The upcoming AFC Championship Game between the Broncos and the Patriots is, understandably, being billed as the newest installment in the Peyton Manning vs. Tom Brady “rivalry.” Sunday’s game will be the fifth time the two quarterbacks have met in the playoffs with each signal caller recording two wins previously (if quarterback wins are your stat of choice, that is).
Whether the AFC Championship will actually be the quarterback duel we’re used to seeing when these two play remains to be seen, though. In the Broncos’ 23-16 win over the Steelers last Sunday, Manning was known more for handing the ball off on the pivotal drive to take the lead in the fourth quarter; his biggest play came on a 31-yard pass to Bennie Fowler. Regardless, Broncos defensive lineman Antonio Smith is kick-starting the “my quarterback is better than yours” portion of the lead-up to the game by answering whether he thinks Brady is a “crybaby.”
“That would be an accurate statement,” Smith told the Paul Klee of The Gazette. “I’ve never seen any quarterback look to the referee right after he gets sacked more than Brady. Every time he gets sacked he looks at the ref like, ‘You see him sack me? Was that supposed to happen? He did it a little hard. Please throw a 15-yard penalty on him. Get him fined.'”
To be fair to Smith, who gave us the money quote of all money quotes heading into Sunday, it sounds as though the question was posed for him true or false style. Additionally, Smith added that Brady, despite his habit of complaining to the officials, was “going to take the hit and keep going.” Still, the assertion has been made. Two and two are now four. Brady is a crybaby. Etc. Etc.
The thing is, though, Smith isn’t entirely wrong. Like a lot of superstars transcending all sports, Brady looks for every call he can get because, well, he usually gets them. And if you can pull that off, good on you. Also: defensive players will tell you — whether you want to hear it or not — just how skewed today’s game is in favor of the offense.
The moral of the story is what Smith is saying actually isn’t that big of a surprise. It just has a nasty label.
(Via The Gazette)
