NFL football
I don't think I have ever seen a more overrated athlete in professional sports than Tom Brady, the QB of the Patriots.
posted by Stan at 11:22 AM
Wednesday, January 26, 2005
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6 Comments:
I respectfully disagree. In order to be overrated he would have to be touted as the reason the Pats are going to the SB. Haven't heard that at all. Instead the Pats are probably the most complete team in the NFL in my memory. Also I heard news this morning that Brady had a fever of 101 the night before that game. Perhaps he's even underrated.
Rev,
Last week, Mel Kiper said on ESPN radio that he thought Brady was a lock for the hall of fame. Dan Patrick said he would be if they won the Super Bowl this year. I can't even keep count anymore of the writers who have compared him to Joe Montana.
For a guy with incredible protection who usually has all day to find open receivers, it is amazing how inaccurate he is throwing the ball.
I think a better comparison is to Kurt Warner when the Rams offensive line was giving him all day to throw to those awesome receivers. Brady's receivers aren't as good, but they are good and they have depth. Of course, Brady's passing rating and other numbers aren't ever close. The quality of the pass pro is about the same. When Warner's pass pro declined, we found out he wasn't that great, despite the 2 MVPs.
This idea that Manning has never won a big game is a lie that requires an amazing amount of dishonesty to perpetuate. Manning-haters define a big game as any game that Manning's team fails to win. If they win, it doesn't qualify as a big game.
Manning threw an 80 yard TD on the first play from scrimmage against Alabama his soph year (1995) and helped UT win for the first time against the Vols' biggest rival since 1985. When you haven't beaten your arch-rival in almost 10 years, you better believe it was a big game.
Manning's Vol teammates did everything they could to fumble away the SEC championship game his senior year. He kept them in the game and led the comeback. Of course, had they lost, it would have been Manning losing the big game. Since he led them to the championship, it didn't count as a big game any more.
I could go on and on about all the games in which Manning has led inferior teams with weak defenses and poor offensive lines to victory. No QB in NFL history has led his team to more victories with one of the worst defenses in the league as Manning has with the Colts the last 2 years.
I spent four seasons as a football coach (major college, small college and Europe). In breaking down the tape of both of the last two playoff losses to the Patriots, it is clear that Manning played better than Brady in both games.
Manning makes a poor offensive line look great, if he can get a receiver to get open. If they get shut down, however, there isn't a QB who ever played the game who can complete passes to them. The Pats have been able to rush 3 and get pressure while dropping 8 in coverage.
How Manning is supposed to be at fault for the weaknesses of his line and receivers is beyond me. If you can point me to failings in his play last weekend, please do. Just pointing to the score of team game and blaming it on the QB is just silly.
Your comment on winning the big game is just foolish. You have just proven what I wrote earlier. If they win a playoff game (3 times in the last 2 seasons), it doesn't count. But a playoff loss proves "Manning has never won a big game." The proposition is simply laughable.
And the fact that a lot of incredibly stupid reporters and commentators repeat it ad nauseum doesn't make it true.
I'm working on a long piece which will detail exactly why the Colts' offensive line is bad and how Manning's audibles, ball faking and handoff technique allows them to double their production from the running game. Remember that Titans coach Jeff Fisher admitted that their QBs couldn't even replicate in practice what Manning does on the Colts' bread and butter zone stretch.
Manning's greatness isn't because of stats. It is because of the way he takes mediocre teammates and makes them look like Super Bowl contenders. If he can find a single mismatch, he can beat you by 4 TDs. But he can't work miracles. The Pats have substantially better players at just about every single position. the idea that one player, in the ultimate team game, is somehow obligated to play so well that he makes up for an enormous talent difference for the rest of the team is just ridiculous.
Hopefully, when I get it written and if you read it, you'll understand my position.
Sorry for the irritation. Thanks for reading.
My daughter is 21 mos. I know where you are coming from. It is my 11 year old who is REALLY impossible to reason with. When he wants something, reason has no bearing on the discussion.
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