Tom Brady defended by Rex Ryan
The New England Patriots and New York Jets have one of the greatest rivalries in football, but one of the things that goes relatively unnoticed about the pre-game press conferences is just how much praise and respect both teams have for each other. For instance, Geno Smith absolutely gushed when asked about the New England Patriots defense at his press conference yesterday, and Rex Ryan took the time to defend Tom Brady after he was criticized by a reported who asked a, presumably, bad question.
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) talks with head coach Bill Belichick late in the fourth quarter against the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Patriots beat the Bills 23-21. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports
According to ESPN Boston’s Mike Reiss, New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan was asked if Tom Brady struggled at times during the game against the Buffalo Bills, and he disagreed. From Ryan, “I don’t know if I would classify Tom Brady as struggling. I’d have to see that to believe it; I don’t think he’s ever struggled. To me, what I saw was a team that could really run the football. In the past, they’ve run the ball, but not with the conviction that I saw in that first week, against a pretty darn good front. That’s something that obviously looks like New England is going to run the ball more than they’ve done in the past.”
Tom Brady didn’t have the best stat-line, but he had a solid game if you watch closely. He didn’t have Danny Amendola out there for all of the game, and that’s easily the Patriots best receiver. Shane Vereen and Julian Edelman also played very well, but Kenbrell Thompkins had a rough day and only turned 14 targets into four receptions; that can really skew a stat line. The pick? That play was on Zach Sudfeld. Brady was throwing the ball with incredible velocity, and I didn’t see any accuracy issues from him either.
Ryan continued and also praised Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola, “If Tom had such a bad game, they had two receivers over 100 yards. Oh my goodness. You have a couple Wes Welker clones there in [Julian] Edelman and [Danny] Amendola, so it’s difficult, no question.”
Edelman a Wes Welker clone? That was the only false statement Ryan made.