If there’s one thing that seemed relatively easy for Dwight Freeney during his 16-year NFL career, it was sacking quarterbacks.
However, the likely soon-to-be Hall of Famer says there was one quarterback who was especially difficult to tackle during his career.
Appearing on Keyshawn Johnson’s podcast, “All Facts No Brakes,” Freeney answered the question of who were the toughest quarterbacks to sack, and the answer was a bit surprising.
.@TomBrady, @BrettFavre & Steve McNair are among @dwightfreeney’s toughest NFL QBs to sack 👀 pic.twitter.com/btQOiR7H23
— All Facts No Brakes (@AllFactsPod) April 17, 2024
“Tom Brady wasn’t easy,” Freeney said. “And the reason is because of how, from a system standpoint, they were getting rid of the ball in under two seconds. They knew the strength of our defense, and they knew what was going on. They said, ‘Look, I don’t care if you’re open or not, receiver, this ball is coming out.’
“I think when you’re playing against a guy like that, you better have your best move. And even if you have your best move dialed up, and you win on your best move, you still may not get there. It becomes very frustrating as a pass-rusher because you understand that this ball will not be in this man’s hand because he does not want to get sacked. I think he’s probably you know, one of the most underrated from that standpoint. People don’t talk about it enough.”
Freeney’s Indianapolis Colts played against Brady’s New England Patriots quite often, so he had plenty of chances.
He also added that he never for the chance to sack Brett Favre and Peyton Manning but wished he had.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.