For someone too often perceived nationally as a silver-spooned golden boy on the level of the Manning sons, Tom Brady has overcome significant obstacles in his brilliant NFL career.
He was the 199th pick in the 2000 draft and a lucky-to-be-here fourth-stringer in his rookie season. He wrecked his knee in the 2008 season opener, and a post-surgery infection threatened to cause even more problems. And once he had to go almost an entire season with Reche Caldwell as his top target. Talk about disadvantages.
But as rumors and gossip and just plain chuck-it-at-a-dartboard guesses careen around us as Brady moves closer to hitting free agency next week, I become more convinced that leaving New England would be a self-inflicted disadvantage that he would struggle to overcome.