Saints defense deserves more credit for shutting down Tom Brady

Instead of calling Tom Brady old, why not give the Saints defense some credit.

Tom Brady’s debut with the Tampa Bay Buccanneers was either a sign of the quarterback’s age taking a toll or a strong showing by the New Orleans Saints defense.

Too many people are taking the former stance instead of just giving New Orleans some credit.

The Saints rattled Brady with their pass rush. That’s always been the way to get the better of the future Hall of Famer. It was that way in the Super Bowl XLVI back in 2012. It’s that way now.

The Saints got in Tom Brady’s face and forced him into a bad game.

Brady’s stat line was not good, for his standards. He was sacked three times and threw two interceptions, including a pick-six.

The Buccaneers quarterback didn’t bring himself down. Someone had to sack him, namely newly-resigned All-Pro linebacker Demario Davis, Trey Hendrickson and Carl Granderson.

Those weren’t the only hits he took either. The Saints defense was credited with six QB hits on the night.

Nor did Brady force the ball into the hands of opposing players.

Janoris Jenkins showed great recognition to jump Brady’s third-quarter pass to score the pick-six.

The second-quarter interception by Marcus Williams was made possible by apparent miscommunication between Brady and a receiver, but it still required an athletic play by the Saints’ safety.

The game was on Brady’s shoulders in the first place because New Orleans shut down the Buccaneers running game, allowing 3.3 yards per carry.

When Brady settles in with the Buccaneers and starts looking like his old self (not an old self), hopefully, people will look back at Week 1 and better appreciate the performance of the Saints defense.

They are one of the top defenses in the NFL. Let’s act like it.