From one of the all-time greats to another. Tom Brady offered up some kind words for his rival and peer, Ben Roethlisberger amid his retirement announcement.
After 18 years, it has finally come. Big Ben is retiring and will no longer be slinging passes in the NFL. A career that he spent entirely with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Roethlisberger put together a hall of fame career on the field, that’s for sure. He threw for over 64,000 yards, over 400 touchdowns, and so many more amazing stats.
The GOAT of the game, Tom Brady, took time to reach out to Ben. The two battled and competed over the years like no other. While Brady outpaced every QB he ever went against, Ben and his two Super Bowls have their own place in the history of the NFL. What an era. What a career. Check out the kind words that TB12 had for Big Ben.
“Ben defied the TB12 Method in favor of the ‘Throw Some Ice On It’ method his whole career,” Brady said in his tweet. “And ended up an all-time-great with 6 Pro-Bowls and 2 Super Bowls. There’s more than one way to bake a cake!”
After facing each other 12 times over their careers, Tom Brady took 9 of those games. However, the respect the two have for one another is clear. They are part of the same generation of quarterbacks, with Roethlisberger being younger, and it is starting to come to an end.
So, let’s talk about the elephant in the room here. What about Brady’s retirement? It has been one hell of a ride and it is clear that the QB is really thinking about stepping away. He could come back and play at 45, but will he?
Tom Brady is in ‘No Rush’ to Make Retirement Decision
After this season, and especially after the last game that Tom Brady played this season, it is clear he can keep going. Brady doesn’t take a lot of hits. He avoids running when possible. The QB has mastered staying healthy and uninjured. However, that doesn’t last forever.
As he gets older, his body will slow down. It might be a fraction of the pace a regular person does, but age is age. Brady might have 7 rings, but Father Time is undefeated. What this decision comes down to is a family and personal decision. In a conversation with Let’s Go! a sports podcast, the GOAT talked about retirement.
“I think the point is there’s no rush for me to figure out what’s next,” he said. “You know, I’ll know when I know. It’s a day after the season. So I think for all of us, you know, we can all decompress a bit. It’s been six straight months of football, every day consumed by day in and day out football.”
To be honest, that doesn’t sound like a man that is as in love with football as he used to be. Is Tom Brady ready to give it up? Has football gotten too old for Brady instead of the other way around?