In 2018, Tom Brady got revenge for his only career loss to Aaron Rodgers. Brady now wants revenge against Rodgers for their only head-to-head golf competition.
“He beat me on the golf course, which I didn’t like,” Brady told reporters on Thursday, three days before his Buccaneers host the Packers. “We played nine holes of golf and he made a putt at the end to win, so I was a little pissed about that. . . . I always enjoy my time around him. Still trying to get him back on the golf course, though.”
Before that, Brady will get Rodgers back on the football field, for only the third time ever. Brady praised the skills of Rodgers, who like Brady is on the short list of the best quarterbacks in NFL history.
“I think there’s a lot to like about his play and his ability to pass the football,” Brady said of Rodgers. “I think everybody is always pretty much in awe of how he makes it look so easy -- just the throwing motion, the velocity on the ball, the placement of the ball [and] how quickly the ball gets from his hand to the receiver’s hands. It’s been unbelievable to watch over the years and he’s really kept it going. He’s a great passer. He’s very efficient. His touchdown-to-interception ratio -- he basically doesn’t throw interceptions and throws a lot of touchdowns. His decision making is just phenomenal, and when you do that at quarterback, it always puts your team in a position to win. You’ve got to keep from making mistakes and then obviously to throw as many touchdowns as he has, scramble for touchdowns and his ability as a mobile quarterback to buy more time for his receivers is pretty unbelievable too. There’s a lot of great things to say about his game. He’s one of the great quarterbacks to ever play the game.”
Indeed he is. Which makes Sunday’s game even more significant. It’s even more significant to the Buccaneers, who unexpectedly fell to 3-2 last week after losing to the Bears, thanks in part to Brady losing track of the downs on what could have been the game-wining drive.
Brady won’t be able to make many or any mental or physicals errors in order to have a chance for his team to outscore Rodgers, who surely relishes the chance to get a crack at Brady without the supporting cast and coaching staff he enjoyed for all those years in New England.