Tom Brady and Tiger Woods Out for the Season with Bad Knees

Tiger's gone with a bad knee and attendance is down at PGA events. Tom Brady limps off the field in the Patriot's season opener and the entire NFL starts recalculating strategy and playoff potential.

As far as Tom Brady is concerned one sports enthusiast friend suggests throwing a bag of ice and a couple of super models on the knee and call a doctor in the morning. The more risky of those therapies, according to my wife, being the bag of ice because it weighs more. Another friend, a loyal Patriots fan, speculates on a cause being Catholic Karma because of Tom's father leaving the seminary and Tom not marrying his child's mother. Obviously there is no law regarding the separation of church and sports in New England

Anyway you look at it, it's big and a lot of people have Tiger and Tom on their minds. But unlike Tiger who's absence affects only team Tiger and at the very least, as far as the fan attendance is concerned, the Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston which felt about 5 to 10 thousand fans short each day this year, Brady's absence affects all of Team Patriot. Or does it have to?

I think even die hard Patriots fans would agree that had they won the Super Bowl last year, this might be an interesting diversion from the 'we're going to win just because we're the Patriots' type season. Can the ninja of coaches, a Pro Bowl offensive line, a refurbed but undeniably solid defense (perhaps the true core of the team) and a hungry second string quarterback have not just a winning season but a deep into the playoffs winning season? With Brady's absence there's so much to prove on all those participants parts, I'd say absolutely.

Who's the heart of a team, an individual? Maybe a coach but not a quarterback. He's not out there under any circumstance for defensive purposes. He's not out there on special teams. And with those components accounting for, even if just slightly, over 50% of a team's makeup, then don't go to the concession stand or to the kitchen to make a sub just because your star quarterback isn't on the field at the moment. If you do your going to miss a good part of the heart and soul of the game while your out there.

While Tiger has been gone an Irishman has proved that the European dominance in the Ryder Cup has not been because of a cyclical trend and a true rags to riches story has emerged this week with Camilo Villegas's win at he BMW Championship. With Brady gone and an incredibly talented team left behind, things have just begun to become interesting. Interesting in a way that I believe won't disappoint New England fans. Just ask Tom Brady, he feels the same way. But that's what you'd expect from a team player.