ATLANTA -- Nickell Robey-Coleman doesn't regret saying anything he said about Tom Brady. But only because what you thought he said about Brady wasn't actually what he said about Brady. According to him.
Got it?
No?
OK, understandable.
Robey-Coleman tried his best to explain himself during the NFL's annual kickoff to Super Bowl week on Monday at Media Night.
"No, I don't regret saying what I said," Robey-Coleman said, "because what I said wasn't what I really said through the created story. What I said was just his age. That's it. What I said wasn't nothing about nothing else."
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The Rams corner said he felt as though what he told Bleacher Report was misrepresented, though his word choice left little in the way of wiggle room for interpretation.
New England Patriots
"Yes. Yes. Age has definitely taken a toll," Robey-Coleman told writer Tyler Dunne. "For him to still be doing it, that’s a great compliment for him. But I think that he’s definitely not the same quarterback he was. Movement. Speed. Velocity. Arm strength. He still can sling it, but he’s not slinging it as much. Whatever he was doing — because of his age and all that — he’s not doing as much of that anymore. He’s still doing the same things; he’s just not doing as much of it. And sometimes, it’s not the sharpest. But it still gets done."
While Robey-Coleman didn't like how the story represented his comments, he wouldn't say he was misquoted.
"I'm not going to give you a straight up answer, but either way, the story was created in a way it shouldn't have been created," Robey-Coleman explained. "I'm gonna just say that it wasn't created the way it was supposed to be created."
He added: "The reaction [to the comments] is kind of bigger than what I thought it would be. I'm taking it all in. I'm not being negative about it. Taking it one day at a time. The support from the organization, the support from my teammates, just keeping me comfortable. We all got support for each other . . . It's all good."
Robey-Coleman was reminded several times on Monday that Brady has attacked defensive backs in the past who've had things to say about the Patriots. In 2007, Anthony Smith guaranteed a victory for the Steelers. Things didn't go well for him that week.
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For all Robey-Coleman's insisting that he has no regrets, he clearly tried to heap praise upon Brady as a sort of mea culpa.
"Great quarterback," Robey-Coleman said quickly when asked about Brady during one media scrum inside State Farm Arena. "He can make all the throws as usual. He puts his teammates in great positions. Just big respect for him and their team, the New England Patriots.
"Nothing negative to say about Tom. He's the face of the league, almost. To go against a guy like that, it's an honor, but it's also a great challenge as well."
Does Robey-Coleman -- one of the more stingy slot corners in football this season -- expect to see Brady target him in the Super Bowl as punishment for saying what he said?
"Maybe," he said. "I don't know that part. I don't know that part. I know that he's gonna make his throws that he's going to make. It's not like he's thinking about this the night before the game. He knows where he wants to go. They've been preparing just like we've been preparing. He's not distracted by this. Trust me. It's Tom Brady. He's done this. Many times before. I'm not gonna make a big deal out of it."
Whether or not Brady does is another story.
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