Former All-Pro cornerback Antonio Cromartie tormented veteran quarterback Tom Brady during their several battles when they were playing for the New York Jets and the New England Patriots, respectively. In his career, Cromartie had 31 interceptions, four against Brady, Cromartie also tried to wage a word war against Brady, but the latter refused to bite. So it was a surprise that during Cromartie’s appearance on Fox Sports’ “Undisputed” that he defended Brady from criticism for his poor outing in Week 1 in their 34-23 loss to the Saints. “I think people overreacted for the first two games of the season with Tom Brady,” said Cromartie, who played 11 seasons with the Jets, San Diego Chargers, Indianapolis Colts and the Arizona Cardinals.

“Of course, he didn’t have a first outing against the Saints but he came back around and had 198 yards in the first half against the Panthers,” he added.

Cromartie impressed with Brady’s performance

Cromartie said he was impressed with Brady’s performance in their 31-17 win over the Carolina Panthers, especially after they put up points on the board following a dismal performance against the Saints. “He was able to put up points. Something I didn’t really see in the first game because of the turnovers and miscommunication that they had,” Cromartie pointed out. The former cornerback stressed that struggles are normal for any team, due to lack of practice time together and due to the absence of a full preseason together.

“You wanna say that these first two or three games are more likely like preseason games,” said Cromartie.

Brady will regain old form

Cromartie believes that when the Buccaneers finally get on the same page, the 43-year-old Brady will return to his vintage and dangerous form. ”He’s gonna make every single throw and he can still throw the ball down the field.

That’s what I am looking for as this team and himself gets comfortable with each other,” said Cromartie. With Brady at the helm, Cromartie said the Buccaneers can make the postseason. “I honestly think they can make the playoffs. Looking at 10-6 or 11-5 record for the Buccaneers with Brady at the quarterback position,” he said.

Earlier, an analyst said that Brady has more left in the tank than 41-year-old quarterback Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints. The Buccaneers (1-1) will next face the winless and injury-depleted Denver Broncos on the road on Sunday. The Buccaneers are six-point favorite over the Broncos, who will miss the services of starting quarterback Drew Lock, defensive ends Dre'Mont Jones and Demarcus Walker, wide receiver Courtland Sutton and running back Phillip Lindsay. Broncos head coach Vic Fangio is wary about what Brady could bring to the table against his team, saying that the veteran quarterback “still looks pretty damn good to me.”