Broncos defensive linemen Antonio Smith and Malik Jackson have shared their opinion that Patriots quarterback Tom Brady whines to the officials when he gets hit in hopes of getting flags that will hand yardage to New England.
Smith added that he’s “never seen any quarterback look to the referee right after he gets sacked more than Brady” and the quarterback faced questions about the Broncos’ opinions during his Wednesday press conference. A dry-eyed Brady appeared amused while responding to the queries without returning any fire in Denver’s direction.
“I’m not sure what other quarterbacks do,” Brady said. “If the refs want to throw flags, I love when they throw flags on the defenders. Absolutely. It advances our team. That’s just part of football.”
Brady was also asked what he says to referees on the field. He said that he doesn’t remember most of them because he’s “taken a lot of hits over the years” and evaded a question about New York tabloid takes on the Broncos’ takes altogether.
The topic also came up when coach Bill Belichick met the media. As anyone familiar with the coach would have predicted, he said the Patriots are focused on the game and not the “hot air” surrounding it.