"Do not be afraid of Tom Brady" - Shannon Sharpe backs Aaron Donald taking on Buccaneers QB
In the latest episode of The Undisputed, former NFL star Shannon Sharpe praised Aaron Donald for his recent comments on Tom Brady, ahead of their divisional matchup this Sunday at Tampa Bay.
In an article posted by the LA Times a couple of days ago, Rams players were asked their opinions on Tom Brady. Most of the players gave the seven-time winning Super Bowl champ a lot of praise. However, Aaron Donald's response seemed to be the only one that wasn't impressed with Brady.
Donald said: "It's a new year. Respect what he did in the past, but it's a whole new year"
Shannon Sharpe respects Aaron Donald for not showering praise onto NFL legend
When asked on a scale of 1-10 how much Sharpe liked Donald's response on Undisputed, Sharpe responded by saying:
"I love what Aaron Donald said. This is how I think a lot of guys feel, but I'm not sure they have the competence to overbalize it like Aaron Donald did."
"What was he supposed to say? Tom Brady is generational. He's historically he's transcendently great, whatever term you want to use greatness and however you want to define it. Tom Brady has a picture in the dictionary next to greatness. That's what he's been, great. He's been clutch."
Sharpe went on to say that Donald wasn't showing a lack of respect to Brady but that he was just confident and that he wasn't caught up in awe of the great quarterback. Sharpe advised the Rams and Donald to go into Tampa and not be afraid of Brady.
"And so I think the thing is for Aaron Donald and his team to go in there and approach it like that. Do not be afraid of Tom Brady. Do not be in awe of Tom Brady. We're going to respect him as a player and what he's been able to accomplish. But those accomplishments doesn't help him in this game," said Sharpe.
.@ShannonSharpe on Aaron Donald provoking Tom Brady before Divisional matchup:
"It's what he's supposed to say. I think sometimes people get in awe of Tom Brady. You respect what the man has done, but that doesn't have to do with anything in this game." https://t.co/afRydyQk2e
While Donald did acknowledge Brady's storied NFL career, but he's just not looking to be stuck in stardom ahead of their matchup. Donald has quite the resume himself and could very well be the greatest defensive player ever at the end of his career. From one competitor to another, Donald's comments aren't to be taken out of context, I think it just shows his competitive nature.
Tom Brady and Aaron Donald meet Sunday and both have GOAT status
Brady will have his chance to impress Donald when they face each other Sunday. The Buccaneers host the Rams Sunday at 3:00 PM ET in the divisional round. Brady and the Bucs will be looking for redemption as they fell to the Rams in Week 3. For the Rams, they'll be looking to get a step closer to going to the Super Bowl for the second time in the Sean McVay era.
Let's take a look at the two superstars' resumes.
Brady: The 44-year-old quarterback is unarguably the G.O.A.T. Brady is a seven-time Super Bowl winning champ and three-time league MVP, holds the record for most career wins, passing yards, touchdowns, completions, and attempts. We all know how great Brady is.
Donald: If the stoic defensive weapon retires today, one could argue he's the greatest defensive player of all time. Donald is a three-time DPOY winner (2017, 2018, and 2020) he's made the Pro Bowl every time in all eight of his seasons (2014-2021) he was the DROY in 2014, and he's been selected to the All-Pro team seven times (2015-2021.)
Aaron Donald's career so far:
2014: DROY, Pro Bowl
2015: All Pro, Pro Bowl
2016: All Pro, Pro Bowl
2017: All Pro, Pro Bowl, DPOY
2018: Unanimous All Pro, Pro Bowl, DPOY
2019: All Pro, Pro Bowl
2020: Unanimous All Pro, Pro Bowl, DPOY
2021: Unanimous All Pro, Pro Bowl
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