Boomer Esiason on D&C: Tom Brady is back

Boomer Esiason

CBS Sports NFL analyst Boomer Esiason checked in with the Dennis & Callahan show Monday morning to talk about the Patriots’ victory over the Bengals in Sunday’s opener. Esiason said the game marked a turning point for Tom Brady. “Watching the game yesterday, Tom Brady is fully, 100 percent recovered. His knee is no longer bothering him whatsoever,” Esiason said. “I thought his decisions, not only were they good, they were quick. He was accurate, the ball was coming our great. And how about Wes Welker? To me, that’s got to be the story of the year so far. That kid, being back, doing what he’s doing, as quickly as he is, is really a miracle to me.”

Regarding Randy Moss‘ postgame speech about feeling unappreciated, Esiason was asked how he dealt with “divas” such as Moss. “In the 14 years I played, I never played with a guy that was quite like the receivers are today,” Esiason said. “They all complain, they all wanted the ball, and that was just all natural. But I never played with guys like this. I don’t know necessarily how you deal with all this nonsense that goes on. I do know this: Since Randy came there, I’ve become his biggest fan. And I think that he truly is playing with a Hall of Fame quarterback, so all of a sudden you see his production increase, you see the balls hitting him in the hand as opposed to him having to dive for everything. And I understand where he’s coming from. I know that when he sees the end of his career pretty much right there staring him in the face, and that nobody’s going to give him [$7 million] to [$8 million] to $9 million anymore, he’s actually speaking out. And I understand that.”

Added Esiason: “At the end of the day, that team is Tom Brady’s. And Tom Brady will throw him the ball, he’ll keep him happy, he’ll score a lot of touchdowns. And then where the metal meets the meat in this case will be once the season is over, once they get into the playoffs, if he’s still bitching and complaining at that moment, then it will be really interesting.”

Touching on the Logan Mankins holdout, Esiason said: “I understand where Logan is coming from and I don’t blame him. Everybody’s got to get their payday whenever they possibly can. He’s right in the midst of the prime of his career. I know it’s tough on him, and I’m sure it’s tough on Tom Brady.”

To hear the interview, including why Esiason picks the Ravens to beat the Jets in the Monday night game, visit the Dennis & Callahan audio on demand page.