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Bart Scott Doesn't Respect Tom Brady's Toughness Because He's A Dork Or Whatever

BOSTON (CBS) -- I'm sorry, Pats Nation. I really didn't want to write about yet another loudmouth trash-talking Tom Brady for no good reason other than to troll for attention. I hate to make myself look like an insecure baby.

But former NFL linebacker Bart Scott (that of the "Can't wait!" fame) made comments on Brady that don't bother me one iota. They're actually pretty funny and I don't completely disagree with what he said. I'm not going to spend much time defending Brady's toughness in this column, because it's not necessary.

But Scott told Damon Amendolara Wednesday on CBS Sports Radio that he respects Brady as a quarterback, just not as a "tough guy."

"I respect Ben [Roethlisberger]. Ben is a guy who can come sit at a table with any group on that team," Scott said. "He can go sit with the D-linemen, 'What up Ben?' He's like one of us. He had a defensive mentality. He has a tough-guy mentality. There's nothing tough about Tom Brady. The toughest thing about Tom Brady is his chin because it has the dimple in it, which is characteristic of most super heroes."

He continued: "Listen, I respect him, but he plays the game differently. No different from the way Peyton Manning plays it." Implying that he plays in a way that avoids getting hit, which if you ask me is just smart quarterbacking, but whatever.

Scott made me chuckle with this next part, and he's not wrong: "Listen, I respect Tom Brady, but when he does that he looks like a dork. How many times does he miss air high-fivers?"

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Touché, Mr. Scott.

Look, everyone knows Brady comes off in the public eye like a dork and a "corn ball," as Scott described him. He's the lanky awkward guy at the party in khakis and loafers who doesn't know how to move his limbs when it's time to dance.

But he's also "maybe the greatest quarterback in the history of football," as Scott himself said, and his toughness is unquestioned. Besides his ACL injury, he's never missed a start and has played through multiple injuries while rarely complaining about them. He gets right back up after taking hits, and continues competing.

You don't have to show off how tough you are to be tough. There's a popular term around here for people like that: "hardo". I'm actually glad Brady isn't a hardo.

Obviously, Brady's personality doesn't scream "tough guy" or "manly," and that's really all Scott is talking about - I think. Sounds like he was just messing around and wasn't meant to be taken seriously. No need for anyone to get all sensitive about a guy who's been out of football for three years poking fun at the GOAT.

People with eyes and brains agree that Brady is one of the toughest quarterbacks of his generation. But he doesn't always come off that way. Brady may be a corn ball, but he's our corn ball. I'll take a dorky winner over a rugged choke artist any day, and I'm sure Bart Scott would too.

Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com and wouldn't turn down an invitation from Tom & Gisele's wine & cheese party. His opinions do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Read more from Matt here. Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.

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