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Mike Francesa says Tom Brady not best regular season, Super Bowl QB: ‘Played the longest’

Mike and the Mad Dog were back together, and the timing couldn’t have been better with the news of Tom Brady’s retirement on Wednesday.

Even if it did upstage the big reunion on “First Take.”

“I wish Brady picked another day. He could have any day he wants,” Mike Francesa said at the opening of the show.

Francesa joined Chris Russo and Stephen A. Smith on ESPN with the program naturally fueled by Brady’s emotional announcement and his place in sports history. Francesa had his hot take ready to go, saying he was going to “throw a little oil on the ceremony.”

“Tom Brady made himself great,” Francesa said. “He wasn’t great. He wasn’t great in college. He lost his job, which is what field him his whole life. He was the most competitive person anybody ever met and he worked harder than anybody ever to be this good.

Mike Francesa
ESPN
Tom Brady, after winning his seventh Super Bowl title with the Buccaneers in 2021.
USA TODAY Sports

“He’s not the best regular season quarterback I’ve sever seen, Peyton Manning is. He’s not the best Super Bowl quarterback who ever lived, Joe Montana is. What he is though is the guy who played the longest, and he won the most games. He won the most Super Bowls so he will be remembered because nobody’s gonna play 23 years and nobody’s probably ever gonna have a chance to win that many Super Bowls.”

Francesa cited Montana’s perfect 4-0 Super Bowl record that includes 11 touchdowns and no interceptions. Brady, of course, has won seven Super Bowls in 10 appearances, five of which he was named MVP, compared to three for Montana.

As for Manning, his career mostly paralleled Brady’s and compares somewhat favorably, though he only won two Super Bowls — first with the Colts, then the Broncos — in four trips. He was however a five-time NFL MVP, two more than Brady.

Tom Brady announces he is retiring for good in video message on social media on Feb. 1, 2023.
Twitter / Tom Brady

Mike Francesca on first take said this about Tom Brady retiring

“Tom Brady is not the best regular season quarterback I've ever seen it’s Peyton Manning & He's not the best Super Bowl quarterback who ever lived, Joe Montana is.” pic.twitter.com/Coy1LSFENJ

— Shannonnn sharpes Burner (PARODY Account) (@shannonsharpeee) February 1, 2023

“Tom Brady made himself great,” Francesa said. “He wasn’t great. He wasn’t great in college. He lost his job, which is what fueled him his whole life. He was the most competitive person anybody ever met and he worked harder than anybody ever to be this good.”

Smith, seemingly outnumbered with Russo supporting Francesa, shot back, “If I said anything like this, you’d kill me!” Russo rebutted: “Because he’s better than you.”

But Smith also agreed with Francesa, telling him that his initial reaction to the comments was that they were “blasphemous rhetoric.” But as Smith thought about it he came to a different conclusion: “He’s right.”