Ask any bookie and they'll tell you its true: information is power. No one in the NFL understands this more than Bill Belichick. And no one plays the system for his cause more than Bill Belichick. He's a genius; a Dr. Evil of sort.
That's why I am not surprised at Tom Brady missing practice and hiding from the public. The lack of information regarding Brady's health status is buzzing around the media. Every outlet is pinging their inside sources trying to get the latest scoop. If the Patriots stay on course, there won't be any scoop. Belichick will not give out any information unless absolutely required.
Missing practice time? Sure, Tom Brady isn't getting any snaps in practice with the rest of the Patriots. Sure, Randy Moss and Wes Welker are catching passes thrown by Matt Cassel and Matt Gutierrez. After an entire season of football, does Brady really need to play catch with Moss and Welker? No.
By creating a cloud of smoke stemming from Brady's status, Belichick has diverted attention from the Patriots' sluggish play of late. Perhaps the team peaked too soon. Perhaps going full speed while running up the score is having an affect on the players. Whatever the cause may be, it is being given secondary priority to Brady's status, exactly how Belichick planned.
It is not far-fetched to think Belichick over-looked the San Diego Chargers, and that Belichick devised a plan for Brady to have a terrible game while pretending to suffer an injury. Belichick would use the Brady issue to control the media hype surrounding the SuperBowl.
How far will Belichick go? What if Tom Brady does not start in the SuperBowl against the New York Giants? Throw Matt Cassel in there for the first quarter. Would that utterly and completely psyche out the Giants, shattering their mindset and gameplan? The answer is yes.
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