Ray Lewis: We only know who Tom Brady is because of the tuck rule

[BLUE 1,026]

Posted by Michael David Smith on January 14, 2015, 2:15 PM EST

Ray Lewis believes the tuck rule is the only reason any of us knows who Tom Brady is.

 

Lewis told Stephen A. Smith on ESPN Radio that the Patriots getting the benefit of the infamous rule when Brady appeared to fumble in his first playoff start against the Raiders in January of 2002 is the reason he has a career today.

 

“When we — the first time we created something called a tuck rule, it’s the only reason we know — I’m just being honest — the only reason we know who Tom Brady is, because of a tuck rule,” Lewis said, via CBS Boston. “There’s no such thing as a tuck rule! If the ball is in your hand, and I knock it out your hand, whether it’s going backwards, forwards, lateral, sideways, however it’s coming out, that’s a freaking fumble! But guess what we created? We created a freaking tuck rule!”

 

Lewis noted that if the Patriots had lost that game to the Raiders, they wouldn’t have made it to the AFC Championship Game that year.

 

“They don’t go to that championship game — they don’t go to that championship game if that tuck rule, if that ball is not called a tuck! That’s a fumble!” Lewis said. “Charles Woodson made that man clearly fumble the ball and they named it the tuck rule, something that we’ve never heard in today’s game. So now you’ve got to ask yourself: When did the legacy really start?”

 

Well, yes, you could argue that Brady’s legacy really started with that tuck rule game. But even if you think that should have been a fumble, and that the Patriots should have been eliminated before Brady’s first Super Bowl, is that really the only reason we’ve heard of Tom Brady?

 

The tuck rule didn’t help the Patriots win the other two Super Bowls of Brady’s tenure as their starting quarterback. The tuck rule didn’t win Brady two regular-season MVP awards. The tuck rule didn’t make Brady lead the league in passing touchdowns three times or lead the league in passer rating and passing yards two other times. The tuck rule didn’t get Brady to nine Pro Bowls. Wouldn’t we have heard of Brady because of all those achievements, even if he hadn’t benefited from the tuck rule?

 

So it’s true that Brady’s reputation was built early in his career largely on the two postseason games the Patriots won after they beat the Raiders thanks to the tuck rule. But it’s ridiculous to suggest that the tuck rule is the only (or even the main) reason we know who Brady is. The tuck rule was 13 years ago. Brady has done pretty well for himself since then.

 

Source: ProFootballTalk

[BenGone 35]

Durka durka!

[Sarge+ 3,436]

And we wouldn't know who Ray Lewis was if he didn't get away with killing someone.

[Dutch 874]

Ray needs to stop. Tons of players have been made famous (or infamous) due to "a" particular play. Those one and done players let the one moment define their careers and did nothing else to build on their legacy. Brady however, appeared in 4 more Superbowls winning two of them, 2 MVP's, broke the single season TD record in 07 (I think), became the winningest QB in post season history with 19 wins, led his team to win their division 10 out of the last 11 years, has been in the elite QB conversation for over a decade and is in conversations of being one of the best of all time. If what Ray Lewis is saying is true, Tom Brady's career would have lived and died at that moment amounting to nothing else. But apparently that's not the case. Tom Brady's legacy is legit and Ray Lewis sounds like a hater right now. He sounds really stupid

Edited January 14, 2015 by Dutch

[RazorStar 4,025]

Ray Ray just mad that his Ravens got aped. Of course what else would you expect from a thug?

 

*sips on haterade*

[SteVo+ 3,702]

And we wouldn't know who Ray Lewis was if he didn't get away with killing someone.

 

 

[Vin+ 3,121]

More like we wouldn't know what the tuck rule is because of Tom Brady.

 

Thanks, Tom.

[BwareDWare94 723]

Man, this guy just can't articulate himself.

 

I think he's trying to say that Tom may not have had a clear handle on that starting gig if they'd lost that game and he may have gone back to being a backup. Let's face it--Tom Brady then wasn't even close to what he is, now. I don't think Ray means to imply that Tom Brady isn't a great player, or isn't definitively the second best quarterback of his generation (sorry, Rodgers is better). I think he means that that play put in motion the greatness that became Tom Brady. Lets face it, if that is correctly called a fumble (sorry, but the NFL rulebook just needs to eradicate some of its bullshit), the course of Tom Brady's career could have taken a much different path.

 

Once again, a celebrity with a podium can't articulate him or herself. Jesus Christ, Ray. This sounds really fucking dumb.

 

You can't have Raven without Ra(y).

Edited January 15, 2015 by BwareDWare94

[CampinWithaMissingPerson 2,025]

[BigBen07 285]

[Reaper39 12]

And we wouldn't know who Ray Lewis was if he didn't get away with killing someone.

Exactly what I said on another site!