“A math teacher continuously grades his 6th period class on a curve because of the material’s difficulty. The highest grade in the class gets a 100, and the rest of the grades are proportionately scaled from his score. The smartest kid in the class is home sick for this semester and the closest grader to him is suffering from difficulty at home and is unfocused. The rest of the class gets higher grades on this exam than they have ever received on any previous exam, largely due to the change in the curve. Does this mean anyone in the class has gotten smarter?”  

Something is missing in the 2008-2009 NFL Season. In a league built for parity, a season like this should have been expected and welcomed. At weeks end, we have one undefeated team, a slew of teams competing for divisional position and a list of ‘Who are you” at the top of most statistical categories (Fantasy Football player’s dream season). This should be a football fan’s dream right?  

True, after week 7, no clear cut favorite has emerged out of the pack, therefore keeping more cities and fanatics involved in the season. It should be exciting to see the Titans topple the once almighty Colts, or the Bills lead the way in the AFC East for the first time since the mid 90’s. There are some usual suspects in position to make a run, ie Steelers, Giants and Redskins, but still something isn’t the samel.  

At first glance, it’s the newcomers at the top, but after further analysis, that’s not it. The season is still early and still time for the old horses to emerge. Looking harder, what’s missing is in New England. But wait, everyone loves when the Patriots struggle outside of Boston, right? Boston has become the epitome of evil in all sports. Boston sports teams have become the villain, the antagonist to everyone other cities team. We root against Boston; we love to see Boston fall. We don’t want to see Boston so we should love a season where the Patriots struggle. We’ve loved it in the past but still, this year feels different. What’s missing is hurting this football season. What’s missing is our villain doesn’t have its swagger. It doesn’t have its superman quarterback. What’s missing is Tom Brady.  

It’s hard to have a hero without the villain present. In loving the Lakers throughout childhood, I loathed Larry Bird. I wanted Larry Bird on the court, so when we demolished the Celtics, I wanted to know Larry was there, that he tried and he failed.  

Tom Brady is the best Quarterback in the NFL. It’s no longer debatable. Last year, Brady put together the most impressive statistical season in the history of the position on route to lead his team to the greatest regular season record of all time. He’s a proven winner, and has come through in big game, after big game, after big game. But it wasn’t the numbers that turned him into the greatest villain in Sports today. (think Anakin Skywalker’s turn into Darth Vader in Star Wars: Episode III) It was the manner in which he lead the Patriots through teams. It was the bravado, and swagger (see: arrogance, boastfulness) he brought to the field. The whole Patriots team encompassed the attitude, but as the face of the team at quarterback and arguably it’s most charismatic (lets not forget the head coach appears to have stage fright whenever in front of a camera), Brady epitomized the attitude. He knew he was great and played great and created a split amongst fans. Either you were with him or against him, but either way, you had an opinion. You had an emotional reaction to what Brady and the Patriots were accomplishing, one way or the other. 

Last season, his swag either created Patriots fans, or Patriots haters. The way he smoked through pass defenses, trash talked opposing defenses, and found impossible ways to win on route to a perfect 16-0 season, he was the toast of the sport. Depending on where you lived and rooted for, he was either Skywalker, or Darth Vader.  

Sports need heroes as much as it needs villains. It’s what helps make Hollywood versions of our sports history so appealing and appetizing. The heroes are built-up as an underachieving group that has to overcoming some sort of adversity, all the while the villain is destroying the competition with ease, leading up to their predictable match-up at the end of the movie.  

In 2007-2008, Brady and the Pats helped create on of the best stories in sports because they didn’t need Hollywood. The Patriots were the monster, eating everything in its path, while the New York Giants had to overcome a quarterback coming into his own, a head coach on the brink of losing his job, and a former player turned media insider, criticizing the entire organization. Seemingly overmatched, and a mere hurdle on New England’s journey into history, the Giants defied the odds and made a great story in doing it. If instead it was the New York Giants vs. The San Diego Charges, would it have felt the same? How interesting are the Giants this season without a villain? Instead, placed in the role as defending champions and the favorites to return to the Super Bowl, the team isn’t anywhere near as compelling. 

Some people have spoken out about this being a chance for other quarterbacks to emerge into the limelight. But with a limping Peyton Manning and no Tom Brady, does the emergence of any young quarterback accurately reflect their improvement? Is Philip Rivers the number one rated quarterback if Brady is playing? If Manning is 100%?  

The smartest kid in the class is sitting this year out and the grades reflect that. Sure someone is going to step up and get the A, and others will follow suit with B’s and C’s alike, but no one has gotten any smarter. We just don’t have greatness to compare it to this year. That sinking feeling along with the realization that our last chance for a villain is close to dying in the first half of the movie (Down in Dallas, a free-spirited billionaire, paired with a mild mannered coach, a movie-star dating quarterback and loud-mouth wide receiver, all came close to filling the necessary void), has spoiled an NFL season that I had such high hopes for.  

Too bad we can’t hit the skip button on this season….