The Brady Behemoth
Sunday sees one of the greatest athletes of all time bid to extend an already incredible record as Super Bowl LIII rolls into Atlanta.
If you are not familiar with the NFL, here is a little bit of background on Tom Brady…
Brady was drafted 199th (of 200) in his draft class in 2000. In his 17-year career (all of which has been spent at the New England Patriots), Brady has led his team to the Super Bowl 9 times. Not only has he made the showpiece event more often than he’s missed it, but he has contested the title decider on more occasions than any other FRANCHISE.
This year’s Super Bowl sees Brady and the Patriots take on the Los Angeles Rams, appearing in their first Super Bowl since 2001 and their first since switching from St Louis to LA.
Top priority for the Rams is to do something that very few teams have managed to do in the past – stop Tom Brady. This is much easier said than done, especially when you consider that the Patriots spent the off season and all the regular season perfecting how to best protect their 41-year-old quarterback.
Teams are always attacking Brady from the sides, but the best way to put him off is to attack through the middle, and the Rams have the best defensive line for applying pressure on the inside. Much of the discussion will be around Aaron Donald, and rightly so – the Defensive Player of the Year for each of the last two seasons has had a sensational year, with a career-high 20.5 sacks – but he will likely be double teamed by the Patriots, which will free up the Rams’ second defensive linesman, Ndamukong Suh.
Suh did not set the world alight in the regular season, but in the play-offs he terrorised the Cowboys and the Saints, and if the Rams have any hope of taking down the juggernaut that is the Patriots, Suh is going to have to have a big night.
There is more to the Patriots’ offense than just Brady, though. Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman are likely to be key in this year’s match-up. Gronkowski has had his worst season since his rookie year, but the threat is just as real. Gronk is yet to score in this post-season, but that run could easily be brought to a close tonight.
The Rams’ offense features one of the best running backs in the league in Todd Gurley, and a former No. 1 pick in the draft in quarterback Jared Goff. The contrast between Goff and Brady is staggering. With 198 places separating them in their respective drafts, this is only Goff’s third season in the NFL, and his second as the Rams’ No. 1. However, the 24-year-old has had an impressive season and, against the Saints in the NFC championship, Goff led the Rams back from a 13-0 deficit without Gurley.
Gurley should be crucial in the Rams’ quest for victory, not just as a running back, but also a receiver. The Chiefs utilised their running backs as receivers and almost got past the Patriots. The Rams will need to replicate that if they are to have any hope of winning.
This year’s Super Bowl has also thrown up an intriguing clash on the sidelines. The Patriots’ Bill Belichick is a gruff defence-focused wizard who will command his troops from the middle of the park. Across the pitch you have Sean McVay, the wonderkid who has created a scintillating offense filled with every trick in the book. Such is McVay’s focus on the game, that he has one of the staff positioned behind him to ensure he doesn’t get hit by a referee or just charge onto the turf.
All in all, it is sure to be a fascinating clash with top class match-ups on the pitch as well as off it, and the spectators inside the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Atlanta, as well as the hundreds of millions watching at home, can look forward to some fireworks.
