The grass is always greener in yesterday’s garden. Tom Brady is a miracle of modern medicine. He’s also a victim of ancient circumstance. After a remarkable return from reconstructive knee surgery, the New England Patriots quarterback very nearly regained his old form this season—which would be better news if “very nearly” met the exacting standards of seasons now long past. Resilience means turning lemons into lemonade. Realism, on the other hand, means admitting that all fruit tastes bitter compared to the sweetness of your first apple. I’m not suggesting that Brady is washed up. His 2009 performance speaks for itself, and he’s likely to be a top Fantasy pick in 2010. But let’s not confuse Fantasy stats with actual facts. In a league where success depends so heavily on self-confidence, there’s no injury more devastating than the one that reminds a QB of his self’s expiration date. You can’t unbreak a bone. You can’t unburden a brain. If there’s a moral to Brady’s story, it’s ...