It can feel that the price of signing with the NFL's most successful franchise is the forfeiture of some element of your agency. This is far from a perfect takedown of the organization -- it does employ a guy named Gronk, after all -- but there's undoubtedly a code to adhere to under Bill Belichick's watch. We know this as the Patriot Way.
On Monday, less than 12 hours after the Patriots clinched their seventh Super Bowl trip since Belichick took the helm, Tom Brady discussed an overriding organization philosophy that gives a bit more insight into how the Pats operate.
"I would say in general on our team we have a sign on our wall that says, 'Doing the right thing for the team when it might not be the right thing for you.' That's just putting everything aside," Brady told WEEI's Kirk and Callahan Show, via CSNNE.com. "Ignoring the noise, the positive things people may be saying about you, or the negative things people may say about you. Just believing in yourself and not making excuses."
"There's always an excuse you can build into why you lose a game. 'We're only playing on six days rest, we have this person hurt, or we didn't get that call.' There are a million of them, and they're all built in and you can pick them all off before the game. I think our coach does a great job of never buying into the B.S. He never makes it about one player. He never makes it about one play. He never makes it about one call, or one situation. It's all about all of us collectively trying to do the best thing we can for the team to try and help us win.
"He never lets his foot off the gas pedal so when it comes to our team, you're brainwashed. That's just the way it goes."
There! He said it! Tom Brady finally admitted that Bill Belichick brainwashes his players! Fire up an investigation! What's that, you say? There's nothing wrong with establishing an internal culture that preaches team-first accountability and the elimination of outside distractions? What's that? Other teams would greatly benefit from getting their players to buy into the same philosophy? Come again? Belichick's doing everything right and the rest of the NFL is one step behind?
OK, fine, but the #OneMore thing is still dumb.
