Pittsburgh Steelers fans say goodbye, or good riddance, to Tom Brady

The Pittsburgh Steelers have had many enemies in the Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin era. Whether you talk about Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs, Vontaze Burfict, Myles Garrett or even Chad Johnson. Nonetheless, none of them come close to comparing to Tom Brady.

The former New England Patriots turned Tampa Bay Buccaneers tormented the Steelers during his time in New England, and many Steelers fan nightmares star No. 12 driving a stake into Pittsburgh’s Super Bowl hopes and dreams.

Nonetheless, on Tuesday news broke of Brady planning to retire from the NFL after 22 remarkable seasons.

With Brady reportedly being done, there is a lot of emotion with Steelers faithful. Some can’t stand him to this day, others have developed an appreciation for his overall play, while others will miss having him in the league.

Wherever you stand, the BTSC staff wanted to weigh in on the topic, so below you will see a short paragraph from writers and podcasters who wanted to give their two cents on the topic.

Feel free to add your own commentary in the comment section below!

Jeff Hartman

With the Steelers in full offseason mode, I was actually painting a ceiling when the news came through our slack channel of Brady’s retirement. I said it there, and I’ll say it here too...I still can’t stand that man. Sure, he was arguably the greatest to ever do it at the quarterback position, but that doesn’t mean I have to like him. I can have a general appreciation for what he’s accomplished without showering him with love and praise. Forget that. The Patriots, and mainly Brady, were a thorn in the Steelers’ side for his entire tenure with the Patriots, and if it weren’t for the 2001 playoff game where the Steelers knocked Drew Bledsoe out of the game, if Brady would even be Brady today. Probably, but I still can’t stand him. I don’t say goodbye to Brady, I say good riddance. Guess I’ll have to find another player to constantly root against no matter where, or who, they play.

---

Bryan Anthony Davis

Why on earth are we celebrating the retirement of Tom Brady. Everybody is honoring a cyborg manufactured at Skynet and was created by Cyberdyne Systems for SAC-NORAD and not a real person or a man. The truth is that the Tom Brady that we have watched rip open our black-and-gold hearts has never ever breathed life and is nothing more than artificial intelligence more annoying than Haley Joel Osment in that A.I. movie in 2001. No real human being could do the things that the imposter wearing No. 12 for New England and Tampa Bay for all these seasons did. So go ahead and honor this machine that we wrongly let dominate a football league for what seems like ever. I’m glad that the league is decommissioning him and giving others a chance. I won’t miss you Tom Brady. I hate you because the Steelers picked Tee Martin instead of you.

---

Dave Schofield

There are plenty of reasons for Steelers fans to despise Tom Brady over the years. From matchups in the playoffs to one game where we all know somebody caught that ball (I hope my brother brings this up), there are many reasons to say “good riddance” to Brady. For me, I only ever witnessed him play in person one time. This game was in 2018 at Heinz Field in Week 15. With the Steelers holding onto a four-point lead halfway through the fourth quarter and the Patriots threatening, I saw Joe Haden come down with the interception at the 4-yard line. The Steelers then held the ball for more than five minutes and kicked the field goal to go up seven. Brady still almost led them back to win the game, but they came up short and the Steelers were victorious. It was the last loss by the Patriots during the 2018 season as they won their final two regular season games and all three of their postseason contests. Out of all the other things I could focus on, I’m going to remember that game. Why? Simply because I can.

(Now for the confession: I only went to that game because I couldn’t sell the tickets. I really didn’t want to see Brady beat the Steelers again. Perhaps it was fate.)

---

Geoffrey Benedict

I have a different view of Tom Brady than most Steeler fans, I was born an hour outside of Detroit Michigan and have been a University of Michigan Wolverines fan for longer than I have been a Steeler fan.

I remember Tom Brady being the guy who followed Brian Griese at quarterback, following the 1997 National Champion Wolverines. The guy people wanted benched so #1 recruit Drew Henson could start. He wasn’t flashy, but the team won 10 games in both his seasons leading the team. When the Patriots beat the 2001 Steelers in the playoffs I was upset, but not at the Patriots. The Steelers 4 turnovers were what made me angry. I actually rooted for the Patriots in the Super Bowl against the Rams, I’ve always been a fan of defense over flashy offensive teams.

That doesn’t mean I didn’t grow to hate Tom Brady in the coming years. Those Patriot teams have animosity reserved for them I’ve never had for any other team. Brady was a unique QB whose skill-set made him the perfect foil for Dick LeBeau’s defense, one of the greatest defensive schemes in NFL history. LeBeau’s scheme beat most quarterbacks, but played into Brady’s hands and it was awful.

But his career took a 180 degree turn for me when he went to Tampa Bay. I delighted in the Patriots falling apart while Tom Brady took the Buccaneers to the Super Bowl, and as a big fan of defense, I loved seeing players like Levonte David, Ndamukong Suh, former Steelers Steve McLendon and Ross Cockrell win the Super Bowl, and I was able to embrace Tom Brady and his unique greatness.

The Patriots still suck, and Bill Belichick isn’t the genius he has been lauded as for almost 20 years. He’s just another very good coach that was carried to championships by a great QB.

---

K.T. Smith

When I think of Brady, I’m always reminded of Anthony Smith. Smith, for those who don’t remember, was an otherwise forgettable Steelers’ safety drafted in the 3rd Round out of Syracuse in 2006. In the run-up to Pittsburgh’s December 2007 clash against the then-undefeated Patriots in Foxboro, Smith guaranteed a Steelers victory. Those words found their way to Brady’s ears.

