by: garpu.ukPosted on:

Watch: Rex Ryan gives priceless reaction as Alex Smith calls out Tom Brady’s ‘uncompetitive’ AFC East

Patriots

Ryan, a longtime AFC East coach against Brady, seemingly took Smith’s words to heart.

Alex Smith disagreed with Tom Brady’s NFL take — at the expense of his co-hosts. Washington Post photo by Jonathan Newton

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Tom Brady’s comments about the ‘mediocrity’ in today’s NFL have drawn buzz all over the sports media landscape. On Sunday, another former quarterback chimed in on the debate.

Alex Smith appeared on ESPN’s “Sunday NFL Countdown” and fired back at Brady’s comments. Three different personalities on set got caught in the crossfire during Smith’s argument.

“He [Brady] played in the most uncompetitive division, I think, in NFL history,” Smith said. “You come out of training camp, the biggest cupcake division, you got a ticket to the playoffs right away. Talk about mediocre.”

On a panel with former Patriots Randy Moss and Tedy Bruschi, along with longtime AFC East coach Rex Ryan, Smith certainly drew some interesting reactions on Sunday morning. Smith must have realized what effect his comments might have on the room, as he prefaced with a “no offense” to the other three at the desk with him.

Nothing was more priceless than Ryan’s face, though, as he coached two different AFC East teams during Brady’s Patriots era. Moss and Bruschi laughed off the comment, but Smith was essentially calling out Ryan, among many others, and Ryan was visibly flustered.

The former New York Jets and Buffalo Bills head coach had a losing record over eight NFL seasons. He was 5-12 against the Patriots.

During Brady’s tenure with New England, the Patriots finished atop the division all but two seasons. One of those years was 2008, when Brady tore his ACL the first game of the year.

Brady owned the AFC East, and Smith didn’t let that go unnoticed. Smith also noted that Brady hasn’t been retired very long, and played in the same version of the NFL that he’s talking about.

“In my opinion, I think the game’s gotten better,” Ryan said. “There’s more parity across the league, quarterback play is at an all-time high … you’ve got the best athletes playing the position.”