No coach in the NFL has faced former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady more times than former New York Jets and Buffalo Bills coach Rex Ryan.
As nearly everyone knows by now, Brady has decided to pursue the remainder of his football career elsewhere and move on from New England.
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While Brady's next destination is unknown, Ryan, now an ESPN analyst, chimed in on the Brady news. Like many, Ryan believes the Patriots did themselves a disservice by letting Brady walk away and that New England ruined the chances of him re-signing after not getting the soon-to-be 43-year-old quarterback any help last season.
Yes, they played well on defense, but offensively, they had Tom Brady and, uh, that’s right, nobody else. No offensive line. No receivers. I’m telling you, it was a mess, and yet he still led his team. And so to me, that’s what he still brings to the table out there to the team that’s gonna sign him. I think Tom Brady is still a terrific quarterback and I think it’s a huge mistake for New England.
Ryan, who went 4-12 (including playoffs) against Brady in his coaching career, elaborated a bit on what the Patriots may do next at QB -- noting that no matter what they do, that player won't even come close to what Brady did for the organization.
I don’t think they realize how huge a loss this is gonna be. It’s easy to dismiss — ‘well, Tom Brady’s getting older, he’s old, this and that.’ Yeah, he was still the best player you had on offense. So to me, I’m excited to see the demise of the Patriots, so to speak.
I faced Belichick one game without Tom Brady at quarterback, and they were 3-0 at the time. And we went to Foxboro with ... an average Buffalo Bills team, and not only did we beat them, we shut them out 18-0. Does it make a difference? It makes a huge difference, and they're getting ready to find out.
New England Patriots
You can watch Ryan's full comments on ESPN here, or by viewing the video below.
Of course, Ryan couldn't miss the opportunity to bash the Patriots, but he isn't wrong either. Jarrett Stidham, or whoever is the Pats' next QB, faces a nearly impossible task in replacing Brady.