The NFL Twitterverse is going crazy...
Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 11:16 am
...over the dichotomy between Tom Brady and George Blanda.
Brady broke yesterday Blanda's record as the oldest quarterback to throw a touchdown pass during the playoffs. Blanda did that at 43 years, 108 days during the 1970 AFC Championship Game with the Raiders, while Brady did it at 43 years, 159 days yesterday in the Super Wild Card Round with Tampa Bay. The gist of the freak-out, though, is that Blanda looked like a grizzled old weather-beaten sailor, while Brady is a chiseled hunk that women still adore. What remains to be seen, though, is whether or not Brady will break Blanda's ultimate age record, as Blanda didn't retire until age 48. The difference, though, is that at the end of Blanda's storied career, he was a backup quarterback, salvaging games nearly ruined by the hotshot youngster Daryle Lamonica, who couldn't read a zone defense, AND was also the Raiders' kicker, and so didn't take all that many hits, even in an era when there were much fewer rules designed to protect quarterbacks. Brady, on the other hand, is still a high-achieving starting quarterback who is constantly taking a pounding, even in the presence of these crazy rules that "put a skirt" on the quarterback. We'll see....
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Brady broke yesterday Blanda's record as the oldest quarterback to throw a touchdown pass during the playoffs. Blanda did that at 43 years, 108 days during the 1970 AFC Championship Game with the Raiders, while Brady did it at 43 years, 159 days yesterday in the Super Wild Card Round with Tampa Bay. The gist of the freak-out, though, is that Blanda looked like a grizzled old weather-beaten sailor, while Brady is a chiseled hunk that women still adore. What remains to be seen, though, is whether or not Brady will break Blanda's ultimate age record, as Blanda didn't retire until age 48. The difference, though, is that at the end of Blanda's storied career, he was a backup quarterback, salvaging games nearly ruined by the hotshot youngster Daryle Lamonica, who couldn't read a zone defense, AND was also the Raiders' kicker, and so didn't take all that many hits, even in an era when there were much fewer rules designed to protect quarterbacks. Brady, on the other hand, is still a high-achieving starting quarterback who is constantly taking a pounding, even in the presence of these crazy rules that "put a skirt" on the quarterback. We'll see....
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Flags would have flown if that play where Heinike got slammed to the ground happened to Brady.