Former great Pittsburgh quarterback Terry Bradshaw was none too pleased with the manner of the celebration by Drew Brees last Sunday, when he set the all-time mark for most consecutive games (48) with a touchdown pass.
Drew Brees took a bow before the home crowd, and how he had asked disgraced, suspended coach Sean Payton to be there.
Bradshaw "thought it was disrespectful to the San Diego Chargers." He also cited how many times Brees passes the ball typically during games, and claimed that the record does not mean as much as it did when Johnny Unitas first set it in the first place, since Unitas did not nearly throw the ball as much as Brees did, and also played in an era of football that perhaps was not as friendly to high scoring offenses, and particularly to quarterbacks. This has actually been a common criticism of the newly established streak by Brees.
MJD of Yahoo Sports covers this story, "Terry Bradshaw didn't like how Drew Brees celebrated his record-breaking TD"and makes the valid point that play was not stopped. In fact, there was no interruption of the game at all. Just an announcement and a celebration by Brees. He mentions that it might have been a bit on the self-centered side for Brees, but it is nonetheless a huge accomplishment, one way or another. He is still doing interviews on early morning news programs as of this morning when I write this, on Thursday, October 11, 2012.
Whether it is as impressive as Johnny Unitas's record or not, it is, ultimately, an impressive streak that other quarterbacks have not managed since Unitas. That includes names like Montana, Marina, Elway, Manning, Favre, Brady, and Rodgers. None of them managed it (at least not yet, for the active players among them), and Brees did. It is a huge accomplishment and a testament to longevity, and it seems to me that Brees deserves his moment in the sun. Let him bask in it a bit. he has always been a class act otherwise, and I personally don't think that celebrating such an achievement qualifies as an inexcusable act of narcissism on his part.
In fact, I think Drew Brees generally tends to conduct himself very well, both on the field and off the field. He seems like a class act, and a genuinely likable guy. I respect Terry Bradshaw and what he did, winning four rings with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1970's, and was appreciative of his criticism of current Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisburger. But that said, I'm not entirely sure what he is complaining about here with Brees. Whether or not he wants to acknowledge it, Brees has every right to celebrate a huge accomplishment, one of many in his already storied career, but one that sets him apart on many levels from other elite quarterbacks.
Plus, I would suggest to those who have seemed critical of Unitas's old record being passed by Brees, and that this came in an era that is, without argument, more friendly to offenses, and particularly to quarterbacks, then when that streak was established in the first place. Yes, they have a point, but that is not Brees's fault. Secondly, Brees just passed the record to set a new one, but it is not over yet. Will it be less impressive if Brees manages to continue the streak for a good long while yet? Again, if it is so easy these days for quarterbacks to get such streaks, why haven't other quarterbacks done it? It seems like this is, indeed, a huge accomplishment, and you certainly cannot blame Brees for celebrating it. You might not agree with the precise way in which he celebrated it, given the controversial nature of the coach's suspension this season. But the coach obviously means a lot to Brees, and that implies that he has had a huge impact. Unless Brees did something entirely outrageous and without class, which Brees did not do, then there really are no grounds to publicly criticize the guy. Brees is enjoying his moment in the sun. Let him enjoy it as he sees fit.
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