Thank You TB12 - Love, Philly Fans
Streeter Lecka. Getty Images.
If there's one thing that Tom Brady's reign of terror made abundantly clear, it's that you never know when your favorite team is going to get another chance. There can only be one dynasty, and if that's not your team? Well then it's only a matter of time before they steamroll all of your hopes and dreams.
A young Jordie had to learn that the hard way in 2004. Young, naive, not fully understanding of the constant pain and suffering and torment that life as a Philly sports fan would be filled with. I just figured the Eagles might have lost that Super Bowl, but there would be plenty in the future to win. Andy Reid, Donovan McNabb, Terrell Owens, what could possibly go wrong? Then the next 13 years happened.
Finally the Eagles got another chance, and lo and behold it was against the same Tom Brady and the same New England Patriots. Who knows if the Eagles will ever get another chance to play for a Super Bowl again. But all I do know is that if it weren't for Tom Brady dropping that pass, they don't win that one. If Tom caught that pass, the course of history would have forever been altered. That dropped pass was the moment that Tom Brady just didn't have it fully in him that day. And as an Eagles fan who was alive to witness the Birds win a Super Bowl unlike so many fans before us, I could never thank Tom Brady enough for sucking a little that night.
What's funny is that Tom Brady didn't thank Eagles fans in his retirement announcement today. Didn't even make one mention of the Eagles, actually. But is that going to stop us Philly fans from thanking him on the way out? Of course not. Because he provided us with a Super Bowl victory, and that means more to us than he'll ever know. But somehow winning 6 Super Bowls for New England seemingly isn't enough for that fanbase. They're all crying into their Cheerios and shitting their pants over what? A guy who gave you literally everything a sports fan base could ever dream of having, and just not saying "thank you" as he rides off into the sunset? Yikes. Not sure how it's Philly fans who have the bad rep here.