Cowboys rookie tempts fate, talks Tom Brady's weakness ahead of Thursday night showdown

Dallas Cowboys rookie Osa Odighizuwa didn't say anything boastful, brazen or unseemly on Thursday.

The defensive tackle simply addressed a football question with a thoughtful, insightful answer.

But should he have? Well. You be the judge.

With the NFL's Thursday night opener between the Cowboys and Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers a week away, a reporter asked Odghizuwa to discuss Tom Brady's weakness. Per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Clarence Hill Jr., he obliged.

“He’s not very mobile,” Odighizuwa answered. “I mean, you know, he’s been playing for 21 years. The dude is a little older, not too mobile. I’d say that’s probably what it is.”

Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa in action at practice at the NFL football team's training camp in Oxnard, Calif., Wednesday, July 28, 2021. (AP Photo/Michael Owen Baker)
Osa Odighizuwa is not scared of bulletin board material. (AP Photo/Michael Owen Baker) (Michael Owen Baker)

He then explained that it's the interior line's — and subsequently his — job to get pressure on Brady because scouting informs them that doing so drops his passer rating by 50 points.

Odighizuwa's analysis is not an industry secret. Brady has never been mobile. He's regularly rated as the league's slowest starting quarterback in "Madden." He's not going to find an extra gear at 44 years old.

He didn't give away any inside Cowboys strategy. The book on Brady — and most any NFL quarterback, frankly — is that if you want to win, get pressure. It's a formula the the New York Giants rode to a pair of Super Bowl wins and an Eli Manning Hall of Fame campaign.

It's also not disrespectful. In fact, Hill reports that Odghizuwa was deferential when discussing Brady on Thursday, referring to him as "the GOAT" while lauding his success and longevity.

He even produced a more than reasonable response when asked if his comments might provide bulletin-board material for the seven-time Super Bowl champion.

“I feel like he’s not a guy who’s too worried about what I’m saying,” Odighizuwa said. “He’s obviously going to be aware of it, but he’s been doing this for awhile. People have been saying this, that and a third. He’s been doing his thing.”

All this makes sense. It exudes confidence, respect and a thoughtful approach to the game. But was saying it out loud a good idea?

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