Neither the New England Patriots, nor the Pittsburgh Steelers have faced a difficult slate of quarterbacks during their winning streaks, but only the Patriots defenders have had to hear about it on a weekly basis.
Patriots CB Logan Ryan has the perfect response to those detractors.
“We play who is on our schedule,” Ryan said. “I don’t really control that, and I see a good quarterback every day in No. 12 [Tom Brady]. So, at the end of the day, I see a pretty good one daily. So, I think that’s an advantage.”
That’s a pretty good point. Some teams face a good quarterback two or three times a year. The Patriots defenders see the greatest quarterback in the history of football every single day at practice. That has to count for some part of preparation, right?
Every single member of the Patriots will point out that the team practices harder than any other franchise so game days seem easy. They cover every possible football situation and play at a higher competition level than if they had to face the Cleveland Browns on a Sunday.
The Patriots knew CB Malcolm Butler was the real deal after he kept intercepting Brady at practice because Brady practices like every throw is his last. The best quarterback Ryan has faced this year isn’t Seahawks QB Russell Wilson or Bengals QB Andy Dalton; it’s Brady, and Ryan has lined up against him every single week since July.