Getty Tom Brady returns to his hometown with an NFC showdown against the San Francisco 49ers.
It’s no secret that Jalen Hurts admires Tom Brady. The Philadelphia Eagles starter confessed to watching the GOAT’s highlights and borrowing skills he excels at. One of the biggest things Hurts has added to his bag is the quarterback sneak.
No one does it better than Hurts right now. He has converted 27 out of 30 sneaks, turning a good number of them into touchdowns. His 13 rushing scores this season is one shy of the NFL record set by Cam Newton in 2011. So, yes, Hurts has been unstoppable — including 22 rushing touchdowns dating back to 2021.
But Brady is the Godfather of QB Sneaks going back to his days with the New England Patriots. Prior to joining the Buccaneers, Brady had an 82-percent conversion rate on quarterback sneaks while attempting 157 of them from 2001-2020. His best year was 2011 when he converted 18 quarterback sneaks.
On a borderline unbelievable note: Jalen Hurts has converted 27/30 QB sneak attempts so far in 2022.
In the SIS era (since 2015), there’s never been a QB that’s converted more than 16 in an entire season.
Pretty wild.
Oddly enough, a Tampa Bay reporter felt the need to bring up Hurts’ success at sneaking it in a video clip that was going viral on Friday. Brady, caught a bit off guard by the regurgitation of stats, stared her down and replied: “Wow.”
Brady said “wow” two more times, then added: “Sick data. Impressive.”
Tom Brady does not give a shit about Jalen Hurts’ stats and Jalen Hurts does not want to see Brady in the playoffs
From there, the 45-year-old future Hall of Famer showered praise on Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles.
“It’s a great tool to have and I like the way they’re doing it,” Brady said. “They are kind of making it like a rugby scrum a little bit, and putting a lot of bodies in there which is kind of a new take on it. It’ll be interesting to see how defenses start to defend that. But he’s doing a great job. He’s a great young player. He’s throwing the ball well, running it well, sneaking it well, they’re scoring touchdowns. They got a great team.”
Nick Sirianni Calls Out Hurts’ Toughness
Head coach Nick Sirianni went on a hilarious rant on Wednesday about how Hurts’ body isn’t like yours or mine. He was speaking to a group of mostly old Philly reporters and laughing as he talked about the Eagles quarterback whooping them in pick-up basketball or in a foot race. It was meant to explain how much of a freak Hurts is when it comes to healing quickly.
Nick Sirianni on Jalen Hurts shot to recover for Saints
“He’s a freak… If you and him went up and shot baskets together, he’d whoop you; if you guys went out and you guys raced against each other, he’d whoop you… his body heals faster than yours.”
Two days later, Sirianni elaborated on Hurts’ toughness. He went into great detail about what needs to happen for the dual-threat quarterback to get cleared to play against New Orleans.
“That’s why it can’t just be him. He’s going to want to be out there no matter what, so he’s going to say, in my opinion, he’s going to say what he needs to say to play,” Sirianni told reporters. “But that’s why it’s a group effort to figure it out, right? Again, Jalen’s health is the first thing you think of. We all have to be responsible for that. Like Jalen, and we urge him to be as truthful as he possibly can in that scenario.”
All I’ve heard from Dallas fans all week is “Minshew played better against us than Hurts did” so I’ll ask this:
Does Jalen Hurts score on this play?
Brady’s Buccaneers Fighting for Playoff Spot
It’s been a bizarre roller-coaster ride for Brady this season between his off-the-field drama and sometimes sloppy play. He has still thrown for 4,178 yards with 21 touchdowns against only 9 interceptions despite failing to make the Pro Bowl. It’s an average season for Brady, but one that would be a career year for a mere mortal.
But the Buccaneers are very much in the playoff picture with two games left. If Tampa Bay beats Carolina this week, then the Buccaneers win the NFC South. Done deal. They would guarantee them a home playoff game in the Wild Card Round, plus their second consecutive division crown. As bad as they have looked at times this season, no one wants to see Brady in the postseason.
Which NFC team are you most wanting to see in the playoffs this season?
