If Fredo Mangini Would STFU About Tom Brady's 'Injury,' That'd be Great

“I’d say my biggest concern is the injury to Tom Brady in the fact that he’s missing time during practice and the fact that they’re bringing Cody Kessler in.

“They don’t bring in three quarterbacks. They don’t operate in a three-quarterback system unless there’s an issue that’s a little bit bigger, so that to me is the concern that I have.

“For them to bring in Kessler, I would imagine that he has a legitimate injury and that’s where my biggest concern is. It’s a calf, and look, they’re going to be listed as limited in practice, but you can rep a guy once or twice and say they’re limited in practice. I mean, there’s ways to present that.”
-Eric Mangini on FS1

Look, I get that FS1 hired the downtrodden, defeated, vaguely man-shaped, empty, hollowed-out shell of the one we once referred to as Eric Mangini not because he was a successful head coach or because he’s particularly good at talking about football. But because he once was in Bill Belichick’s good graces. That is, before he sold him out to the NFL’s Hyman Roth, Roger Goodell, and the Solozzo owners. And that maybe, just maybe, he might provide a little insight that only a former associate (who named his son after Belichick) could.

But enough of this. He can knock this Tom Brady injury talk right the fuck off. As a matter of fact, he should be disqualified from ever talking about the Patriots. In the way judges will recuse themselves if they’ve got a history with one of the plaintiffs. Just skip over Mangenius on the panel and go to someone more qualified to give an unbiased opinion, which will be any living, breathing person.

Newsflash, Fredo. If what you’re saying is true, the Patriots are in violation of the rules. In a league, as you well know more than anyone, never stops looking for an excuse to over punish them. If you think they’re going to risk losing draft picks, suspensions or even fine money by taking Brady off the injury report when he’s legitimately limited with an injury, you’re living in Fantasyland. Hell, this is the same team that listed Brady with the same shoulder injury long enough to have his arm declared legally dead. And he never missed a snap due to it.

Besides, what’s this bullshit about how bringing in Cody Kessler is a reflection of how they feel about Brady’s calf and not Jarrett Stidham’s readiness? They had two quarterbacks. They gave Stidham a series. He overthrew a receiver badly and gave up Pick-6. Two days later Kessler got off a plane at TF Green. It’s not complicated, unless you’re desperate to sound like you’re plugged in to what’s going on at One Patriots Place, which Fredo most definitely hasn’t been since he left for the Jets in 2005 and his key card was canceled.

And since when do they not “bring in three quarterbacks”? Down through the years they’ve probably carried three more than they’ve had two. In 2005 they backed up Brady with Matt Cassel and Doug Flutie. The next year it was with Cassel and Vinny Testaverde. In 2016 it was Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett. Hell, just last year it was Brian Hoyer and Danny Etling. The idea of them having a veteran to go along with a developing rookie only goes back to Brady himself being fourth on the QB depth chart, backing up Drew Bledsoe.

But when you’re desperate for relevance, you don’t let the facts get in the way of a good fake narrative. Thank god we’ve got guys like Marcus Spears on TV making some sense, at least.