The difference between Tom Brady and Carson Palmer

“The New England Patriots’ perfect season is over.”

This was the news following the loss to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII, and with it, the beginning of Tom Brady’s downfall.

You see, at this time, Brady was on top of the world. He was voted player of the week five times, player of the month for September and October, set the record for touchdown passes in a season with 50, and was going to be named NFL MVP.

After the game against the Giants, Brady was promising with his words, looking forward to having most of the same group around him the following season to take a run at perfection again.

When the season ended, Brady began rehabbing the right foot that he injured in the AFC championship game, causing him to miss all of the four 2008/09 pre-season games.

Many thought Brady’s 128 consecutive starts streak was in jeopardy of being broken but he was determined to come back and chase the perfect season and another Super Bowl.

Brady was given the green light to start the season, and the streak continued.

Game 129 did not last long however as he was knocked out midway through the first quarter on a hit by Kansas City Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard.

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The injury ended Brady’s season with what was determined to be torn ACL and MCL muscles, ruining the hopes of many fantasy owners in the process.

With the injury, the hopes of a perfect season took a major hit.

New England went with their rookie backup QB Matt Cassel and although he led the Patriots to an 11-5 record, they missed the playoffs, proving that the franchise needed Brady more than ever.

Now, after an excruciating 10 months of rehab, Brady is back, and, if his first two pre-season games were any indication, is ready to lead the Patriots back to the Super Bowl.

In the two games, he went 22/34 in passing for 250 yards, threw four touchdowns and an interception giving the Patriots leads in both games going into halftime.

Brady did not speak to the media after the game against the Washington Redskins due to a slight shoulder injury he suffered after a hit by Albert Haynesworth. However, he did speak with NFL.com after his first game against the Philadelphia Eagles, and said he felt really good to be back with his teammates.

“There’s no place I’d rather be,” he said. “This is the place where I probably have the most fun and enjoy it the most. A pre-season game doesn’t have quite the feel of a regular season game, but to be out there on the field with my teammates and celebrate after a win, and the bus ride home (…) those are the things you probably enjoy the most.”

Start planning the parade route?

Not just yet.

Take Cincinnati Bengals QB Carson Palmer for instance. He suffered the exact same injury in a 2005 AFC wild card game, tearing his ACL and MCL muscles on a hit from Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Kimo von Oelhoffen.

Palmer rehabbed, and started off the following pre-season magically, completing nine of 14 passes for 140 yards and three touchdowns in two quarters of play. Eerily similar to Brady, no?

Palmer went on to have a great season, throwing for over 4,000 yards, and a 93.9 passer rating, both team records. The only downside was the team went from 11-5 in 2005 to 8-8 in 2006, missing the playoffs.

Palmer’s – and the Bengals’ – misfortunes continued into the 2007 season, finishing with their first losing record since 2002 at 7-9.

The 2008 campaign hit rock bottom as Palmer only played four of the first five games before partially tearing ligaments in his elbow, ending his season. The team finished 4-12, and has left many within the organization wondering if Palmer will ever return to the Heisman-winning QB-form that they drafted.

The major difference between Brady and Palmer – other than the celebrity status “Tom Terrific” endures – is that Brady is a proven winner in the NFL. He has played in four Super Bowls, winning three of them and won the Super Bowl MVP twice.

With the hardest part of Brady’s return to the NFL over, he can now focus on leading his team back down the path towards another championship, and squashing the Palmer comparisons.

Not just for him, but for the success of the franchise.

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