Tom Brady doesn't have anything particular he might say to Roger Goodell in the event the two meet after Super Bowl LI on Feb. 5, and perhaps again Feb. 6 should Goodell have the occasion to present Brady with the Most Valuable Player Award.
But oh what theater that would be if Brady can lead the Patriots over the Falcons and earns one of the highest honors in sports the same season he was suspended for his alleged transgression in the AFC championship game two years ago.
Brady is arguably the greatest football player ever to live, and he can become the first quarterback to win five Super Bowls. Were it to happen, what delightful turnabout for Brady. He quietly seethed through most of his ordeal, even if there is fault to be found over how he handled the NFL's investigation into whether he orchestrated the deflation of the footballs in that game. And perhaps others.
But before Brady expresses any desire to stick it to Goodell, there is the business of getting in position to do so. You know, he'd have to actually win the game first.
"Hopefully, we'll finish the deal," Brady said Monday on his weekly radio appearance on WEEI in Boston. "Hopefully, we can finish it off and we'll see. Maybe I'll tell you after. But I don't want to get into winning something before we've won it, because it's going to be hard to win this thing."
Patriots fans chanted, "Where is Ro-ger? Where is Ro-ger?" and "Ro-ger! Ro-ger!" several times Sunday during the Patriots' 36-17 trouncing of the Steelers, and you could slice the air of defiance in the crowd with a dull knife. Brady insists he didn't hear it, although he had to have heard it, even if he's unwilling to admit it. But he's in position to deliver the ultimate response to Goodell's four-game suspension, which Brady finally served after abandoning his months-long efforts to appeal the sanction through the federal courts.
Brady already was thinking about the Falcons in the wee hours Monday. "I was kind of just looking at their depth chart at about 1:30 in the morning," he said. "It'll be a big test. They're playing great."
They were. Matt Ryan led the Falcons to a 44-21 rout of the Packers, throwing for 392 yards and four touchdowns, with no interceptions. Ryan, who had 38 TD passes and only seven interceptions in the regular season, had seven touchdown passes and no interceptions in playoff wins over the Seahawks and Packers.
"Matt has had an incredible year. And I think their offense, what they did yesterday, it looked like they were on fire," Brady said.
Brady was on fire himself, though, throwing for a playoff career-high 384 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. He qualified for his record seventh Super Bowl and can break a tie with Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw by winning a fifth Super Bowl.
"He's the greatest quarterback of all time," Patriots running back LeGarrette Blount said after Sunday's game. "People can argue, but I don't see an argument. He piles on stats and wins and everything on his resume. Obviously, he's going to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. As long as you have that guy on your team, we're going to always have a chance."
No argument there. Brady's overall body of work is unparalleled, surpassing even Montana, who often has been mentioned as the greatest quarterback ever. But how do you debate the point now that Brady has far surpassed Montana in Super Bowl appearances and amassed some of the most prolific passing statistics in league history.
A win over the Falcons would enhance Brady's standing, and even a loss wouldn't do much to tarnish his legacy. But you'd better believe he feels he has a score to settle with the NFL, and particularly with the man at whose desk the buck stops. Goodell never has wavered in his belief that Brady was guilty as charged in having Patriots equipment staffers deflate footballs below the league minimum, and most fans outside of the Patriots' sphere of influence agree with the commissioner's contention.
But now that Brady has served his suspension, it's his turn to finish the season at the top and put Goodell in the uncomfortable position of presenting him with the spoils of victory.
