Broncos players call out Tom Brady for ‘temper tantrums’
As John Elway would put it, two Broncos players just poked the bear.
On NBC’s “ProFootball Talk Live’’ Tuesday, Denver linebacker Malik Jackson said Tom Brady is a “whiner’’ who “definitely throws temper tantrums.’’
Earlier in the day, a reporter asked Broncos linebacker Antonio Smith whether he thought Brady was a crybaby.
“That would be an accurate statement,’’ Smith said, via the Colorado Springs Gazette. “I’ve never seen any quarterback look to the referee right after he gets sacked more than Brady. Every time he gets sacked he looks at the ref like, ‘You see him sack me? Was that supposed to happen? He did it a little hard. Please throw a 15-yard penalty on him. Get him fined.’’’
The Broncos are set for a rematch with the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game. Denver beat New England, 30-23, in overtime in Week 12. Brady furiously disputed calls with referees, then said after the game that he didn’t think he’d ever been that visibly pissed off.
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Without Julian Edelman, Rob Gronkowski, and Dont’a Hightower, the Patriots couldn’t hold on for a win. But Brady was 23 of 42 for 280 yards and three touchdowns despite the wintry-mix precipitation and pressure from the Broncos defense.
“He’s not going to rattle just because you hit him hard. I’ve tried over the years,’’ Smith told The Gazette. “That’s what D-linemen think: ‘The harder you hit the quarterback, the better it will make it on the secondary.’
“With Brady, he’s a great competitor. You know it’s coming. He’s going to cry about getting hit, but he’s going to take the hit and keep going.’’
But the film doesn’t lie. Smith and the Denver defense watched the tape of Brady against the Chiefs.
Smith said: “That man is automatic.’’
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