Tom Brady: The Consummate Professional

While Matt Cassel was doing his best to help Patriots fans forget about the loss of their beloved Tom Brady this past Sunday, fans might be surprised to learn that Cassel's performance was directly affected by Mr. Brady himself.

In the midst of the initial stages of his rehab/surgery (the Patriots aren't really talking, but then again that's to be expected from them), Tom Brady found time to sit in with Cassel and the other Patriots quarterbacks in their position meeting on Saturday. Cassel also acknowledged that he spoke with Brady and the two of them "had many different conversations on many different aspects of the game". It may appear that these actions were small and insignificant, but to Matt Cassel it would be safe to assume that Tom Brady's words did way more than most would ever know.

Brady could have simply gone off and disappeared into oblivion while he healed his knee only to resurface when he was healthy enough appear in commercials, nightclubs, or anywhere else with his girlfriend, which is bound to attract all sorts of attention. But Brady showing up in support for not only his team but his backup speaks very highly of his character, especially his presence the first week after his injury. Most others would take some time to relax, have surgery, and go through some rehab before they rejoined their teams, and that's if they even showed their face around the facility at all.

There are a lot of high profile athletes that would not give their backups the time of day after they were injured, especially knowing the turnover rates in professional sports. Time and time again, the cruel realities and business practices of pro sports have taken local athlete-icons and because of any number of reasons - injury, age, diminished performance, money - and have replaced them with younger players with more upside and a cheaper price tag. It's safe to assume that Matt Cassel will not replace Tom Brady long term (then again, that's what they said about Brady when he replaced Drew Bledsoe), but no one would fault Brady if he chose not to aid Cassel in his attempt to replace him for this season. Brady, however, traveled the higher road and did what he could to help his team win even in his absence.

Tom Brady is widely praised for his on-field prowess as well as his off the field escapades, but his off-field professionalism definitely out shine what he has done previously. Although there might be many other examples of Brady doing the right thing, few have been able to show his dedication to the team in the face of his own personal tragedy. Its the sort of thing that separates Brady from the rest of the pack and what has surely played a part in elevating him to the level he currently occupies. It is what he is the consummate professional.