By Ed Condran
Feelgood and football are often mutually exclusive terms. Players face myriad aches and pains after games. Only one group of fans is happy after the Super Bowl since 31 teams do not hoist football’s Holy Grail the Lombardi Trophy. And then there are the gamblers who have rough days at the sportsbook.
But “Heaven Can Wait,” an under-the-radar gem of a film, is a feelgood football movie. Warren Beatty portrays a quarterback who passes away prematurely but is allowed to come back to Earth and is placed into the body of the Los Angeles Rams owner who passes away. Beatty becomes the QB of the Rams and leads the team to a Super Bowl victory and falls in love with the sublime Julie Christie.
Tom Brady is now part owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, who will most likely look for a quarterback after the 2024 season. A Hollywood ending isn’t on the horizon; Brady will not line up behind center at Allegiant Stadium. However, Brady hopes to help the Raiders move in another direction.
After noting that he’s humbled and excited about his new challenge via Instagram, Brady commented further on social media. “I’m eager to contribute to the organization in any way I can, honoring the Raiders’ rich tradition while finding every possible opportunity to improve our offering to fans … and, most importantly, win football games.”
The best owners delegate and let their presidents and GMs make decisions, but it will be curious what kind of impact Brady will have on the Silver and Black since he’s a winner. Brady won six Super Bowl rings with the New England Patriots and has a Super Bowl championship with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The odds are that Brady will have an impact. Majority owner Mark Davis is understandably excited about having the quarterback, who thanks to unparalleled accomplishments is regarded as the greatest of all time.
“It’s an exciting day for the Raiders organization,” Davis said via news release. “Although Tom can’t play, I think he can help us select a quarterback in the future and potentially train him, as well.”
Now that would be unprecedented, but why not allow Brady help pick a signal caller in the 2025 draft? There will be several quarterbacks available when the Raiders pick in the first round. Why not let the quarterback of the future learn under Brady?
It wouldn’t be surprising that Brady has a say in off-season acquisitions. Brady was smart enough to take a salary cut to beef up the Patriots line. It would be best to fortify the line to help support the Raiders’ quarterback of the future.
So many potentially good quarterbacks were derailed after being physically and mentally crushed. Who knows how good David Carr and Tim Couch could have been?
No one knows more about how to succeed as an NFL quarterback than Brady. Adding him to the fold might be the wisest decision of the Mark Davis era.
