaping their coaches' signals in 2006, yet the league did nothing.

Further, NFL competition committee members had, over the years, fielded numerous allegations about New England breaking an array of rules. Still nothing. Now the stakes had gotten much higher: Spygate's unanswered questions and destroyed evidence had managed to seize the attention of a hard-charging U.S. senator, Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, who was threatening a congressional investigation.

This would put everyone -- players, coaches, owners and the commissioner -- under oath, a prospect that some in that room at The Breakers believed could threaten the foundation of the NFL.

Goodell tried to assuage his bosses: He ordered the destruction of the tapes and notes, he insisted, so they couldn't be exploited again. Many in the room didn't believe it. And some would conclude it was as if Goodell, Kraft and Belichick had acted like partners, complicit in trying to sweep the scandal's details under the rug while the rest of the league was left wondering how much glory the Patriots' cheating had cost their teams.

"Goodell didn't want anybody to know that his gold franchise had won Super Bowls by cheating," a senior executive whose team lost to the Patriots in a Super Bowl now says. "If that gets out, that hurts your business."

Just before he finished speaking, Goodell looked his bosses in the eye and, with dead certainty, said that from then on, cheaters would be dealt with forcefully. He promised the owners that all 32 teams would be held to the same high standards expected of players. But many owners and coaches concluded he was really only sending that message to one team: the New England Patriots.

IN AUGUST 2000, before a Patriots preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jimmy Dee, the head of New England's video department, approached one of his charges, Matt Walsh, with a strange assignment: He wanted Walsh to film the Bucs' offensive and defensive signals, the arm waving and hand folding that team coaches use to communicate plays and formations to the men on the field.
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Click the link above if you want to read the whole, humongous article. But you get the point. The Patriots have developed cheating into an art form. Whether everyone does it is irrelevant to me. If the Rams were caught doing this type of thing it would seriously tick me off.

Sigh, it looks like, unless karma intervenes with Tom Brady, we will be having this discussion for a few more years.
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http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2017/05/15/tom-brady-targets-playing-until-45-for-now/

Tom Brady targets playing until 45, for now
Posted by Mike Florio on May 15, 2017

At at time when the question of Tom Brady or Jimmy Garoppolo continues to loom for the Patriots in 2018, Brady has reiterated that he intends to play for half a decade beyond that.

“I always said my mid-40s, and naturally that means around 45,” Brady told Ian O’Connor of ESPN.com.

There’s one caveat that first emerged after Super Bowl LI, when Brady revealed, apparently jokingly, that his wife was pressuring him to walk away while on top.

“She makes decisions for our family that I’ve got to deal with,” Brady said. “Hopefully she never says, ‘Look, this has to be it.’ . . . My wife and my kids, it’s a big investment of their time and energy, too.”

Brady added that Ms. Brady has signed off on his target of 45, again with a caveat: “She also wants me to take good care of myself and still have my energy. My kids have grown up faster than I thought.”

This doesn’t mean 45 is the definite ending point. Brady seems to be willing to reassess once he gets there, before deciding whether to keep going.

“”If I get there and I still feel like I do today, I don’t see why I wouldn’t want to continue,” Brady said. “If you said 50, then you can say 60, too, then 70. I think 45 is a pretty good number for right now. I know the effort it takes to be 40. . . . My love for the sport will never go away. I don’t think at 45 it will go away. At some point, everybody moves on.

Some people don’t do it on their terms. I feel I want it to be on my terms. I’ve got to make appropriate choices on how to do that, how to put myself in the best position to reach my long-term goals.”

That’s the key takeaway — he wants to walk away on his own terms and not based on what anyone else decides. But, again, there’s another caveat. He sounds as if could be willing to stay with the Patriots as the backup to the next starter.

“When you’re a member of a team sport, the best guy plays,” Brady said. “So I always want to make sure I’m the best guy, and I give our team a great chance to win. But if you’re ever not [the best guy], part of being a great teammate is letting the other guy do that, as well.

Competition is what has always driven me. I’ve never been one that was hand selected, to be this particular player. . . . In high school, college, professionally, I think the greater the competition, the more that it really allows me to dig deep and bring the best out of me.”

The problem for Brady arises when the very best he can bring is no longer better than someone else’s. Would he try to start for another team? Would he eventually hold a clipboard?

For now, no one knows, including Brady. The one thing that we do know is that Father Time eventually will remain unbeaten.