Posted on 09/16/2021 9:23:28 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
It’s never happened before in the history of the sport, but according to Tom Brady the concept of playing in the NFL at age 50 doesn’t seem difficult.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have their iconic quarterback hosting the Tommy & Gronky show with tight end Rob Gronkowski, where the two answer what is supposed to be “the internet’s most searched questions.”
Most of the topics fall short of what’s actually trending on Google, but Gronk put Brady under a little bit of pressure with one of the questions. “Can Tom Brady play until 50 years old?” the tight end read.
“Wow, seems to be a really hot question lately,” Brady responded. “’Can Tom Brady play till 50?’ Like, 50 years old. I don’t find it so difficult, and plus living in Florida it’s kind of a retiree state. I feel like I can just play and glide into retirement. I think I can, I think it’s a yes.”
The last time Brady discussed his retirement age, 45 was the goal. But now that the legendary quarterback is 44 and still winning Super Bowls, he’s ready to move the goalposts again.
That would mean at least six more seasons of Tom Brady in the NFL! A sport where the average career lasts only 2.5 years, Brady is targeting closer to 30. And for those who think Brady’s wife Gisele Bundchen might stop him, the quarterback said that’s not the case. “You would let me do anything as long as I’m happy,” Brady said of his wife.
The demise of Brady has been predicted for more than a decade, with some analysts suggesting the New England Patriots should move on from him in favor of Matt Cassel as far back as 2008. But after winning another Super Bowl at 43, and continuing to show MVP form at 44, it’s foolish to doubt Brady if he has his eye on 50.
George Blanda
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Blanda
“Are top draft picks vastly overrated?”
They’re definitely hit or miss.
I don’t think clubs put the same emphasis on scouting that they used to. Maybe they think they see enough highlight reels to do the job? Maybe there are budget constraints?
One thing for certain.
The Combine workouts tend to verify each teams biases because their minds are pretty much made up by the time the Combine happens. Barring unforseen, or covered up, medical problems few minds are changed by the Combine workouts. At least for the first and second round picks.
At the Combine Tom Brady didn’t look like the typical NFL draft pick. He was said to be skinny, unathletic looking and got lost in the crowd.
Something lost in the hustle of the Combine is Heart, Desire and Determination. Those don’t show up on Dr’s reports, they aren’t reflected in 40 yard dash times and can’t be seen when each player gets a limited amount of time before coaches.
They show up in games attended by scouts. If the scouts don’t go to the right games at the right places then those things are missed.
When asked about his new quarterback coach Bill Belichick reportedly said “We’ll just put him out there with everybody else and let him compete and see what happens.”
What became of the quarterbacks drafted before Brady.
““Are top draft picks vastly overrated?”
They’re definitely hit or miss.
I don’t think clubs put the same emphasis on scouting that they used to. Maybe they think they see enough highlight reels to do the job? Maybe there are budget constraints?”
Years ago when I followed football, I did some research on this covering a ten year period. I found that top picks had the greatest odds of still being in the NFL after 3 years and the odds decreased for the following rounds. 7th round picks had very poor odds.
I think it takes a little more than that...
If I remember correctly, he had an unusual college career where he played at Michigan with two other highly-regarded QBs: Brian Griese (son of former NFL QB Bob Griese) and multi-sport athlete Drew Henson, who went on to play in Major League Baseball instead of the NFL.
No doubt the lower round picks have a smaller chance of making the team or having a lengthy career. They have to displace higher round picks from previous drafts to land a spot on a roster. Plus a team is unlikely to give up on a high draft pick considering the money they throw at those kids and the fact coaches can lose their jobs for making bad draft picks.
I once heard a high school coach who had a 4 year cup of coffee in the NFL say it was better to be a second or even a third round pick than go in the first round. First rounders get the most money and attention but also feel much more pressure to perform given the money they are paid. He said most wither under the pressure and never live up to their potential. Then there were the top picks who were products of a college system and couldn’t function outside that system.
For every Peyton Manning there is a Ryan Leaf and two or three more that just never show up.
He’s going after George Blanda’s record as oldest active player.
I'll name three other top pro athletes whose longevity was far more impressive than Brady's, in my mind:
1. Washington Redskins Hall of Fame cornerback Darrell Green -- He played until the age of 42 at a position where you simply don't see many older players at all. Even the legendary Ronnie Lott switched from cornerback to safety in the middle of his career because he simply didn't have the speed to keep up at the CB position. Green was consistently running sub-4.3 40-yard dashes until the end of his career, and was even a finalist in the NFL's Fastest Man competition after he turned 40.
2. NHL Hall of Famer Chris Chelios -- Played his last NHL game at the age of 48 in 2009 after hanging around in the AHL for a couple of years. Was playing consistent minutes as a regular defenseman for the Detroit Red Wings at the age of 46. Hockey is a sport where age doesn't treat anyone kindly.
