“Whooped his butt” - Tom Brady's Buccaneers backup highlights the one game where even the GOAT bows down to him
Tom Brady's Tampa Bay Buccaneers boast one of the best quarterback rooms in the NFL, but that is solely thanks to the future Hall of Famer. Backup Ryan Griffin is not someone most fans would even recognize, as he is behind his superior in almost every aspect. But for all his impressive abilities, Brady apparently pales in comparison to Griffin in one area.
Unfortunately for Griffin, it's an area that has nothing to do with the game of football. In fact, it's an entirely different game. The backup claims to have "whooped his [Brady's] butt" in table tennis, according to Sports Illustrated.
Taking it a step further, Buccaneers tight end Cameron Brate even said Griffin was the superior golfer in comparison. That's impressive given the fact that Brady is a celebrated golfer and competed on Capital One's The Match. In that game, he featured alongside other NFL quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen and Aaron Rodgers.
Griffin is best known for carrying his drunken superior away at the Super Bowl parade. A humbling position, but he's at least got table tennis and golf to lean on.
Will Ryan Griffin ever start for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers?
Despite an inauspicious start to the season for both Brady and the Buccaneers, they still stand at 2-1 atop the NFC South. Brady has not played particularly well, but until his arm falls off or he throws interceptions on every possession, he's not in danger of losing his job.
Griffin has taken 10 snaps in his career that has spanned 10 seasons. That doesn't indicate that he'll be a starter at any point in the future. Even next year, if Brady retires, the likelihood that Griffin will be the starter for the Buccaneers is very low. Next year's quarterback class coming out of college is strong, but they will likely be picking too high to take advantage.
A free agent is much more likely. Here are several intriguing options from next year's crop of impending free agents:
- Lamar Jackson
- Baker Mayfield
- Sam Darnold
- Jimmy Garoppolo
- Teddy Bridgewater
- Daniel Jones
- Jacoby Brissett
- Geno Smith
All of these mark an improvement over Griffin. A few of these players, such as Jimmy Garoppolo and Daniel Jones, are unlikely to remain with their current teams. This will open the door for Tampa Bay to fill the Brady-sized void (or at least try to) for the foreseeable future without having to lean on Griffin.