Bart Scott takes a shot at Tom Brady ... again

BOSTON -- Stop the presses. Alert the president. We have got some breaking news: Bart Scott is not a fan of Tom Brady.

We'll hold for a moment as you collect your breath.

Of course, the former Jets linebacker never was a fan of Tom Brady, but he's also gotten plenty of life in his decade of retirement by talking about Tom Brady. Scott did exactly that again on Tuesday, when he stated that defenses preferred facing Brady over Peyton Manning when those two were considered the best quarterbacks in the sport of tackle football.

"I'd rather play against Tom Brady every day of the week than go against Peyton Manning," Scott said on ESPN Radio last week, in a clip that somehow gained steam five days later. "I believe that's how everybody feels. Like, in the heyday, never ever have I said when I'm playing the Patriots, 'I'm so afraid of Tom Brady.'"

Scott stated his opinion that Manning was much smarter than Brady in terms of pre-snap recognition, which made it more challenging to play defense against him.

"Peyton Manning gives you a total, a different sense of anxiety. Like you have anxiety," Scott said. "With Tom Brady, it was more about Bill Belichick, the entire team, the execution, like, them having a game plan."

Scott said he used to fear being pointed out by Manning before a snap, because the quarterback would know how to exploit whatever Scott was giving away. That suggestion led to at least one humorous clip finding its way onto Twitter:

Scott obviously got a lot of run -- and, to really stress it, that is a lot of run -- from his "CAN'T WAIT!" comment to Sal Paolantonio after the Jets beat the 14-2 Patriots in the 2010 playoffs. But he also talks like someone who dominated Tom Brady for his entire career, when in fact his teams went 3-8 when facing Brady, including losses in all four games after that famous playoff upset in Foxboro. After the famous "CAN'T WAIT!" quote was uttered into a microphone, Scott's Jets lost in the AFC Championship Game in Pittsburgh, and he never played in another playoff game again. The Patriots averaged 36.3 points in their next four games against Scott's Jets -- as stated, all wins by the Patriots. Brady completed 66.7 percent of his passes in those four wins, averaging 308 yards per game while throwing nine touchdowns and just one interception. (The one pick came off a drop by Aaron Hernandez in the end zone.)

As noted, after the Jets beat Manning's Colts and Brady's Patriots in the 2010 playoffs, Scott played in just one more playoff game and never won another playoff game. Manning would win five more playoff games after that year. Brady has won 21 playoff games since then. That includes five playoff wins outside of "Bill Belichick" and the Patriots' "game plan."

By winning seven Super Bowls (doesn't that look like a typo every time you see it?) and claiming just about every record possible, Brady has quite thoroughly proven that he's very good at all aspects of quarterbacking. Scott has proven that ... he and the Jets beat Brady and the Patriots 12 years ago.

Alas! If ever there was a need for evidence that a fun sound bite could create an entire niche market for a retired athlete, Bart Scott is the prime example. Say the words "Tom Brady" and reaction will follow. That is an absolute in this media world, though the five-day lag on this one indicates that the system might need a little tweaking.