Besides some Patriots fans who think that Spygate and Deflategate are untrue and fake news, much of the football world has plenty of reasons to despise Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. Here are some reasons that top the list.
Brady needs to eat some humble pie
Whether it is Brady making a video flashing his five Super Bowl rings with James Harrison or screaming at offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, the G.O.A.T. seems to have gotten too big for his britches. Yelling at a cameraman to leave the field in the Afc Championship Game against the Jacksonville Jaguars this past weekend, Brady’s arrogance is wearing thin on football fans.
Football lovers are sick of seeing Brady complain to referees after getting hit and asking for a flag, a flag that takes someone like Cam Newton 10 hits to get. At times, The Patriots’ quarterback is that annoying kid on the playground who tattles to the referees when things do not go his way or pouts on the sideline when his team is losing.
Football is a contact sport, something that Brady should be used to by now. The best quarterbacks to play the game, such as John Elway, Terry Bradshaw, and Brett Favre did not complain about getting hit. It was part of the game. There was no Tuck Rule back then. Tom Brady’s lack of sportsmanship at times when he loses games and exits the field without shaking hands makes it easy to dislike the guy.
Too many bad calls that favor the G.O.A.T.
Reversed touchdown calls that robbed Kelvin Benjamin, Jesse James, and Austin Sefarian-Jenkins of scores this season occurred when Brady was having bad games. While Brady does not make the calls, constantly seeing instant replay help Brady and New England win games has drawn suspicion.
The AFC Championship game resulted in one penalty against the Patriots and six for the Jaguars. Many people scratched their heads when they saw Myles Jack strip the ball from Dion Lewis, not get touched when securing the ball, and try to run it back for a touchdown. However, the play was whistled dead by the referees -- a touchdown that could have sealed the victory for Jacksonville and sent them to the Super Bowl instead of the Patriots.
The fact that the last time an NFL team only had one penalty called against them was in 2011 makes the Patriots’ favoritism from the referees even more convincing. Who was that team in 2011? The Patriots.
Rob Gronkowski’s hit on Tre’Davious White could have paralyzed him
When Patriots’ tight end Rob Gronkowski wound up and dropped his forearm on the neck of Buffalo Bills’ cornerback Tre’Davious White, who was lying defenseless on the ground, White saw stars. The after-the-play hit gave White a concussion and stirred anger from Buffalo fans and sports analysts. The dirty hit could have broken White’s neck and paralyzed him for life.
After the game, Gronk blamed his illegal hit on being held by White and the referees not calling penalties.
Gronk apologized to White’s jersey number and never addressed him by name, a classless move that made him look like an adolescent. Many people felt that he deserved a four-game suspension, not just one, and that the Patriots got away with another one.
All the ‘gates’ have re-named Patriots the ‘Cheatriots’
Deflategate, Spygate, Locker room Gate, headset malfunctions, and suspect injury reports are too numerous for New England to overcome. Many football fans feel the team deserves to be call “The Cheatriots” and that fines and losing draft picks are not enough punishment. It is easier to win games when you have opposing teams' signals at your disposal. Football viewers do not want to hear Patriots fans make excuses for the team’s cheating.
They just want a fair and honest game.
The media acts like Tom Brady is God
People are tired of hearing ESPN and the NFL Network boast that Tom Brady is the G.O.A.T. There are 31 other teams in the league with great quarterbacks. Drew Brees, who has broken most of Brady’s records and passed for 5,000 yards last year, did not make the Pro Bowl. Brees has thrown for 5,000 or more yards five times, while Brady has only done it once. When Brady was having a bad December of 6 touchdowns and 5 interceptions, as stated on Pro Football Reference, the media was still touting him as the likely MVP of the league.
Much of Brady’s game consists of dink-and-dunk passes that an average quarterback can complete.
They do not require much arm strength. For passes over 20 yards, Brady’s accuracy dips. Brady has always had the benefit of a great offensive line and good defense, unlike Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers has completed three Hail Mary passes for touchdowns, with his shortest Hail Mary score over 40 yards, as stated on SB Nation. When was the last time Brady managed a Hail Mary?
Brady lacks athleticism and that football look
If you saw Brady on the street, you may think he just walked off the set of “Lost Boys” or “Interview with the Vampire.” His avocado ice cream and gallons of water per day diet have not done much to give him muscle tone or a football player physique. It is hard to root for a skinny guy, who is also slow and non-athletic. Do you see Edward from “Twilight” throwing a football?
The G.O.A.T. faces quarterback Nick Foles and the Philadelphia Eagles in two weeks for Super Bowl 52.
