Esiason on D&C: Brady was hurt on sack

The day after the Patriots again fell short to the Giants in the Super Bowl, Boomer Esiason joined Dennis & Callahan to break down the game and where it all went wrong for the Patriots in their failed quest for a fourth Super Bowl title.

After Tom Brady went on a run in which he threw 16 straight completions, the quarterback's play and health was affected after he was sacked by Justin Tuck in the third quarter, according to Esiason, something that was enough to help decide the final outcome of the game.

"I think he definitely hurt his left shoulder, I think his accuracy was off after that play and I know many people would think that Wes Welker should have made that catch," Esiason said. "My sense is that it was kind of like the [Rob] Gronkowski play in the game against the Ravens. I just think he missed him, and there were a couple of other times -- Deion Branch in the second-to-last series and then of course on the last series where all he has to do is throw the ball in front of him, and for some reason, he threw it behind him twice."

Esiason went on to say that it would not be shocking for the normally mum Patriots to reveal Brady was injured on the play.

"Would it surprise me today for them to tell us he had a separated shoulder because of that play? No," Esiason said. "Would it surprise me today for them to say he has a small stress fracture in his clavicle? No, that wouldn’t surprise me, either.

"It’s the only thing that would lead me to believe that he was inaccurate on some of those throws we were talking about. … In reality, the player that I saw prior to that sack was different than the player I saw after that sack."

In addition to the jarring sack from Tuck, Esiason saw the Giants' three fumbles as key moments in the game, solely because the Patriots were never able to get possession on any of the New York miscues.

"I thought it was a fabulous game, but what’s going to drive the Patriots crazy and their fans crazy are the inexplicable penalties that took place that normally don’t happen," Esiason said. "And when you think of the fumble recoveries by [Henry] Hynoski and [Chris] Snee, you realize the game was probably won or lost on those plays."

Following are more highlights from the conversation.

On the Brady interception and if he should have thrown it: "It’s easy for me to sit here and say no. I thought it was the same type of decision he made in the long pass down the middle that was intercepted against the Ravens. He had Hernandez to his right, standing there, waving his arms, he was wide open and Tom really forced the issue. I think Tom will tell you these things, too. If you look at it and try to be objective about it and not allow fan-damonium take over, you recognize these were mistakes that were made. I’m sure he feels that way. There were plays all over the place -- 12 men on the field after a fumble recovery, Hynoski recovering a fumble, Snee recovering a fumble, there was Ninkovich offsides on a play that would have led to a punt, giving the Giants a chance to come back and he hits Hakeem Nicks to get another first down. Believe me when I say there were enough mistakes going around here. And some of the mistakes, they were not New England Patriot ways of playing football. They were mistakes that either led to scores or they were mistakes that allowed drives to continue."

On the Belichick challenge on the Manningham catch: "It was right in front of him and it was a decision that I don’t think he had a choice. He had to make it, it was such a bang-bang play. He did not have any chance whatsoever to hear from his coaches up in the box on whether or not to throw the flag. I don’t think he had a choice. And the reason for that was because Eli Manning was so smart in getting his team up to the line of scrimmage. That’s why veteran quarterbacks do what Eli Manning did in that situation. It cost the New England Patriots a precious, and I mean precious, timeout."

On how many chances Brady has left to win another title: "I think the world of Tom as a player. He’s going to be back again. I have a sense this is still a young football team. They have to go out and get him another wide receiver or two. They have one of the best offensive lines in football. For the most part, the offensive line of the New England Patriots held its own. Tom holds onto the ball a couple of times and that’s what he always has such great confidence in them. I thought it was a fabulous game, but what’s going to drive the Patriots crazy and their fans crazy are the inexplicable penalties that took place that normally don’t happen. And when you think of the fumble recoveries by Hyonoski and Snee, you realize the game was probably won or lost on those plays."

On comparing the Manningham and David Tyree catches: "The thing about Tyree was he had to catch it with Rodney Harrison draped all over him, he caught it on his helmet and he caught it in the middle of the field. Manningham had to catch it between two players, knew he was going to get drilled and had the presence of mind of keeping both feet in bounds and then holding on to the ball. The degree of difficulty is huge for both of them."

On if the safety was a product of Super Bowl pressure: "I don’t know. [Brady has] played in more pressure-packed situations than I ever did. I’ve never seen that play, but I have to tell you, after watching it over and over and over again, and I did say this on the radio, I thought that was a hell of a gutsy call by the officiating crew to discuss that and throw the flag. I’m sure it’s happened somewhere along the line, I just haven’t seen it. The fact that the ball landed in the middle of the field, 50 yards down the field with nobody around it and they threw the flag was amazing to me. All Tom had to do was throw it in the first row of the stands, over the heads of Deion Branch or Wes Welker on the sideline and it would have never been a problem."

To hear the interview, go to the Dennis & Callahan audio on demand page. For more Patriots news, visit the team page at weei.com/patriots.