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Nickell Robey-Coleman and Tom Brady Sr. might not have ever met one another in person, but they certainly have a connection now. After Robey-Coleman made headlines for the Saints-Rams missed call that sent the Rams to the Super Bowl and the Saints packing, he went viral for a second time for his comments about Tom Brady.
In an extensive interview with Bleacher Report on January 28, Robey-Coleman said that the New England Patriots quarterback might still be talented, but he wasn’t quite what he used to be. Robey-Coleman said, “Age has definitely taken a toll. For him to still be doing it, that’s a great compliment for him. But I think that he’s definitely not the same quarterback he was.”
He continued, “Movement. Speed. Velocity. Arm strength. He still can sling it, but he’s not slinging it as much. Whatever he was doing—because of his age and all that—he’s not doing as much of that anymore. He’s still doing the same things; he’s just not doing as much of it. And sometimes, it’s not the sharpest. But it still gets done.”
Brady’s father wasn’t exactly intimidated by the comments, and he maintained that his son wasn’t either. In an interview with radio station WEEI on February 1, Brady Sr. said, “Sometimes it’s better to shut your mouth, because it’s not in anybody’s best interest to give any of the Patriots bulletin-board material.”
Brady Sr. added, “When somebody comes off and wants to say something like that, they’re just trying to make noise for themselves and bring attention to themselves. The Patriots don’t need to do that, and I’m sure (Rams coach Sean) McVay was going to have a few choice words for him to chill. It has no bearing on anything, we don’t get limited by somebody else’s expectations. It kind of rolls off Tommy’s back.”
As for Brady, himself, he had even less to say. To reporters on January 28, Brady was asked if he had anything to add in response to the fighting words by Robey-Coleman. Brady paused, then said, “Yeah, I don’t have much to add.”
Here’s what you need to know:
Robey-Coleman Has Since Tried to Clarify His Respect for Brady
Tom Brady is asked his reaction to Nickell Robey-Coleman’s remarks, and after a notable pause, he says, “Yeah, I don’t have much to add.”
At opening night on January 28, later that evening after the Bleacher Report interview was released, Robey-Coleman attempted to clarify his comments about Brady. Robey-Coleman said to an NFL reporter, “I think everybody made a big deal of the situation. Tom Brady is a great quarterback. I wasn’t trying to say nothing bad about him. I respect him as the G.O.A.T. He is the legend, and I think words just got misconstrued and they got taken out of context.”
Robey-Coleman further clarified, “I’m not taking nothing away from his game. I can’t take nothing away from his game. This is my first appearance; he’s been in this place many times, this position many times, so I’m not fixing to make a big deal. Like I said, words got taken out of context. I respect him and we’re going to go out there on Sunday and play football.”
As for whether Robey-Coleman believed that the Rams could beat the Patriots come the Super Bowl, he gave a more tempered answer than the one he gave to Bleacher Report, in which he described stabbing them in the chest and pulling the knife out slowly. Robey-Coleman said, “I’m not trying to make any guarantees, or speak ahead of myself, but we have the team, we have the players…we’ve been through a lot, and we’re hungry.”
Brady Sr. on Whether He Believed His Son Should Retire: “I’m Not Sure Why He’d Step Down
During his interview with WEEI, Brady Sr. addressed the notion of his 41-year-old son’s potential retirement — and pretty much shot it down immediately. Brady Sr. said “I kind of have some mixed thoughts on that. My first, primary thought is he’s had a great career and he could hang it up right now and I would be more than tickled to see his career completed. If that had happened two or three years ago, or five years ago, I would have felt the same.”
Brady Sr. continued,
“That being said, when you’re kind of on top of your game, I don’t know why anyone would want to step away. He’s surrounded by the best coach ever and the best ownership group ever. I’m not sure why he’d step down and step off the throne with your teammates if you’ve got it all going.
It’s pretty nice — what is this, five out of six years? Why not make it eight of nine, or whatever the future holds? I don’t know that if you feel healthy and your wife is happy with you and you’re happy with your life why you should step off because the calendar turns a particular year and says well you should get out because nobody has been there and done that. I think he’s basically trying to fight off the ravages of age, and so far he’s been able to and keep his competency level at a point where he’s able to lead a team to a Super Bowl.
When he can’t do that anymore, that’s fine and dandy. He’ll know that.”
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Nickell Robey-Coleman & Tom Brady Sr: The Full Back-and-Forth