AJ McCarron, after his first NFL action, compared himself to Tom Brady.
No, you did not read that wrong.
Taking over for Andy Dalton, who fractured a bone in his hand during the Cincinnati Bengals’ home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, backup McCarron told reporters after the game his situation is the same as Brady’s back in 2001 when he took over for Drew Bledsoe.
Wow. AJ McCarron says "Tom Brady was in the same situation." #wallypipp
— Aditi Kinkhabwala (@AKinkhabwala) December 13, 2015
If you remember, Bledsoe was entrenched as the starter for the New England Patriots and was in his ninth season when he was injured, allowing the legend of Brady to emerge.
Brady took the Patriots to the Super Bowl that year and won — the first of four NFL titles for the future Hall of Famer.
In backup duty Sunday, the former Alabama signal-caller passed for 280 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, including a pick-six to William Gay of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati lost 33-20.
With that in mind, McCarron’s words are quite bold, if you want to call it that.