'Tis that time of year.
Time for boating, beaches and, in the world of NFL media, lists.
Coaches, players and even many media types are enjoying some vacation time and the only real down period of the NFL calendar.
As such evergreen content can be found everywhere and when it comes to football.
And the most tried-and-true type of evergreen sports content comes in the form of lists. NFLN did its annual top 100 players. CSNNE did its top 50 players of the Bill Belichick era in New England.
We at Patriots.com had our own with the top 10 Do Your Job Patriots.
Falling nicely in that line is MMQB.com’s recently-concluded list of the top 100 most influential NFL people for the 2015 season.
Today the site reached the No. 1 spot on the list and, interestingly, it goes to Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. Not surprisingly, the never-ending saga of Deflategate is a big reason that No. 12 landed at No. 1, according to MMQB.
But I'm telling you: This is the best thing that could have happened to Tom Brady. This will rejuvenate him. The rest of the league better look out. This year, he's going to make everybody pay for what's happened.
"There isn't yet a final answer on whether or not Brady will serve the length of the original four-game suspension issued by the NFL (or if he will serve any suspension at all), but we know Brady will be back on the field by mid-October, for the ever-so-conveniently scheduled game against the Colts, the opponents in last year's AFC title game. History tells us Brady will play the A.D. years of his career with a vengeance. So does his longtime teammate, Rodney Harrison:
'You've got way over $100 million in the bank. You've got a beautiful wife. You've got a beautiful family. The natural tendency would be to say, 'I can lie in my silk sheets and just enjoy life now. I don't need football.' But I'm telling you: This is the best thing that could have happened to Tom Brady. This will rejuvenate him. The rest of the league better look out. This year, he's going to make everybody pay for what's happened.'"
It's worth noting that the No. 2 spot on the list went to Brady's perceived Deflategate nemesis, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick also ranked rather high, coming in at No. 4. That's one spot ahead of the quarterback he just beat for his fourth Lombardi Trophy in New England and, maybe curiously, one spot behind his Eagles head coaching buddy, Chip Kelly.
Lists are always fun, especially at this slow time of year. This list is no exception and given its rather vague criteria can make for some great arguments as to where many men and woman are slotted.
Rob Gronkowski No. 37? Come MMQB peeps, it's Gronk's world and the rest of us are just living in it!
What do you think of the MMQB list and Brady taking the No. 1 spot? Let us know with a comment below!
