Plaschke tries so hard to avoid lauding Brady, he rambles on strangely . . . . .

I'm sure the Patriot haters will love this one. He basically says that since the rules have changed football, Brady is not special compared to Unitas.

I found it rather rambling, unnecessary, and certainly un-Plaschke like. I can't remember the last time I read a Plaschke column and said, "Wow, he kinda mailed this one in."

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-plaschke27jan27,1,5943068.column

The quotes from John Unitas . .JR. are especially precious.

 

I have no problem with anything in that column.

Different eras, different game, different standards.

 

My main question, spnited, was: "OK . . so what's the point?"

You do an interview with Johnny U's son, bust out a quickie column about ho NFL rules have changed, and Brady isn't as good as the dudes who played decades ago, etc. Basically, thoughts than most NFL fans can come up with on their own. Thoughts I understand, and maybe he was looking for a different angle than the media's love affair with all things Patsies. But it just read like something a lesser columnist would hang their hat on.

Just seemed like the kind of throwaway column Plaschke doesn't do.

 

Well, Piotr, maybe people around here should stop thinking that Plaschke --as good as his is -- is some kind of god and accept the fact that he writes a bunch of routine columns... as every columnist does.

Your "lesser columnist" comment implies that Plaschke is above being ordinary now and then.
He ain't God. Hell, he isn't even Red Smith or Jim Murray

 

No, it's not an award-winner, but I don't see the part where Plaschke rambles. It's not that bad.

He's right in a lot of ways. As good as Brady is, he is robotic. So is Peyton Manning. And plenty of lesser QBs. That's part of the reason why people like Favre, picks and all, because he plays with that feel.

I liked the way he compared eras. Too often players from older generations are quickly tossed aside because, as a whole, they are less athletic. That's true, but, as Plaschke said, modern players -- especially the guys on offense -- have a ton of advantages. Rules, medical advances, etc.

I'm glad he made the reference to Montana. It always drove me nuts that, early in his career, Brady was lauded as clutch for the first two Super Bowls. Both times Brady drove with game tied (less pressure than being behind) and Vinatieri kicked FGs. He beat the Rams with a 48 yarder, not a gimme. He beat Carolina with a 41-yarder. And that's after the Panthers gave the Pats the ball at the 40 for kicking the ball out of bounds.

Against the Bengals, Montana went 92 yards and threw a TD pass with the Niners down three. Never thought I'd be defending Montana. Yeesh.

The quotes from Johnny U's kid seemed odd. It was like he interviewed him with another idea in mind and when it didn't go like he had hoped, he still felt obligated to use the quotes.

 

There were much better people to go to than Little Unitas here.

It doesn't back up his points, all valid.

Allie Sherman, Lance Alworth, Don Coryell (who borrowed from Sid Gillman who changed the face of the modern passing game) -- shit, try Al Davis in between his spoonfuls of tapioca. Talk to an old receiver. Talk to an old blocker. Talk to somebody else.

 

Re: Plaschke tries so hard to avoid lauding Brady, he rambles on strangely . . .

It's bullshit, "I remember in the good old days" yammering.

Johnny Unitas did not invent the two-minute drill. Bobby Layne, Otto Graham, Baugh and Sid Luckman did.

I'm sure in 1958-65 or so, there were a bunch of columns cutting down the "young whippersnapper" Unitas, who didn't have to play both ways like the mighty men in the 1940s and 1930s had to.

And in the 1940s, I'm sure old codgers rambled on about how these young punks Baugh and Luckman were playing in the pansy-ass T-formation, they didn't play out of the single wing the way Bennie Friedman and the gods of the 1920s did.

 

I was trying hard to find a single word that wasn't true.

 

Sure, Brady has rule changes on his side, coaching advances, medical advances, equipment advances, etc.

Most of the guys who played defense against Unitas would wind up delivering UPS packages if they tried out for the NFL in this era.

 

"Dammit! You kids get off my lawn!"

 

That column does come off as a little cranky. But, whatever.
My biggest problem with it was the Alex Rodriguez comparison. That's just a cheap shot, and really, not even a good one.

 

You're right, ARod is the better player.