Is former Washington Redskins defensive lineman Dexter Manley simply desperate for publicity while he works to promote his upcoming “A Football Life” episode on the NFL Network, or is he really just that ignorant? Maybe it’s a combination, but either way, someone needs to tell Dexter Manley to stop talking.
Thursday morning, while doing an interview with the Junkies on 106.7 The Fan, Manley let loose with a rant about New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady that even Gary Busey would admit made absolutely no sense. Here is what the former Redskins defensive lineman provided in the interview:
“First of all let me tell you something, let me ask you guys a question: who would you take, Joe Theismann or Tom Brady?” Manley began. “I’m taking Joe T. I’ve got a guy [at work], he loves Tom Brady, and I think Tom Brady, I ain’t gonna go there, but Tom Brady can’t even pack Joe Theismann’s jock. This [co-worker], that’s all we debate all day is about Joe Theismann or Tom Brady. I think Tom Brady can’t pick up a first down. He has no athletic skills, he’s surrounded by good people, but the guy is in the toilet, in my opinion. In my opinion he’s in the toilet.
“I’ll take Joe Theismann, I’ll take [Matt Ryan], anything over Tom Brady,” Manley went on. “I’ll take Joe Theismann first, I’ll take Matty Ice second, and I might take Doug Williams third, but I’m not gonna take Tom Brady to lead my team nowhere….Tom Brady is garbage. He can’t pick up a first down. He has no athletic skill. He’s surrounded by people, but Tom Brady is garbage. Garbage!!!!”
Um, what? We need a Saturday Night Live “Really!?!” sketch ASAP. Where are Seth Myers and Amy Poehler when you need them?
Brady is in the toilet? Has Manley been watching the 2015 season, where Brady has completed 63 of 91 passes for 754 yards and seven touchdowns, with zero interceptions? Apparently not. How about last season, when the former Michigan Wolverine threw for 4,109 yards, 33 touchdowns and had only nine interceptions? Did Manley watch as the Patriots defeated the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl earlier his year? The same Super Bowl where Brady had a fourth-quarter for the ages. Did Manley happen to catch any of that? It doesn’t look like it. If he had, he couldn’t possibly be stupid enough to make the comments he did.
How can Manley, or anyone think it would be a good idea to take Joe Theismann first, current Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan second, and Doug Williams third, all over Brady? Just looking at the postseason, Theismann was 6-2, with one Super Bowl win in two trips. Williams was 4-3 with one Super Bowl win in his only trip. Matt Ryan is currently 1-4 in the playoffs, with exactly zero trips to the Super Bowl. Brady is 21-8 in the postseason, and he’s won four Lombardi Trophies in six trips to the Super Bowl. All three quarterbacks Manley referenced were (or in Ryan’s case still is) talented, but Brady is better than all of them.
Manley makes the assertion that Brady is surrounded by good people. I can admit that Brady has benefitted from playing for one of the best, if not the best, NFL head coaches ever in Bill Belichick. He’s also enjoyed some really good defenses. But he’s also helped carry the Patriots when they had less than stellar defenses or running games.
Brady has also had the luxury of throwing to only two truly great receivers. He threw to Randy Moss for two plus seasons, and he currently gets to play with tight end Rob Gronkowski each week. Those two players are all-time greats, but they are the only truly great receivers Brady has been able to call teammates throughout this career. There have been some talented receivers (Julian Edelman is currently on the team), but Brady has made some simply average, or below average, receiving corps look better than they really were.
This is not the first time Manley has made an ignorant comment. In 2013 he was fired (rightfully so) from a spot on a radio station in Washington D.C. after the bigoted verbal onslaught he directed at former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman. At that time Manley made homophobic comments about Aikman, and called him “a queer.” First, AIkmen has never come out as gay, so Manley’s assertion was basically unfounded. And second, who cares if the former Cowboys quarterback is gay? It just shouldn’t matter to anyone if Aikman, or anyone else, is gay, straight, bi, or transgender. But Manley can’t help but make stupid and ignorant comments.
I’m a lifelong Patriots fan, and a huge fan of Brady, so I will almost always come to Brady’s defense. I do try to be objective, but I can freely admit that I’m biased towards defending Brady and Patriots. And I get that there are many people on the opposite end of the spectrum. I’m talking about the people who love to tear down Brady and the Patriots any chance they get. But even those who are biased against Brady have to wonder about Manley’s sanity after those comments. And someone needs to tell him to just stop talking already.
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