Michael Irvin Reveals How Cowboys Will Beat Their 'Boogeyman' - Bucs QB Tom Brady
Retirement has been anything but for Michael Irvin's sense of trash-talking.
The legendary Dallas Cowboys receiver has made no secret about his desired opponent for his former employers and the playoff bracket he yearned for has come to fruition: the Pokes (12-5) will close out the NFL's Super Wild Card Weekend proceedings on Monday night when they take on the NFC South champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7:15 p.m. CT, ESPN/ABC).
"You can't win a Super Bowl,'' Irvin said, "without ... facing your boogeyman. ...''
That game has attracted Irvin's attention for obvious reasons. The Cowboys' relative cold streak entering the game, as well as quarterback Tom ("Bogeyman'' Brady's unblemished record against America's Team (perfect in seven prior showdowns) have done nothing to damper the receiver's enthusiasm. He doubled down during pregame coverage on NFL Network when given a chance to retract his invitation to Brady by host Rich Eisen.
"I'm OK with what I said," Irvin declared, mentioning that Dallas' latest attempt at a Super Bowl will be better having faced one of its most recurring antagonists in Brady. "You can't win a Super Bowl without ... facing your boogeyman. ...
"If you're a passing team, in order to get a Super Bowl, they're going to make you run the football. If you're a great running team, they're going to make you run the football," Irvin explained, his volume increasing. "(Brady) has been our boogeyman! We're going to take care of it right here, on the front end, so (the offense) doesn't have to worry about him on the back end! That's why I said we want Tom: he's 7-0 against the Cowboys. Right now, take him down, get him out, get him out of the way."
Irvin further declares that Tampa Bay is an ideal opponent for the Cowboys due to their average of just over 18 points a game, which ranked 25th during the regular season. Dallas ranked sixth in the allowed department, letting up just over 20.
Those statistics were more or less fulfilled in the team's Week 1 meeting back in September when Dallas gave up only 19 but scored only three in response. The Cowboys later recovered to post a 27.5-point scoring average, which ranks fourth in the NFL.
Irvin stresses that he's uncomfortable labeling the 45-year-old Brady a "shadow of his former self" and urged the undoubted future Hall-of-Famer to "keep doing you"...as long as he keeps the 18-point average rolling.
"Eighteen points, Tom! That's all you put on the board!" Irvin declared. "That's what you do. We appreciate you being who you are, Tom. You've had a great career. But we're sending you home today."
It's perhaps too bad that the Cowboys can't call upon Irvin's expertise for clutch antics in Tampa: Irvin faced the Buccaneers only twice in his career, but notably nabbed a 28-yard last-minute touchdown pass from Monday commentator Troy Aikman during the latter matchup in 1990.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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