Monday morning, former New York Jets and Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan came to the defense of his one-time rival. The ESPN analyst said that Tom Brady is not the problem in New England and that he needs some help. Specifically, he said that there are no weapons outside of veteran receiver Julian Edelman and running back James White.
Considering that Ryan made it is his mission to defeat the Patriots and Brady during his tenure in the AFC East, many found it surprising that he would be defending the 42-year-old quarterback. Why would Ryan make any excuse for Brady given their history?
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Of course, Ryan is someone that generates quite the reaction whenever he makes a statement. Whether he is calling the Dallas Cowboys “soft” or talking about Brady and the Patriots, there is no shortage of responses.
Monday’s discussion about the lack of receiving talent was no different as multiple users on Facebook and Twitter called out Ryan for talking about his former rival. Additionally, others couldn’t believe that he would share such an opinion considering that he only took the Jets to the playoffs twice and was fired from the Bills.
(Photo Credit: Brett Carlsen/Getty)
For the last 3 years, the narrative for the Pats were they can pull any guy from off the streets and they can dominate. The one year they can’t beat talented teams, NOW it’s the “talent” 😂😂
— Mocha Skin Vato (@DreDuranttBTW) December 2, 2019
Throughout Tom Brady’s career, he has been known as the quarterback that can partner with any wide receiver and make them a 1,000-yard talent. There have been jokes about how head coach Bill Belichick just goes down to the local market and signs the guy getting shopping carts out of the parking lot.
Monday, however, that conversation changed. Rex Ryan said that the Patriots don’t have any talent that can work well with Brady, and the fans aren’t buying it. They don’t believe that this storyline can change.
Lol Patriots offense play well ALL credit goes to Brady. Patriots offense struggles Brady doesn’t have enough help smh
— iEuroHoes (@Darkskin_Nikka) December 2, 2019
What is the true reason for the lack of production in New England? Is Tom Brady struggling because he has no surrounding talent, or is he regressing as a player? For Rex Ryan, there is no debate. He is missing out on someone that can change the game with only one play.
For the fans, however, they are tired of seeing the story change on a weekly basis. Many think that the Patriots QB gets too much credit when he is finding success.
The Jets’ last offensive 1st-round pick was Mark Sanchez in 2009. pic.twitter.com/sIRSRWb3qs
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) April 29, 2016
Does Rex Ryan have the secret to success for the New England Patriots? He believes so, especially after saying that Brady needs some surrounding talent to help him when the game is on the line. The fans, however, don’t trust Ryan and believe that he has no leg to stand on after drafting Mark Sanchez with his first overall pick in 2009.
“Rex Ryan telling us what’s wrong with the Pats is like a dead cancer patient telling us they have a cure for cancer…” one user wrote in response to news breaking about the former Jets coach defending Tom Brady.
100% on the money Rex. This is the worst supporting cast brady has ever had (and yes that includes 2013)
— #SenyshynSzn (@senyshynGOAT) December 2, 2019
While there were certainly many that disagreed with Rex Ryan and his viewpoint on the Patriots, a number of football fans actually agreed with him. Upon comparison, they believe that Brady is struggling without figures such as Wes Welker, Danny Amendola, Deion Branch, and Randy Moss on the roster.
Yes, Brady did have Antonio Brown for one week, but he is out of the NFL for the time being. Additionally, former Patriots receiver Josh Gordon was released and is now suiting up in Seattle.
Brady has always had suspect WR talent but his talent elevated them to stars but now Brady’s skills are diminished and needs the supporting talent to carry him
— Brian (@Buckeyes068) December 2, 2019
As someone that has thrown a touchdown pass to a record 75 receivers, Tom Brady has seen his fair share of options in the passing attack. The list of players that have suited up for the Patriots during his 20 years in the NFL is quite extensive. Not all of them were considered Hall of Fame talents.
Despite having a varying roster of options available to him, Brady has still found success and won six Super Bowls. The situation has now changed, and some football fans believe that this is actually owed to age taking its toll on the veteran quarterback.
Brady hasn’t been great and I was giving him a hard time last night, but he’s right. Check the receivers on those pass plays last night, not one was open the entire night
— __Rogan___ (@__Rogan___) December 2, 2019
While the Houston Texans victory over the New England Patriots brought this lack of offensive production into primetime, it is an issue that has existed throughout the season. Brady has admitted as much during interviews with The Greg Hill Show. In fact, he has even said that he has been frustrated at times due to this issue.
Of course, what is the base problem for the lack of big plays and touchdowns? Rex Ryan believes that it is owed to an utter lack of talent in the receiving corps. while some others think that Brady is causing the problems. In the opinion of some, this is an issue that can be blamed on multiple factors.
So the Super Bowl MVP slot receiver is “no help” and “can’t run.”
— Ric White (@ScoobyCheese) December 3, 2019
That’s definitely… …a take…
One of the points that Ryan brought up during his discussion of the New England Patriots is that Julian Edelman is the best option in this passing attack. Although the former Jets head coach did say that he is only a slot receiver and that he can’t run. For many fans, they wanted to argue against this point.
During Super Bowl LII, Edelman was unstoppable. The Los Angeles Rams defense had no answer as he piled up 10 catches for 141 yards and was named Super Bowl MVP. This was also the third championship game in which he led all Patriots receivers in yards.
