Morning sports update: ESPN analyst on what is ‘starting to worry’ him about Tom Brady with the Buccaneers
"At some point, when No. 12 plays bad, we're going to have to say, 'You know what? No. 12 played bad.'"
The Patriots face the Jets tonight on Monday Night Football (8:15 p.m. kickoff). New England, at 2-5, is aiming to snap a four-game losing streak.
On Sunday, the Revolution lost to the Philadelphia Union 2-0, and because the New York Red Bulls defeated Toronto FC 2-1, New England fell to the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
Due to that, the Revolution will participate in the play-in round of the MLS postseason, facing the Montreal Impact at Gillette Stadium on Nov. 20 at 6:30 p.m.
Reactions to Tom Brady’s loss on Sunday night: Facing the Saints for the second time in the 2020 season, Tom Brady and the Buccaneers were once again beaten. A fourth quarter field goal — scored after the Saints had notched all of their points on the night — was all that kept Tampa Bay from being shut out in Sunday’s 38-3 rout.
In fact, New Orleans’ level of dominance in the clash of NFC South leaders was effectively complete by halftime in what was a historic defeat for Brady:
This is the 333rd start of Tom Brady’s career, including playoffs.
It’s the first one in which his team has trailed by 30+ points at halftime
— NFL Research (@NFLResearch) November 9, 2020
On Monday, experts tried to place the defeat in context of where Brady is in his first post-Patriots season.
While New England is 2-5 without him, Brady (6-3 so far with the Buccaneers) has not been without struggles of his own.
ESPN analyst (and former Steelers safety) Ryan Clark voiced his concern.
“I think the other part that’s starting to worry me is every time the Tampa Bay Buccaneers play bad, we crush Bruce Arians and we crush the coaching staff. And coaching staffs are very important. Coaching staffs get the teams ready to play, but you still have to execute,” Clark began.
“But every time they play well, ‘Oh, look at the Tom Brady effect,'” Clark continued. “‘Look at the way they rebounded after the Chicago Bears game, and were able to go penalty free. That’s what Tom Brady does! Oh, look at the way Tom Brady can do this. Bill Belichick is missing Tom Brady.'”
“At some point, when No. 12 plays bad, we’re going to have to say, ‘You know what? No. 12 played bad,'” Clark bluntly assessed. “At some point when he doesn’t have a day, or his leadership can’t overcome bad coaching or bad leadership or bad play-calling, we have to say that No. 12 had a bad day.”
Clark criticized Brady’s inability to win games when presented with more challenging circumstances.
“When the crown jewel has been touched or roughed up a little bit, this team doesn’t look the same,” said Clark. “It’s about protecting Tom Brady, but it’s about Tom Brady showing the mental toughness that even on days it’s not going right for [him], bringing [him] here was the right decision because [he] can overcome adversity. Tom hasn’t shown that yet in Tampa.”
Not everyone was ready to pin the loss on Brady, however. Fellow analyst Dan Orlovsky placed blame for the Sunday night defeat on the Buccaneers’ coaching staff.
“I don’t put a lot of this on Tom Brady last night,” said Orlovsky. “He was outplayed by Drew Brees, there’s no question about that. But when you look at that game plan, this was a game plan that was stale.”
Trivia: With Joe Biden’s election to the presidency, the University of Delaware joins Michigan, Miami (Ohio), Stanford, and the Naval Academy as the only colleges to produce both a president and a Super Bowl-winning starting quarterback.
Who is the Delaware quarterback to have won the Super Bowl?
(Answer at the bottom).
Hint: He defeated the “wildcat” Dolphins in his first career playoff game as a rookie in January, 2009.
More from Boston.com:
- Patriots will find answers to beat the Jets, but many questions will remain
- Patriots will be missing three key defensive starters for Jets game
- Patriots, Jets face big-time QB questions beyond this season
- Tom Brady, Buccaneers routed by Saints 38-3
- After breakthrough vs. Clemson, BC looms for Notre Dame
- What experts are predicting for Monday’s Patriots-Jets game
- 4 takeaways from Boston College’s grind-it-out win over Syracuse
The Red Sox rumors are underway
:
Source: #RedSox among teams to express initial interest in free agent RHP Matt Shoemaker, who started Game 1 of the Wild Card Series for Toronto. He posted a 4.71 ERA in 6 regular-season starts. @MLB @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) November 9, 2020
An update on Patriots injuries:
Patriots LB Ja’Whaun Bentley, CB Stephon Gilmore and DL Lawrence Guy have been downgraded to out for #NEvsNYJ.
Patriots TE Dalton Keene did not travel with the team, but his game status remains questionable.— New England Patriots (@Patriots) November 8, 2020
On this day: In 1953, the United States Supreme Court made its second ruling on baseball and the reserve clause. As one of the first decisions from a court with Earl Warren as chief justice, the challenge of George Earl Toolson that baseball violated the Sherman act and other antitrust laws was rejected, 7-2.
In Toolson vs. New York Yankees, Inc., the court upheld its original 1922 decision that Major League Baseball was not interstate commerce, and was therefore not subjected to federal antitrust laws.
Though Toolson had argued that the nature of baseball (and its revenue streams) had changed since 1922, and that interstate travel — as well as interstate broadcasting — was now central to the league’s model, the court declined go against its previous ruling.
“We think that if there are evils in this field which now warrant application to it of the antitrust laws, it should be by legislation,” read the majority ruling.
The implications for the league were enormous. The reserve clause, which effectively tied players to a specific team until the team itself decided to either trade or release them, received more legal reinforcement.
And the legislature, which the court passed the issue to in its ruling, declined to take up the matter.
The reserve clause, and baseball’s antitrust exemption, would be challenged again by outfielder Curt Flood in Flood vs. Kuhn in 1972. The court, now citing Toolson vs. New York Yankees, Inc. as further precedent, once again sided with baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn (by a 5-3 margin).
In the end, it was not the Supreme Court that ended the reserve clause, but organizing among the Major League Baseball Players Association. Guided by union leader Marvin Miller, the players collectively bargained for arbitration rights, and eventually free agency in 1976.
Also on this day: In 1986, Ajax forward Marco van Basten scored a spectacular bicycle kick.
Daily highlight: Despite the ingenuity of this play, the Cowboys somehow still failed to score a touchdown.
2️⃣9️⃣ showing 🆙 #PITvsDAL 📺 @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/x4ZkQKwoIm
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) November 8, 2020
Trivia answer: Joe Flacco
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