HOT TAKE: Lacklustre Brady Carried to NFC Championship Game

The Punt Return Podcast’s very own Josh Wye is an opinionated man. He doesn’t mind stirring the pot.

Cowardly punts. Mediocre defenses. GOAT narratives.

No one is safe, and you will hear about it.

And when we say ‘no one is safe,’ that is especially the case when it comes to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers‘ leading man.

“It does my fucking head in!” Wye exclaims, talking about the constant Quarterback narratives that inevitably get thrown up during the NFL Playoffs.

“So many quarterbacks get blamed for losing despite their defense letting them down… (whilst) you have some QBs who get ALL the credit whenever they’re barely the reason they win the game.”

So, does he have a point?

On the weekend, Tom Brady was labelled the hero after a less than convincing win over the New Orleans Saints. This was despite the fact that the Buccaneers defense piled the pressure on Drew Brees and the shell-shocked Saints offense, parlaying into one of Brees’ worst playoff performances of an illustrious career.

THE STATISTICS

The statistics are hard to ignore: forcing four turnovers (including three INT’s), the Bucs’ defense came up big-time, and in doing so, carried a quarterback – with less than 200 passing yards to his name – to another Championship game. And, said defense gets zero credit, while the QB claims all the plaudits.

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He did throw for two touchdowns, as well as rushing for another, but Brady was gifted great field position and momentum from a prolific defensive unit that set the tone throughout the duration of the game. But, of course, Wye sneers, that is down to Brady’s “will to win,” snarling at the continued narrative that discredits the efforts of a defense that was simply sublime that night.

It’s hard to deny the greatness of Tom Brady, but it is important not to ignore the fact that one of the things that helps to separates him from other top tier QB’s is the defensive performances that has bailed him out time and time again.

THE COMPARISON

The Green Bay Packers’ defense allow 35 touchdowns on 85 postseason possessions (41.2%) in playoff losses helmed by Aaron Rodgers, whilst New England Patriots’ defensive units in their six Super Bowl-winning seasons only allowed TD’s on just 19.2% of opposing possessions. Indeed, in 18 plus years of playing in the NFL, a Tom Brady franchise defense has never conceded 30 points in back-to-back games.

Makes winning a little easier for the quarterback.

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