Brady hit Randy Moss, who ran right past Smith, for a 66-yard touchdown pass on New England’s first possession. Later, they ran a flea-flicker to victimize Smith for another. Following that one, Brady ran over to Smith, got in his face and said some things he would not repeat in case, as he told reporters afterwards, “my mother reads it.” He threw for 399 yards and four TDs in all. The Pats won, 34-13.

The moment Anthony Smith opened his mouth, that game with New England was over. That’s because no one this side of Michael Jordan loved a challenge, or thrived on a slight, as much as Tom Brady. Jordan got cut from his high school basketball team and Brady had to wait until the 6th Round to be drafted. Both used those rejections as fuel for a fire that was hot as Mercury. More than natural ability, more than football IQ, it was Brady’s hatred of losing and his desire to prove people wrong that made him one of the greatest competitors American sport has ever known. I loathed Tom Brady for it, because so often it manifested in misery for the Steelers. Still, I cannot deny his greatness. He is the GOAT of NFL quarterbacks, no questions asked.

Congratulations, Tom Brady, on a truly remarkable career. Now don’t let the door hit you in the butt on the way out…

---

Big Bro Scho (Rich Schofield)

I could make this really short and sweet if I wanted to and just say GOOD RIDDANCE! I guess I should go an and articulate my point a bit more. Although never a Patriot fan, I did like Drew Bledsoe. I was sad to see Bledsoe injured, but thrilled the Patriots then had to roll with some no name 6th round draft pick. Little did I know that no name 6th round draft pick would spend the next two decades making my life as a football fan miserable. Not only did he seem to have the Steelers number, it seemed that I was always rooting against him and he seemed to always get the best of me not matter the color of the helmets his opponent was wearing.

This guy ticked me off so many times it isn’t even funny anymore. The Tuck Rule. Comeback in the Super Bowl after being down 28-3 against the Falcons. How many game winning drives in the last 2 minutes of a game can one guy have?

As poorly as the Steeles faired against him, there are teams whom he dominated as much or more. His record against Buffalo is 33-3. Atlanta, Minnesota and Dallas never beat him!

Maybe I am an evil person, but the moments I remember best are some of the ones where he failed. Two Super Bowl losses to the Giants (including the helmet catch and ruining the perfect season), the Philly Special in the Super Bowl, losing a season after a knee injury against the Chiefs (although they changed the rules because of it), Deflategate and subsequent suspension and the favorite of Scho 2.0 (#paykyle), was him forgetting it was 4th down, thinking instead it was only 3rd, when our friend De’Andre Houston-Carson of the Bears broke up a pass intended for Cameron Brate.

In the end, what can I really say. The guy could (and probably still can) play. Not only play, but also win. What I will say is what I started with...GOOD RIDDANCE! Now I can watch Super Bowls again until I find another player I refuse to watch play in one.

You may have noticed that I have not yet even said this players name in my write up, and that is on purpose. I don’t just hate the game, he is one of the few where I hate the player too (although I do respect his game). I will close with mentioning the players name I think of most often now when it comes to the Steelers and the Patriots....Jesse James caught that ball!

---

Anthony Defeo

Good luck to the man who already has everything. In reality, you should be wishing me luck, luck with trying to survive this apparent Steelers downturn after they were only able to win two Super Bowls. In a normal world, where two Lombardi Trophies are considered to be a fair amount for a fan, I would be happy and content. But in your universe, where seven rings is now the standard of excellence, I will always feel inferior. So, thanks...I guess?

---

Andrew Wilbar

Despite the fact that I am a Michigan fan, I have never rooted for Tom Brady. Spy gate was, of course, near and dear to the hearts of all Steelers fans, and the fallout with Deflate Gate did not make me like him any more. How about the time they were caught on video recording the Bengals sideline? Think of all the times they may not have been caught as well. Was the pulling of the fire alarm in the motel at 3:00 in the morning just a fan, or was it planned?

While I do believe Bill Belicheat is most responsible for the cheating, Brady was certainly the biggest beneficiary. He may have beaten the Steelers more than Ben Roethlisberger beat the Patriots, but as the two quarterbacks are likely to enter the Hall of Fame the same year, I believe that Roethlisberger’s résumé is more credible than Brady’s. We may have lost to Brady on a frequent basis, but at least we lost honestly.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Shannon White

My lovely wife asked me a question today while she was cooking supper. "Did Brady really retire or not?" I assured her that today it finally became official. I told her that my fellow BTSC colleagues and I were going to share our thoughts about the man in this article. She asked me if I remember him playing in college, and she thought it was incredible that so many teams didn't draft him. I told her that I indeed had watched him play multiple times for the Michigan Wolverines in college, and remembered those games well. Honestly, I wasn't impressed in the slightest. I thought he might have a career as a quality backup QB, but not even a hint he would go on to be the greatest winner in NFL history. But I am hardly alone, as every team passed on selecting him for over six rounds.

Earlier today my mother called me asking if I had heard about Brady's retirement. My mom knows basically nothing about football. She roots for the Steelers because she knows how much I have always loved them. Recently she has become enamored with Tom Brady, probably because of his advanced age. She ask me regularly how he has been playing. Although I find her asking me about a sworn enemy more than a little aggravating, I always give her an update. When she found out I was going to be sharing my opinion in this article, she asked "You aren't going to say anything too bad about him are you?" I reminded her that I am honest to a fault, but I will leave it at this.

Tom Brady is the greatest winner in NFL history. He found himself in the perfect QB/HC pairing with Bill Belichick, but he was equally responsible for their unmatched success. That's all I got. Because as my mom always taught me, "If you can't say something nice, don't say nothing at all!"