3. NHL future Hall of Famer Jaromir Jagr -- He's a "future" Hall of Famer because he hasn't been retired long enough to be inducted yet. Like Chelios, he played regular shifts in the NHL up until the age of 46. Unlike Chelios, he still plays today at the age of 49 for HC Kladno, the team he owns in the Czech Elite League.
That was a great movie and script.
Jonathan! Jonathan!
“He said most wither under the pressure and never live up to their potential. “
I sure wish I had saved my research. From what I remember, a majority of 1st rounders were still in the NFL after three years of being drafted and the percentages decreased correspondingly for the following rounds. Again, if memory is correct, the percentage of 7th rounds still in the NFL after 3 years was in the single digits. For every Tom Brady, there’s a slug of soon forgotten and out of a job QBs picked in the late rounds.
i do agree with what you said about 2nd and 3rd rounders. If I was a manager, I’d trade out of the 1st round and pick up more picks in those two rounds.
Blanda threw a TD pass at the age of 46.
IIRC Brady didn’t start at Michigan until his senior year.
It probably was Brady’s performance in the 2000 Orange Bowl against Alabama that got Brady drafted the the 6th Round, otherwise he probably wouldn’t have even gotten drafted.
I'm no gym rat - haven't been in a gym for decades. But I do spend a lot of time outdoors and try to walk at least five miles a day.
I do eat very well, I source my eggs and produce at local farms when I can, pay extra for the better cuts of meat. I eat salmon or sardines daily. Almost no junk food whatsoever. Vitamin D and zinc supplements.
I also ensure I average 7 hours of sleep a night and it's good sleep too. Good sleeping habits are very important.
Also, I watch virtually zero TV. We only have one in the house (none in bedroom - ever) and it's rarely on. I know people that have televisions in every room and they are always on. I believe that television produces a very toxic environment at home. I like a lot of natural light in the home, we have no window treatments and only have lights turned on at night - usually dimmed or just a reading light. Windows are kept open as much as possible in the warmer months and we listen to the birds and crickets, etc.
When I was growing up, you were considered an old man when you hit your 60s and most people of that age looked it. We are very fortunate to live in an age like this where we have such access to high quality foods and medical care.
Tom Brady is an extreme example of the above. He has a pretty incredible diet and exercise regimen - maintained even in the off season. Though I don't pay attention to NFL football anymore, I wish him well and barring injury, I think he's got a shot to be still playing at 50.
Draft picks are a crap shoot. For every Patrick Mahomes or Peyton Manning there are dozens of Johnny Manziels or E. J. Manuels. But every so often you get a QB like Brady from the 6th round or Kurt Warner who wasn't drafted at all.
I would also like to mention Gordie Howe. His NHL career was 26 years and even after that, he played professional hockey into his 50s.
There are the ones who hang on, but being drafted in the first round is a dubious honor to me though.
Jim Plunkett was the 1st pick of the 1st round in 1971. He spent 8 years getting his butt kicked first in NE then in San Fran. He was in such bad shape when the Raiders got him Al Davis told him his job was to get healthy not even practice well.
Archie Manning, 2nd pick 1st round 1971 also got his butt kicked around for 13 seasons. No storybook ending for Archie though.
Then there are the Ryan Leafs and Johnny Manziels and Todd Marinovichs of the world. Maybe their flame outs are so spectacular they put all 1st rounders in a bad light.
Some positions are much more difficult to assess than others when it comes to "translating" between the college ranks and the NFL. The QB position is probably the most difficult, for two reasons: (1) many top college QBs are superior athletes but don't play in a system that works in the NFL, and (2) mentally, it's much harder to play the position in the NFL than in the NCAA.
Some positions are no-brainers because the only real risk is injury or emotional immaturity. A top NCAA running back, for example, will show up at an NFL training camp ready to play on Day 1 and perhaps even be a top NFL running back as a rookie. The same is true for wide receivers. You rarely see that in a QB or an offensive tackle, though.
For every top star on those teams, it seemed like they had another key starter who played college football at some place that never showed up on the travel itineraries of NFL scouts. A look through those championship teams showed starters from schools like Central State of Ohio, Florida A&M, Wyoming, Texas-El Paso, Butte Junior College, Emporia State, Nevada, East Carolina and Sacramento State. Who the heck sends scouts to those places? I never heard of some of these places and wouldn't have known that they even had football teams.
I tend to keep him off my lists of durable players because he finished his career in the post-1967 NHL expansion era when a lot of second-tier talent could be found on NHL rosters, and that talent was further diluted by competition from the WHA.
I thought George Blanda played into his 50’s... but he converted to punter/kicker, and I think the emergency/3rd QB.
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