At 43—an age when plenty of NFL QBs are ready to retire and move on to big money in business or broadcasting—Tom Brady picked up after a full career with the New England Patriots and moved to Tampa Bay, where things are not going well.
Brady’s Buccaneers faced off against the New Orleans Saints Sunday and were crushed, 38-3. To add insult to injury, Brady threw one of the worst interceptions of his career, a last-minute toss so cleanly picked off by Saints defenders it looked more like the superstar quarterback meant to do it.
That was the last of three pickoffs Brady threw during the game—the first time he’s done that in nine years. To state the obvious (the Bucs only scored three points), he didn’t throw a single touchdown.
If you ever thought Brady haters based their dislike of the quarterback on his playing for New England, the level of mockery aimed his way during the Sunday Saints game made it clear: Some just want to rip on Tom Brady. This game and the last interception, in particular, set off a lot of jeering online—including from New England fans like sports journalist Gerry Callahan, who tweeted in part, “You just saw the worst throw of Tom Brady’s illustrious career.”
His opponents apparently celebrated and commentators had choice words as well.
Following the game, Brady said, “There’s no magic play, there’s no magic anything. You just go out there and do your job at a much higher level.”
The Buccaneers are currently 6-3 for the season. They face the Carolina Panthers on November 15th, who stand at 3-6. It sounds like a chance to save face for Tom Brady, but anything could happen.
Defensive players are like sharks going after blood in the water when a quarterback is having trouble, so the Panthers likely have Brady in their crosshairs and are ready to put on the pressure.
