1. From a statistical standpoint, Tom Brady did not have a bad game in the Bucs’ 27–22 loss to the Ravens on Thursday. He completed 26 of 44 passes for 325 yards while throwing one touchdown and no interceptions.
However, Tampa Bay’s third straight loss, to put the team at 3–5, has put Brady in very unfamiliar territory.
This is the worst start through eight games in Brady’s 23-year career.
This is the first time Brady has ever been two games under .500 in his career.
This is Brady’s first three-game losing streak in 20 years.
After the Ravens sacked Brady three times Thursday, the seven-time Super Bowl winner became the most-sacked quarterback in history.
And while technically this next nugget isn’t a “record,” it’s very important information for all of us degenerates out there.
Obviously, all of this is bad, but it’s still weird to see so many people say Tom should have retired or should’ve stayed retired. Would the Bucs be in a better spot if Blaine Gabbert was their starting quarterback? Is it Brady’s fault that Tampa Bay’s defense was an embarrassment in the second half Thursday night? Was this play, which led to three Ravens points, Brady’s fault?
On the bright side for Tom, the Bucs will still be tied for first place in the NFC South if the Panthers beat the Falcons on Sunday. And if Atlanta wins, Tampa Bay would only be one game out of first place.
2. Even NFL players are getting in on making fun of Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson these days. Ravens kicker Justin Tucker joked Thursday night about Wilson’s revelation that he spent four hours working out on Denver’s flight to England for its game Sunday against Jacksonville.
3. I think JJ Redick would've been better off not giving the writer in question here who ripped him the attention he wanted, but Redick went the other way and decided to eviscerate the guy.
4. Very classy gesture here by ESPN's Joe Buck, who won't be calling the World Series this year for the first time since 1996.
5. ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky vs. Twitch was an unfair Twitter fight Thursday night.
6. This week's SI Media Podcast features a conversation with Sports Business Journal‘s John Ourand about the latest sports media news. Topics covered include:
• Amazon’s declining Thursday Night Football ratings
• Jim Nantz out, Ian Eagle in for the NCAA tournament
• World Series ratings issues
• ManningCast perspective
• NFL Sunday Ticket update
The show closes with my weekly “Traina Thoughts” segment with Sal Licata, where we discussed a terrible gambling loss, the World Series and Taylor Swift.
You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify and Google.
You can also watch the SI Media Podcast on YouTube.
