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| Brady only has laudatory things to say about Tebow. (Getty Images) |
Posted by Ryan Wilson
Tom Brady is a believer. Either that or he learned something from Bears linebackers Lance Briggs and Brian Urlacher, who recently had some back-handed compliments for Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow.
Before Denver beat Chicago in overtime Sunday, Briggs said that "[Tebow] is one heck of a football player [but] we're going to have to stop that crap." And Urlacher, after the game, called Tebow "a good running back." (And technically that's true even if Tebow looked as much like an actual passing quarterback against the Bears as he has at any point during his NFL career.)
Well, Brady, who will face the Broncos Sunday, had only laudatory things to say about Tebow during his weekly radio appearance on Boston's WEEI.
"All of us were watching the game last night on the airplane; just as we were taking off was when they came back and won the game," Brady said (via ESPNBoston.com).
"It was an exciting game. They obviously have a very good team," he continued. "They play for 60 minutes. They've obviously closed a lot of games and finished very well. We have a huge test. We'll all be excited, and hopefully have a good week of preparation and be ready to go on Sunday."
New England has little trouble scoring points, but their defense is among the NFL's worst. According to Football Outsiders' metrics, the Pats' D ranks 26th (20th against the run, 26th against the pass). The Broncos have been a run-heavy team since Tebow took over the starting gig in October, but he set single-season highs in attempts and completions against the Bears (21 of 40, 236 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT).
Consequently, Brady isn't buying the talk that Tebow is out of his element (which, frankly, is a storyline pretty much everybody else has abandoned, too).
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Patriots quarterback Tom Brady argues with offensive coordinator/QB coach Bill O'Brien after his fourth quarter interception. |
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"Everyone says he struggles throwing the ball," Brady said. "What I saw [Sunday], he had no problems throwing the ball. He threw the ball extremely well when I was watching."
And Brady's even fine with not being the most talked about quarterback heading into the matchup."That's OK. Believe me, there is great reason. They're winning a ton of games and he's playing very well."
Head coach Bill Belichick, meanwhile, had kind words for the entire Broncos organization.
"They have a good football team. It's certainly not one player," he said. "They've done it a lot of different ways. They're throwing the ball, running the ball, driving it. They've been making critical plays when they have to make them, whether it's a strip sack or a field goal. They're doing it as a team."
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