Tom Brady picked a great day to bemoan the "bad football" being played in the NFL
BOSTON -- Over the course of his 80-year playing career -- give or take a few years there -- Tom Brady has seen the NFL look very different at various moments in history. When he entered the league, analysts were screaming "YOU GOT JACKED UP!" as quarterbacks got knocked out of games on insanely violent hits. Brady led the league with just 28 touchdown passes in 2002. Games were still played on AstroTurf.
That's all to say, he's lived through different eras of football in the NFL.
So, given Brady's incomparable level of experience, a reporter tabbed the quarterback as good recipient of this question on Thursday: Is there more parity than ever in the NFL today?
Brady, though, didn't really answer the question. Not directly, anyway. Instead, Brady used it as an opportunity to say what those of us who stay up late to watch every Thursday night and Monday night game have known for years: Some of the football being played is just plain bad.
"I think there's a lot of bad football, from what I watch," a backward-capped wearing Brady stated plainly. "You know? I watch a lot of bad football, a lot of ... yeah. A poor quality of football, that's what I see."
Controversial? Not really. But it was a statement that at least left itself open to some debate.
That was ... until Thursday night, when the Colts visited the Broncos. Together, the two teams set football back about 50 years.
While a game featuring dominant defenses can be wonderfully exciting, this low-scoring affair was ... not ... that. Instead, it was a slog, featuring two inept offenses unable to do much of anything. Some defensive plays were made, sure -- like Stephon Gilmore's end-zone interception to keep the Colts alive late in regulation, and Gilmore's end-zone pass breakup to win the game in overtime -- but by the time the Colts walked off with their 12-9 overtime win, just about everybody was simply happy that the game was over.
As noted on the broadcast, it was the first time that two quarterbacks with four Pro Bowl appearances apiece played in a game without a touchdown being scored. Matt Ryan and Russell Wilson combined to complete 58.9 percent of their passes while throwing a combined four interceptions. The Colts punted seven times. The Broncos punted five times. Ryan took six sacks. Wilson took four. The Colts fumbled four times. The Broncos fumbled twice.
The game was so bad that many Broncos fans decided to leave the stadium after the Colts tied the game at the end of regulation. Sure, there was more football to be played. But why subject yourself to more of ... that?
For the Broncos, it's the second time in three weeks they've delivered a brutal performance to a national audience. In Week 3, on Sunday Night Football, they were on the winning end of an 11-10 game in San Francisco. On Thursday at home, they were on the losing end of a 12-9 barn burner.
And guess what, people! Next week, we get -- for some ungodly reason -- the Bears hosting the Commanders on Thursday Night Football. And on Monday night next week? It's the ... DENVER BRONCOS!! A week later, the Bears will be back on national TV for a second consecutive week and for the third time in six weeks.
Good grief, Charlie Brown. We are in for some bad football. (And we'll of course watch every minute. Because we're sick.)
As much as we all love football ... we can't exactly say that Brady is wrong. Hey, maybe he'll be good at that post-playing career analyst role after all.
