The claim of former NFL coach and current football analyst Tony Dungy that quarterback Tom Brady was only the sixth-toughest quarterback he’s coached against was a hard pill to swallow for one of the signal-callers' former teammates with the New England Patriots. Damien Woody, who was part of the Patriots’ offensive line from 1999 to 2003 and won two Super Bowl rings with Brady as his quarterback in 2001 and 2003, expressed his displeasure over Dungy’s statement during his appearance on ESPN’s “Get Up”, per Chris Rosvoglou of The Spun.
Tony Dungy said that Tom Brady was the 6th-most difficult QB he had ever coached against. @damienwoody:
"It's totally disrespectful! ... Tom Brady was, is the absolute GOAT quarterback. Period." pic.twitter.com/FrNArI9AxL
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) December 24, 2020
“It’s totally disrespectful, man.
People will call me a homer and all that type of stuff because I played with Tom Brady, but I’ve seen his greatness up close and personal,” Woody said. While the guys mentioned by Dungy such as Aaron Rodgers, John Elway, and Steve Young may have better arm talent, Woody said Brady is the absolute GOAT (greatest of all time) quarterback from the neck up. “But from the neck up, Tom Brady is the absolute GOAT quarterback. Period,” Woody said.
Brady says he’s just having fun with Dungy
Earlier, Brady responded to Dungy’s comment on his Twitter account, posting a photo of the Indianapolis Colts banner that “2014 AFC Finalist”. However, Brady addressed the issue with Dungy during his press conference on Wednesday.
“I was just having fun,” Brady said, clarifying that he was only referring to Dungy as the Indy head coach, not as the Bucs head coach. “So it was nothing personal. Coach Dungy knows I love him,” said Brady, adding that he was just giving him a little grief. “He gave me a little grief. I gave him a little grief. It was all in good fun,” the veteran quarterback explained.
https://t.co/mxsEmFlJdj pic.twitter.com/cdN1T55yU6
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) December 22, 2020
According to Wil Leitner of Fox Sports Radio, Brady has a 5-3 record against Dungy-coached Colts teams, including 2-1 in the playoffs. In his 20-year stint with the Patriots, Brady won six Lombardi trophies in nine Super Bowl appearances before he signed a two-year deal worth $50 million with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the offseason.
Jones won’t play vs Lions
The Buccaneers will try to clinch their first postseason appearance since 2007 when they take on the Detroit Lions on Saturday at Ford Field. The Buccaneers, who carry a 9-5 record, entered the week as a 7.5-point favorite over the 5-9 Lions, who have lost four of their last five outings. However, the Buccaneers will face the Lions without their No. 1 rusher Ronald Jones II, per Luke Easterling of USA Today. Easterling reported that Jones is still recovering from surgery to repair a broken pinkie and he’s still on the NFL’s Reserve/COVID-19 list. With Jones out, the Buccaneers have to rely again on Leonard Fournette to carry the load in the running game. In their 31-27 win over the Atlanta Falcons, Fournette ran for two touchdowns to complement Brady’s two touchdown passes.