This 49ers fan held his own in enemy territory, putting up with all the heckling and even giving it back to the Falcons fans. The man whose jersey he's wearing, San Francisco legend Ronnie Lott, would be proud of his hard-hitting smack talk.
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Tom Brady is better than Joe Flacco.
In fact, Brady is one of the best players to ever play in the NFL. He's been voted to the Pro Bowl nine times, he's won three Super Bowls and he was the NFL's most valuable player in 2007 and 2010.
Flacco might not even be the best quarterback from his own draft class. (That honor is debatable, but a case could be made for Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan). Flacco has never made the Pro Bowl and never been to the Super Bowl.
Granted, Brady is seven years older than Flacco. But when Brady was Flacco's age he had been to three Pro Bowls and won three Super Bowls. Brady has even beat Flacco three of the five times that the two teams have played each other.
So which quarterback is better when the two teams face off, as they will this Sunday in Foxboro? Flacco, of course.
As Doug Kyed of NESN notes, Flacco's numbers against the Patriots are better than Brady's against the Ravens. Take a look:
Flacco: 1,271 yards, 9 touchdowns and 4 interceptions
Brady: 1,278 yards, 5 touchdowns and 7 interceptions
Perhaps even more importantly, Flacco has gotten the best of Brady in both of their two previous playoff encounters. In 2010 Flacco only completed four of the 10 passes he attempted, but Brady's three interceptions helped the Ravens get out to an early lead that they would never relent. The Ravens' 33-14 win was New England's first home playoff loss in the Brady-Belichick era.
In last year's AFC championship game, the Patriots held on for a 23-20 win, but Flacco had the stronger stat line. Flacco went 22-for-36 for 306 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Brady was 22-for-36 for 239 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions.
It must be mentioned, however, that Flacco has had the luxury of facing a porous Patriots secondary while Brady is going up against a legendary Ravens defense.
This is certainly not to say that Flacco has the upper hand on Brady, but it is interesting to note how well Flacco has performed in match-ups against the Patriots. Indeed, if the underdog Ravens want to have any shot in New England this weekend, they'll likely need Flacco to work his magic again.
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They are perhaps the most dominant offensive and defensive players of their generation.
One is a former first-round pick who succeeded immediately, the other an overlooked prospect who revived a dormant franchise.
Ray Lewis and Tom Brady are sometimes seen as opposites, in both their personalities and their playing styles. What unites them is their unbelievable will to win. Both have been named Super Bowl MVP and have gone on to become the cornerstone of their respective franchises.
Lewis' announcement Wednesday that he will retire after the 2012-2013 season provides a good opportunity to look back on one of the NFL's most intriguing player rivalries of the past decade.
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Brady and Lewis have squared off seven times, including two playoff matchups, with the Patriots winning on five occasions. New England and Baltimore split two postseason contests, with the Ravens winning a divisional game in Foxboro in 2010 and the Patriots taking the 2012 AFC championship game.
Despite some shots at Brady, Lewis has been effusive in his praise of the Patriots quarterback. He said Brady is the "greatest of the greats," and spoke highly of Brady for the NFL Network's "The Top 100 Players of 2011" special.
"The game ain't hard to him," Lewis said. "It's like 'The Matrix,' where it slows down. It's poetry when you see it from that angle."
Brady hasn't been as public in his praise of Lewis, but he did have high praise for Lewis when the two met on the field after last year's AFC championship game.
While they are fierce competitors on the field, after the game ends they show each other the utmost respect. They've even joined forces for a humorous NFL commercial.
Most NFL cities aren't fortunate enough to have a single player rise to be the face of a franchise. A player that fans can identify with, a man who is almost a part of the culture of that city. Baltimore and New England have that, and if we're lucky, we'll see those two legends square off one more time.
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