Bob Lobel: Brady's Loss Could Be a Win for New England

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

Sometimes losing is the best thing that can happen. 

I'm not talking about tanking games so you can get a better draft pick. I'm talking about the courts of law in our land that seem to be able to rule on anything, however unimportant it may seem.  Well, Tom Brady and the NFL are hardly unimportant in our little corner of the universe, but still. 

Brady and the Supreme Court- It seems like they were meant for each other. They may get to meet eventually, but not at the moment. The current moment has Brady serving a four-game suspension to start the season, since the appeals court ruled against his case to have the suspension stayed, or vacated, or whatever legal definition may apply. 

The worst of this may be the best thing. 

Brady sits out and Jimmy G goes live under center for the first four games. So what?! We get to see if Jimmy G is the real deal to replace TB12. 

I'll take that opportunity, and I’ll bet the ratings for those games will be higher than they would have been if it had been business as usual, or rather, Brady as usual.  Losing becomes winning just like that. 

Now, here comes the big question that will make you search inward for an honest answer. It is a hypothetical, so keep that in mind. Of, course Brady could go  down as the most beloved athlete ever to play anything in New England. This is why we should consider the "what if” I  present to you coming to pass. And it could! 

Let's say with their new tight end tandem, the football team responds well with the young quarterback and Brady, nearing the end of his career, comes back and is not quite the one we remember. 

Very possible. 

So, go inside your fan brain and answer honestly what you would think about that. Does the fan base opt for a Jimmy G-run team to go to another Super Bowl, or does it put winning behind love and loyalty? 

If I'm Brady, and I always wanted to be, I would not give Jimmy G, under any circumstances, four games to prove himself until I am done and gone. If I am Brady, and (again) I always wanted to be, I know how good Jimmy G potentially is from those years of practice.

I know almost as much about him as the head coach. I want to have the Supreme Court stay the suspension until it can be heard. I don’t want to sit out any games if I don’t have to. Don’t tell me it would want the best thing for the team, because in my mind, I am the best thing for the team! Case closed. 

Well, maybe or maybe not.

Now, I want to bring up another "what if," and this one could be a little trickier.

David Ortiz has gone from the person David Price criticized as self-serving, and turned into a genuine American folk hero. For the sake of argument, baseball must be holding its collective breath, just like FBI did in chasing Whitey Bulger, hoping that he won't be caught. In David’s case, the disaster would be if he is found to be using the dreaded three letters that start with a "P" and end with a "D."  

I would think that baseball would do anything not to find out anything tawdry in this case, since Big Papi has become the most loved and cherished player ever to be under suspicion for anything.

Clearly, if a designated hitter is going into the Hall of Fame, it's him.  

If there were going to be a testing or investigation, he would be spared. Or would he? Here is the hypothetical for you to ponder- Would Major League Baseball even think about trying to catch Ortiz doing anything against the rules, or has he become immune? 

Personally, I think he is home free. Untouchable. Too much at stake for one and all. 

Now, the final chapter today. Voices on the radio say that Brady going to the Supreme Court shows a lack of understanding or appreciation for the trauma the country is currently experiencing in race relations and police departments. That, for some reason, Brady's deal is frivolous and should not be taking up valuable time and space, while more important things are happening. 

Hey, there will always be more important things happening, so don’t act stupid with such ridiculous comments that try to link one thing to another. 

So, lots of “what ifs” in here this week.