Why Tom Brady, Bill O'Brien Fight Was Nothing More Than Championship Intensity

The New England Patriots defeated the Washington Redskins 34-27 on Sunday to move to 10-3 on the season, and while the hot topic of discussion should be Rob Gronkowski breaking the NFL record for touchdown receptions in a season by a tight end, that will likely take a back seat to the sideline spat between Tom Brady and New England offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien.

With 6:30 left to play in the fourth quarter, an ill-advised pass from Brady to Tiquan Underwood was picked off by Washington cornerback Josh Wilson in the end zone. As Brady returned to the sidelines, O' Brien confronted him, tempers flared, some rather colorful language was used, and the two men had to be separated.

Were we talking about another team or another player this "story" may have a little more meat to it, but we're talking about a very businesslike New England team that's not prone to mental lapses or meltdowns. This was likely an isolated incident borne of two intense competitors letting their emotions get the best of them for a moment.

In fact, the two men hugged it out after the game and Brady was quoted by ESPN as saying he deserved to be laid into by O'Brien, saying "I threw a pretty bad interception and he wasn't happy about it. There are probably a long line of coaches and players that were pretty pissed at me after that, but Billy got to me first. He let me have it and I deserved it."

So, while today's altercation will give the folks on TV and sports radio something to talk about tonight and tomorrow, it was really much ado about nothing. If Patriots fans are searching for something to worry about, they need look no further than their leaky defense and not at a relatively meaningless brouhaha between their star quarterback and offensive coordinator.