New York Tabloids Capture Tom Brady As Crybaby With Grotesque Illustrations

Peyton Manning and Tom Brady will once again face off in the AFC Championship Game. The two future Hall of Fame quarterbacks have played 16 previous times so finding a fresh story line has been challenging for scribes and talking heads.

Thankfully, Denver Broncos defensive lineman Antonio Smith just provided one by agreeing, via the Colorado Springs Gazette, with the idea that Brady is a “crybaby.”

"“That would be an accurate statement. I’ve never seen any quarterback look to the referee right after he gets sacked more than Brady,” defensive lineman Antonio Smith said with a smile at Dove Valley on Monday. “Every time he gets sacked he looks at the ref like, ‘You see him sack me? Was that supposed to happen? He did it a little hard. Please throw a 15-yard penalty on him. Get him fined.'”"

Smith went on to heap mountains of praise upon Brady to soften the blow before getting another jab in.

"“He’s not going to rattle just because you hit him hard. I’ve tried over the years,” Smith said. “That’s what D-linemen think: ‘The harder you hit the quarterback, the better it will make it on the secondary.’ “With Brady, he’s a great competitor. You know it’s coming. He’s going to cry about getting hit, but he’s going to take the hit and keep going.”"

It’s difficult to make a definitive judgement on if this qualifies as bulletin board material in 2016. Brady does, on occasion, appeal for calls. Most, if not all quarterbacks, do the same — including the one starting for Smith’s team on Sunday.

Like it or not, politicking for flags has become an accepted part of the game. While deciding if the Patriots will cover 3.5 points is nothing more than an educated guess, betting that there will be complaining and crying by both teams when things don’t go their way is a sure thing.