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Edit: Updated because the NFL Network did include quotes from other players in reference to Tom Brady, they just (for whatever reason) edited it out of what they uploaded to the website.
The NFL Network just finished their top 100 rankings for the upcoming season and three Patriots made the list- or four, if you count Patriots-great cornerback Darrelle Revis at number 17 overall, who is currently cashing in for a quiet remainder of his career with the Jets.
Wide receiver Julian Edelman was the first Patriot announced on the list, coming in at number 91 overall. Edelman has received plenty of acclaim this offseason, with one personnel person considering the Patriots top wide out the "toughest cover in the league."
After Edelman, not a single Patriots was listed until the top 10. No Devin McCourty. No Dont'a Hightower. No Jamie Collins. No Sebastian Vollmer.
But then it was the top 10, and the Patriots were the lone team with multiple players listed.
Coming in at number 10, tight end Rob Gronkowski might have been a little undervalued. He came behind running backs DeMarco Murray and Marshawn Lynch, behind quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck, and behind wide receivers Calvin Johnson and Antonio Brown. All great players, but Gronk could have easily been listed ahead of them.
#nfltop100 Rob Gronkowski classic moment. https://t.co/1n2MMkDAFd
— Rich Hill (@PP_Rich_Hill) July 9, 2015
The players from all over the league seem reverent when talking about Gronk, with a palpable awe when describing the destruction he brings to the field. He's a lovable goofball. James Develin talked about Gronk like he was a candidate on the Bachelor.
"The fact that he [Gronk] does it with a smile on his face," Develin stated. "And the laugh he's got? It just makes it even more special."
And while Gronk's section was all love and fun, quarterback Tom Brady, at number 3 overall, was distinctly devoid of praise in the video uploaded to the NFL.com website. While fellow quarterback Aaron Rodgers, at number 2 overall, had seven players from around the league (not his teammates) pile praise on him, and quarterback Peyton Manning, at number 5 overall, had six players offer thoughts, Tom Brady had just one non-Patriot give an opinion- and he used to be a member of the Patriots.
"I think Tom Brady started out slow," former Patriots cornerback, and current Bronco Aqib Talib stated. "But you look at him from week 7 on, he was probably the best player in the league."
That was it. They used cut-ups from mic'd up portions, and safety Pat Chung and fullback James Develin offered their thoughts, but there was no praise from rivals. Rodgers had players from the Lions talk about his play. Manning had members of the Chiefs and Raiders.
No one said anything nice about Brady on the website. And that won't be forgotten.
Brady had quotes from Kyle Williams, Justin Tuck, and J.J. Watt on the live video, but they were not a part of what the NFL Network uploaded to their site.