JPP: Tom Brady Rattled By Giants' Phantom Pass Rush
NEW YORK (WFAN) -- Tom Brady knows all too well how difficult it is to stay upright against the Giants.
Brady took five sacks and nine hits when his New England Patriots lost to the Giants in Super Bowl XLII four years ago.
On Nov. 6, Brady was sacked just twice in a 24-20 loss to New York. But according to Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, it was enough to scare the All-Pro quarterback.
"If you look at Week 9 when we played them, it's like he felt us," said Pierre-Paul. "We went back on the film, we watched the film and we didn't really rush as we can as a defense. He was throwing balls on the ground and stuff."
So Brady was rattled by a phantom pass rush?
"He was," said Pierre-Paul. "Yeah, he was reacting to pressure that didn't exist and he was just throwing the ball places that there wasn't a receiver there. So imagine us just getting there even faster and we're actually doing out jobs and getting there and getting hits on him."
The Giants finished the 2011 regular season tied for third in the league with 48 sacks. The fan favorite known as JPP led New York with 16.5 sacks.
"They can force the quarterback into some bad decisions and some bad throws," Brady, who finished with 342 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions against Big Blue in Week 9, said earlier this week. "We're going to try and eliminate those. We really can't afford too many of those on Sunday. We had too many of those the last time we played them, and we're not going to be able to win the game making mistakes."
When asked if Brady was rattled in Super Bowl XLII, defensive coordinator Perry Fewell replied, "No doubt."
Pierre-Paul is hoping for more of the same Sunday in Indianapolis.
"Anybody can be rattled," said Pierre-Paul. "Tom Brady is a great quarterback, but at the end of the day, he is just a quarterback. It is not like he is God."
Will the Giants back up the big talk? Sound off below...
