The two players aren't remotely similar in how they approach these blow ups. And it has nothing to do with the position they play.
They both are highly competitive, even combative at times. But where the two diverge is in how they deal with the aftermath. Once cooler heads have a chance to avail.
Brady is adept at the art of contrition. Whether it's genuine or not doesn't really matter. He has a manner and ability to diffuse these instances after the fact. In a way that essentially kills the story before it gets out of hand.
Sherman is frankly awful in this manner. Given multiple opportunities, he either defiantly (I'm guessing he sees it as righteously) persists, or he hamhandedly offers a disingenuous attempt to cast the issue aside. Whether by condescending manner or by diction laced with ridicule. It's a poorly crafted 'Sorry, not sorry' message. And in the end, the story intensifies as a direct result of what one *should* conclude is discontent simmering beneath a very thin veneer of decorum or team harmony.
They are treated differently because Sherman's inability to kill the issue. I can't be sure if it's just he's not skilled at that. Or that he's simply not very inclined to exercise contrition if he feels he is in the right. I mean we've seen him on occasion squash these kinds of issues before. But that hasn't been consistent and certainly has not been the norm the last couple of seasons now. Regardless, the end result is the same. He is the root cause of these cases lingering for weeks on end.
I would add, that I'm not trying to claim one way is necessarily better than another. And I'm sure there are behind the scenes consequences that Brady inflicts on his organization out of view of the public eye. This is really a PR kind of headache. And Sherman's ire and angst is probably similar to Tom's except for the fact that it's bad optics in the public domain and it's less protective of the organization. It's also likely more open and honest. For this organization who prides itself on transparency and honesty -- even devoting a day of preparation as Tell the Truth Monday -- I tend to think it's part and parcel to the environment Pete has built here. Almost as if he'd have it no other way.
Personally, I could care less what other fans think of this team. Or what is sure to be future salacious stories brought up by national beat writers. I like having this kind of access to this team. And understand how it fits in this team's culture. It's unique and I don't expect outsiders to understand how it works here. If people that can't understand that want to write exposes on what they think all this means based on their preconceptions of other generic NFL organizations -- that's fine by me. Doesn't affect how I feel about this team. I don't need the rest of the country's estimation to validate why I love this team.
