Getty Tom Brady
Ribbing Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady for his age hasn’t grown old or slowed down of late, and Brady recently chimed in on his age in response to an Olympian’s Tweet.
Olympic baseball player Danny Valencia Tweeted on Monday that every game involving Brady “should be on the History Channel.”
Every future @TomBrady game should be on the history channel. The 🐐
Brady, 43, played off Valencia’s Tweet with a post about Sunday’s historic Divisional Round clash between the Bucs and New Orleans Saints, featuring two long-tenured signal-callers in their first postseason meeting.
Saints quarterback Drew Brees, 41, approved Brady’s message.
Brady and Brees will meet in a playoff game for the first time ever despite 41 seasons and 10 Super Bowls between the two. The game will feature the “oldest quarterback matchup ever” according to NBC Sports’ Michael David Smith.
The future Hall-of-Famers meeting in the Super Bowl almost happened twice — the 2006 and 2018 seasons — when both Brees’ Saints and Brady’s New England Patriots made their respective conference title games. The closest of the two chances occurred in 2018 when the Saints lost following a missed pass interference call against the Los Angeles Rams. Brady and the Patriots went on to beat the Rams in Super Bowl LIII.
Now, Brady and the Bucs hope to add to the annals of the Saints’ postseason miseries. He hinted at wanting to face the Saints before the Bucs’ rival beat the Chicago Bears 21-9 on Sunday in the Wild Card Round. Brees and the Saints had the upper hand in the first two meetings during the regular season.
“I guess it was inevitable,” Brees said about the playoff matchup according to ESPN’s Mike Triplett. “Listen, the minute that he signed with the Bucs and came in the division, you felt like that was gonna be a team to contend with.”
Brady, Brees Defying Time
In his 21st season, Brady continues performing at a high level, the same for Brees in his 20th season.
Brady “has Father Time on the ropes” per Pro Football Focus.
Tom Brady has Father Time on the ropes 🐐
Brady finished third in passing yards with 4,633 and second in touchdowns with 40. He graded out as highest-graded quarterback since Week 13 according PFF. Quarterbacks receive grades based on individual performance for each play according to PFF’s Sam Monson and Steve Palazzolo.
Highest-graded QBs since Week 13:
🔹 Tom Brady – 95.0
🔹 Josh Allen – 92.9
Brees likewise has challenged Father Time but missed three games due to injury this season. The longtime Saints quarterback will likely retire after this season according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Brees still looked elite in 2020 with the second-best completion percentage among starting quarterbacks at 70.7 percent. He finished sixth in quarterback ratings at 106.4. Brees ranked fourth in career grades among quarterbacks entering the playoffs.
Highest career playoff grades among this year’s playoff QBs:
1. Aaron Rodgers – 90.2
2. Russell Wilson – 84.5
3. Patrick Mahomes – 83.9
4. Drew Brees – 81.9
The Bucs defense will have its hands full again with Brees at full strength. If Tampa can slow down Brees and the Saints, it could mean an early retirement party for Brees as Pewter Report’s Mark Cook alluded to.
Attention #Bucs fans, you are cordially invited to view Drew Brees’ retirement party next Sunday at 6:40 p.m. on FOX. No need to RSVP.
The Age Roast
The spotlight on Brady’s age brightened amid the Bucs’ Wild Card win at Washington on Saturday according to the Tampa Bay Times’ Mari Failello.
Brady tying the mark for the oldest quarterback to throw a playoff touchdown on Saturday helped that cause per CBS Sports’ John Breech.
Either Tom Brady is the youngest looking 43-year-old ever or George Blanda is the oldest looking 43-year-old ever. #Buccaneers
Speculation remains on how long Brady will play, but FOX Sports’ Clay Travis said that Brady has extended his prime and that playing until 50 may be within reach.
📺@ClayTravis: “I was watching Tom Brady play on Saturday night and I was thinking ’45?? This dude may play until he’s 50!’”
Has Tom Brady extended the 𝗣𝗥𝗜𝗠𝗘 of his NFL career? t.co/3sjy0Zxvek
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