I (seriously) can’t wait to root for Tom Brady on Sunday vs. Jets
F ull disclosure: I was disappointed the Patriots didn't play Sunday. Bye week and all. Because — and many of you won't believe this — I would have rooted for Tom Brady to throw for 782 yards and 12 touchdowns, if for no other reason than to send last week's RMS (rampant media stupidity) into varying stages of undress.
Not that RMS is anything new. We have our share of dopes per capita. Still, though, we're supposed to know better than to suddenly walk in lockstep with the other purveyors of prattle on social media, who rather enjoy making grand pronouncements fully supported by nothing else than their own opinion.
It was a week ago now that the Pats were beaten soundly in Tennessee, mostly for this reason: The offensive line couldn't block a station wagon filled with nuns, let alone the rampaging Titans, who kept Brady on his wallet most of the day.
Then the narratives — on air, online and in the papers — began: Tom Brady looked his age out there. Is Father Time, much like the tortoise, slowly catching up? Tom really looked 41. Is this it? Panic!
Rinse. Repeat. A convenient narrative, sure, if nothing else illustrating that the fallacy of Argumentum Ad Nauseum — an argument is true if it is repeated over and over — ain't dead yet.
Which is why I hope Brady sets records when he plays against the Jets on Sunday. I can't wait for the Tom's-getting-old crowd to explain
A few of life’s greatest mysteries: 1) Where is the Ark of the Covenant (if such an item really exists)?; 2) How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?; and 3) How can a rivalry be as lopsided as Hand vs. Guilford? The Tigers own an absurd 39-5-1 edge over the Indians. vs. Guilford, Wednesday, 7 p.m.
Surprised to see that Maryland-bound David Summers has averaged 168.4 yards passing, a low number by Cadet quarterback standards (Summers averaged 248 yards last season). Then again, when your defense has five shutouts and allowed the fourth-fewest points in the state (48), it does lower your number of throws. at Trumbull, Thursday, 10 a.m.
Derby held a 44-38-7 edge over the Gaels in one of the state’s oldest rivalries prior to this millennium. Shelton has owned the series since. It’s won 15 in a row, 17 of the last 18, and routed the Red Raiders by a combined score of 732-219. vs. Derby, Thursday, 10:30 a.m.
The Nighthawks have won five games by shutout and allowed a state-low 34 points. Norwich Free Academy was the only team that scored more than seven against them in a 51-14 loss on Oct. 13. vs. Masuk, Wednesday, 7 p.m. themselves.
I say this because it's Tom Brady. If he's not the greatest ever, he's not far down the list. And yet a few weeks after he nearly dropped 50 on Kansas City, one bad day because of circumstances beyond his control has the buzzards circling. Again: If it's some twit on Twitter, you attribute it to typical spasms of social media. But the real media? Aren't we supposed to be smarter than this?
It's Tom Brady, who wasn't good at avoiding defensive pressure at 28, let alone 41.
Maybe all the bloviating can provide a cautionary tale for the Giants, their fans and their front office, about Eli Manning. No, Manning's career will never reach Brady-esque levels. But the two do share something other than occupying the same position on the field: A considerable portion of the hyperventilators out there believe both are ready for the rocking chair.
Except that Manning, the victim of five turnstiles trying to block for him over many years now, has recalled a classic line from Bill Parcells in the past two weeks:
He's still got some gas left in the tank.
Why? Duh. Because the offensive line is suddenly doing its job. And what, you don't think Brady will become an assassin again if the Pats resume their normal efficiency in front of him?
In the last two weeks, Manning is 36-49 for 419 yards, five touchdowns, no picks and a near perfect passer rating. In Sunday's win over Tampa, he completed 17 of 18 passes, a Giants' record 94.4 percent with a minimum of 10 attempts. And this guy's done? Last week marked the 36th time in the regular season Manning led the Giants to victory after facing a fourth-quarter deficit or tie. He's fourth among active quarterbacks, behind Drew Brees (45), Brady (44) and Ben Roethlisberger (40). Lest we forget Manning has also won five postseason games with late drives in two NFC Championship Games and two Super Bowls. And this guy's done? And they made a mistake drafting Saquon Barkley instead of Sam Darnold, too?
Did y'all watch Barkley the last two weeks when they actually blocked for him?
I know they didn't play the '85 Bears. But they didn't play Rutgers, either.
The larger point here is that sports are not as complicated as the analytic crowd — and most other crowds — purport. Football is about blocking and tackling. You do that better than the other guy, you win. Period. We in the media are supposed to know that. Yet I fear there's this mob mentality spawned by social media that suggests temperance doesn't generate the same number of clicks as hysterical pronouncements.
As previously recommended: Leave the spasms to the twits on Twitter.
Because you have two quarterbacks here, one a Hall of Fame lock and another who may get in as well, who deserve better than tired, hysterical, depthless narratives late in their careers.
Straight up: If the Pats protect Brady, they'll have a wonderful chance to return to the Super Bowl.
If the Giants protect Manning (and continue to open running lanes for Barkley), the future is bright. With Eli, not without.
Age (right now, anyway) is but a number, especially — duh — when they block for you. This is the opinion of Day sports columnist Mike DiMauro