Socci's Notebook: In A Class By Himself, Brady Is An All-Inclusive Teammate
BOSTON (CBS) -- On Monday, in the midst of his weekly appearance on Toucher & Rich, CBS football analyst Boomer Esiason was questioned about the curious case of Colin Kaepernick.
In February 2013, Kaepernick was within five yards of the lead over the Baltimore Ravens as the quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers, with under 2 minutes to go in Super Bowl XLVII.
That close to a title, the powerful and athletic Kaepernick was widely assumed to be on his way to stardom. Some saw in him, at 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, a specimen who was redefining how the position is played. One, a former Super Bowl quarterback himself, went so far as to declare that Kaepernick could be the greatest ever.
His 49ers never did get into the end zone to overcome the Raven's 34-31 lead. And if Kaepernick is to get where he was supposed to go three years ago, he'll do so only after a significant detour. He'll also likely do it in a different uniform.
Kaepernick is backing up Blaine Gabbert and reportedly about to go up on the trade block. As the team around him has crumbled, Kaepernick's being criticized for alleged indifference toward teammates and an overall inaccessibility around the team facility.
"You're a quarterback, (then) you're available to every single of one your teammates at all times," said Esiason, who as a 14-year NFL quarterback reached one Super Bowl and four Pro Bowls. "I don't care who it is. I don't care if it's the fourth or fifth defensive back that needs a signed helmet for a charity auction.
"As the quarterback, as the leader of the team, you have to respect everybody on the team. I don't care if it's offense, defense, training room staff, coaching staff, secretaries, you are the leader. You carry yourself in a certain way."
A little more than a month ago, there was a similar reaction to reports of a disconnect in Miami between teammates and quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who while performing poorly in practice began belittling members of the Dolphins' scout team.
Listening to Esiason's characterization of how a quarterback needs to carry himself gave me cause to consider Kaepernick's opposite -- in just about every way -- here in New England. Sixteen seasons into a career that includes four Super Bowl championships and counting, Tom Brady is that guy who went on to become the best ever.
At least, that's how I see it. And to hear it from others, he's become so not only with his performance on the field, but his presence -- as in, being present for others -- off it.
Prior to Brady's third Super Bowl MVP performance last winter, the Seattle Times sought out other Patriots players to describe what he's like as a teammate. Among them was then New England tight end Michael Hoomanawanui, who recounted their initial encounter.
"It's a little intimidating, especially since he's a guy you grew up watching, and with all the success he's had," the Hoo-man said. "But when the guy introduces himself to you on the first day, even though there's no introduction needed...to put himself on the same level as you to make you feel comfortable, that's pretty cool."
Don't be fooled by the slick ads Brady shows up in for Ugg Boots and Tag Heuer watches. Inside the Patriots' circle of trust, the some-time Madison Avenue pitch man is really the same kid tossing the ball around back home in San Mateo, California.
"I think for me, I always feel like I'm the same guy. I feel like I'm still the kid from Portola Drive," Brady said last November of the open-door policy he keeps at his locker stall. "I know probably from the outside in it's different, but from the inside out, it's the same.
"A big part of playing this game is the relationships you have with your teammates, and that's ultimately ... winning is great. Seeing all those guys come back that I played with -- Roman Phifer and Tom Ashworth and Willie [McGinest] and Ty [Law] and Richard [Seymour] -- all those guys have been such an important part of my life. I think the guys now are an important part of my life because we all make sacrifices for one another. We see each other at our most vulnerable moments. When you lay it on the line like that, you develop a really special bond with those guys. That's nothing that I think about. It's just probably part of who I am, and it's probably why I love the game so much and it's why it's a really natural thing."
What doesn't come natural and requires a steep investment of time and effort is creating a cohesive bond between a quarterback and his supporting cast. Here too, on practice fields and meeting rooms, accessibility and accountability are essential.
And never more relevant than times like these, as Brady and the Patriots find themselves in New York with a banged-up offensive line and without one of his favorite early-season targets, injured running back Dion Lewis. Either James White, Brandon Bolden or both will try to help make up for the loss of Lewis and his 36 receptions.
Toward that end, each has already been aided by an all-inclusive approach to practice all year, catching plenty of passes from Brady even while Lewis was a regular in the lineup.
"Everybody's role is really important," Brady said Wednesday of the reps he regularly shares with everyone on offense. "You could be second on the depth chart or third on the depth chart and really quickly become first on the depth chart. So you've got to work with everybody and have confidence in everybody. You just can't spend all of your time with three or four guys.
"This is when you start to see what your team is all about. This is when you see the quality, the depth of the players, the mental toughness – all of those things play a factor – how well you've done in September and October in the improvement areas so you can see yourself in November improve on things that maybe you weren't great at early in the year. And that all comes with, I said the other day, just making deposits and doing it even when it may not be an issue, before it's an issue, so you can try to stay ahead of things in case something happens and you get injuries."
Later today in the Meadowlands, Brady will look to make withdrawals on those deposits, before sharing the earnings with teammates. Each and every one.
Bob Socci is the radio play-by-play voice of the New England Patriots. You can follow him on Twitter @BobSocci.
