Tom Brady rarely says anything interesting when he talks to the media. It’s all boring clichés, but the Patriots quarterback also has this ability to act like a crybaby when it suits his agenda.
Monday was one of those days. In an interview on his WEEI paid appearance with Dennis and Callahan, Brady talked about his team being an underdog. Is he kidding? Basically, he was being passive-aggressive in whining how no one is giving his team a chance, not to mention putting the pressure on Manning to beat him at home.
Not sure where he is getting at about his team being an underdog. There are going to be good number of experts and fans that feel the Patriots win in Denver. Count me as one of those people.
With Brady on the Patriots’ side, no one should discount that team. He is one of the best quarterbacks that played the game. He is a guy the team trust in engineering a comeback late or winning in the final drive. He is a guy that inspires fear from the other team. One has to be stupid to ever doubt him. He is still playing at a high level as a 36-year-old quarterback, and he shows no sign of ever slowing down anytime soon.
Plus, the Broncos defense does not scare the future Hall of Fame quarterback. He knows this. He is salivating to go up against them.
Plus, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has had success in frustrating Peyton Manning by coming up with so many defensive disguises such as the blitz and shadowing him down. The Broncos quarterback historically had a rough time against the Patriots defense.
The favorites and underdogs are overblown by people. No one cares about that. It comes down to what happens on gameday. It wouldn’t surprise anyone who wins that game on Sunday. Both teams are good enough to win that game.
Maybe Brady feels the pressure of winning this game in New England. That area has had many championships teams lately, and surprisingly, the Patriots have a championship drought that has lasted nine years.
The Patriots quarterback has been stuck at three championships for a long time. By now, everyone thought he would have won seven with the way he started off his career by winning championships. There are critics that think he won as a result of Spygate. That perception won’t change unless he wins another Super Bowl championship.
There could be criticism about Brady if he falls short Sunday as stupid as it sounds. It’s what people do. They want more, and he is held to a high standard.
It’s probably why he is talking about being an underdog to ease pressure of him and his team. No one is buying it, though. Even he knows this.
Also, there is nothing worse than talking about being an underdog. It’s self-serving. It comes off bad when a Hall of Fame quarterback talks about it. That shouldn’t be in a competitor’s vocabulary, especially a great quarterback like Brady.
There are no underdogs when a team gets to Conference Championship Sunday. A team has to be good to play there. In the Patriots’ case, they have endured a long season with so many injuries yet they keep on winning. That’s commendable, and what’s neat is they are not a team that was hot at the right time. They are as great as the Broncos, Seahawks and 49ers.
The only thing Brady was right on about his radio interview on Monday was how rewarding it would be if the Patriots win Sunday’s game after what they went through all season. He is right about it. There’s something to be said about stepping up.
While everyone is tired of the Patriots winning, it’s hard for me to get on them this year for what they have done. It speaks of great coaching and excellent quarterback play for the Patriots to be there.
That’s why it was disappointing for Brady to go talk about being an underdog. A competitor should expect to win every game. Maybe he said it as a way to motivate him. Still, no one buys that spiel from him.
Brady should know better.
Contact or follow Leslie Monteiro at @LightRodWriter.
Leslie Monteiro
Leslie is a contributor for Lightning Rod Sports. He covered high school sports in Bergen County out in North Jersey, and has written op-ed columns on sports such as Bleacher Report and NY Sports Digest.
