Max Kellerman Has Yet Another Scorching Tom Brady Take
Max Kellerman continued his crusade against Tom Brady with another hot take about the Patriots quarterback. This time, he described the potential NFL MVP as “ordinary” and ripped the Patriots for keeping him over Jimmy Garoppolo.
To be fair to the noted hot take artist, he’s only talking about Brady over the past five games. And he has been ordinary by his own lofty standards, posting an 81.6 passer rating (including just six touchdowns and five interceptions) in that stretch. The problem? Kellerman compared his recent performance to that of Jimmy Garoppolo. And for him, that’s enough to conclude that the Patriots made a colossal mistake in trading Garoppolo over Brady.
“To take over a miserable, losing franchise that cannot win a game, post the highest QBR in the NFL over five weeks, and they can’t lose a game, you go undefeated,” Kellerman said of Garoppolo on ESPN’s “First Take” show. “Now what’s happening in New England in the meantime? I told you Tom Brady was going to fall off a cliff. Now when you’re falling from the heights Tom Brady is, you pass through ordinariness before you hit bottom.
He continued: “So Tom Brady is passing through ordinariness right now. Five consecutive weeks he’s been ordinary. I don’t remember a time in Tom Brady’s career where over a five-game stretch he was ordinary in every single game. Ordinary, people.
“He’s not a bum yet, but it’s ordinary. That’s what Brady’s been, and he’s 40. And Jimmy Garoppolo is nowhere near his prime yet, and he is undefeated, playing the best football at quarterback in the NFL over the last five — of course, it was a mistake.”
WATCH: Max Kellerman vs. Brady and the Cliff
Kellerman only continues to dig in his heels over the whole “fall off a cliff” argument with Brady. At this point he really can’t come off that take. But it’s now been nearly two years since he first brought the argument to the table. Every time he brings it back up, the take cheapens.
It’s also potentially very shortsighted of Kellerman to act like Garoppolo is already a proven elite QB because of a five-week stretch. Admittedly, Jimmy G. did play excellent football down the stretch for his new team. And Bill Belichick certainly seems to believe the kid is for real.
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Still, Kellerman undoes his latest take by bringing up Peyton Manning. As you surely remember, he won a Super Bowl in his final NFL season with the Broncos despite playing poorly himself. Even if Brady truly is starting to decline (he is 40, after all), why exactly does he have a problem with winning another Super Bowl or two as an average QB?
Because he’s doing this whole song & dance to piss off Patriots fans, that’s why.
Furthermore, Kellerman conveniently ignores that Brady is clearly dealing with multiple injuries. You already know about the Achilles, but he’s also possibly playing through injuries to his right hand/finger and left shoulder and lord-knows-what-else. That may be a convenient excuse for Brady’s recent drop-off, but it’s at least worth mentioning.
Max Kellerman vs. Brady: What’s The Verdict?
Obviously, it’s possible that the Patriots made a long-term mistake (football-wise) in choosing 3-5 more years of Brady over potentially many more years of Garoppolo. But any rational observer knows we should wait at least like, one full season before determining that Jimmy G. is going to be elite for a decade-plus. But this is the business Kellerman has chosen and he needs to come up with stuff for “First Take”. So on Brady, he’s sticking with this one until he’s right.
Safe to say we won’t be hearing much from Max Kellerman if Brady can once again rise above “ordinariness” come playoff time.
— By Matt Dolloff, 985TheSportsHub.com
Matt Dolloff is a digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff.