Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin spoke his mind about the quarterback battle in Super Bowl LV between Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs. During an interview with Kyle Brandt on “The Ringer”, he was asked about Mahomes, whom he described as a combination of Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ talent and Brady's decision-making. Brandt put Irvin, a three-time Super Bowl champion, on the spot by asking “if you are down five in a Super Bowl right now with a minute and a half left with 80 yards to go, who would you pick between Mahomes and Brady as a quarterback?” Without batting an eyelash, Irvin replied “I want it to be Tom Brady, period”, per transcription of the video of the show on YouTube.
Irvin praises Brady's decision making
Explaining his choice, Irvin said, “ultimately, these moments are made on certain moments that you can make that play when you have to.” Irvin noted time and again, Brady did what we needed to do to win the game as proven by his 10 Super Bowl appearances, compared to just one by Rodgers. Irvin believes that somewhere along the line, Rodgers didn’t make the right decision. "It’s about decision-making, we just caught up on talent,” he stressed. Rodgers lost to Brady and the Buccaneers, 31-26, in the NFC Championship Game.
Brady could be GOAT across all sports
Irvin also spoke beyond the debate on who’s the greatest of all time (GOAT), the Hall of Famer said he thinks Brady could be the greatest athlete across sports, because of what he’s doing right now with the Buccaneers.
“We’re not talking about him being the greatest quarterback, we’re talking about him being the greatest athlete period who ever lived,” he added. On Feb. 7, Brady will be going for his 7th Super Bowl in 10 appearances on the NFL’s biggest stage.
Romo says Mahomes can’t catch Brady if…
Earlier, former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and current CBS Sports football analyst Tony Romo discussed the rivalry between Brady and Mahomes, per Conor Roche of Boston.com.
As of now, Romo believes that Mahomes has the potential to be the best quarterback ever. At age 25, Mahomes already won a Super Bowl title, Super Bowl and an MVP trophy. However, Romo said if Brady wins on Feb. 7, it would be challenging for Mahomes to climb the ladder. ‘If Mahomes wins, he keeps that door open. If Brady wins, I don’t know how anyone can stop him,” said Romo, calling Super Bowl LV the biggest game n Mahomes’ career as this is the only way he can catch Brady.
“If he loses this game, he cannot catch Tom Brady, in my opinion,” he added. The Chiefs are a three-point favorite over the Buccaneers, per CBS Sports. But the Buccaneer will enjoy home-field edge after becoming the first team in NFL history to play for a Super Bowl trophy in their home turf.