Bucs QB Tom Brady Says this Loss Was His Least Favorite Moment
The video Q&A started innocently enough with two old adversaries--former Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora and quarterback Tom Brady sharing a laugh.
But in the end, Umenyiora reminded Brady of one of his worst football memories as a pro.
That would be Super Bowl XLII when Giants defensive ends Umenyiora, Michael Strahan, Justin Tuck, and their fellow teammates knocked Brady, then with the New England Patriots, who was in search of the perfect season around like a pinata.
In that game, Brady was hit nine times and sacked five, the Giants defense doing everything possible to make the future Hall of Fame quarterback uncomfortable in the pocket.
That included a big defensive stand against Brady, who tried to mount a come-from-behind drive with 35 seconds left in the fourth quarter down 17-14.
Unfortunately for Brady, the Giants were having none of it. On second down, defensive lineman Jay Alford sacked Brady for a 10-yard loss, forcing the Patriots to rely on the deep ball and a miracle never game as the Giants upset the Patriots and were crowned World Champions.
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Brady, who hadn't been harassed as the Giants had done in that game, completed 60.4% of his pass attempts as the Patriots' quest for an 18-0 season was spoiled by the Giants 17-14.
“That 2007 game was one of my least favorite football memories, just so you know,” Brady told Umenyiora during a Zoom video conference call Monday.
“Probably because I had a lot of you on top of me with grass stains on my back. You and Stray (Michael Strahan) and Justin (Tuck), you guys had a great defense, you guys were an incredible opponent that day, and you guys deserved to win.”
This weekend Brady, now with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, will match wits against the man who was behind that masterful defensive plan that reduced Brady's superpowers to nothing more than a whimper.
Steve Spagnuolo, then the Giants defensive coordinator, is now in charge of the Kansas City Chiefs defense. He will be looking not oy for his third Super Bowl title but also his second against Brady, who called Spagnuolo a “tremendous coach” who “caters to the strength of his players.”
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