"Tom Brady needs to be treated like a nameless, faceless guy" - Jets DT delivers crucial advice for young NFL stars

Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are slated to face the New York Jets this upcoming week. Bruce Arians' side clinched the NFC South title last Sunday after a commanding 32-6 victory over the struggling Carolina Panthers in Week 16. Meanwhile, the Jets have had yet another dismal season, owing to a 4-11 record this season.

Brady's availability is still unclear with just two games remaining in the regular season. The 44-year-old quarterback has defied age once again to lead the Buccaneers to their first division title since 2007. With a 11-4 record, the Buccaneers are placed second in the overall NFC standings, just behind Aaron Rodgers' Green Bay Packers.

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Tom Brady should be treated like just another player

While Brady is expected to lead the Buccaneers in Week 17, Jets defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins will lead New York's defense. The veteran defender is mindful of the quality Brady brings to the table, having faced Brady three times during his time with the New Orleans Saints.

Regardless of the league standings, Rankins believes Brady will bring his A-game to the field. He's helping young Jets players in overcoming the starstruck feeling in Brady's presence.

"At the end of the day, football is football," Rankins told the New York Post. "He is Tom Brady but you’ve got to treat him like a nameless, faceless guy and go out there and go through your progressions, go through your keys and play football the way you’ve played football your whole life."

Rankins also recalled how he was taken by surprise when he first met Brady. He revealed the star quarterback chased him after the defensive tackle successfully intercepted Brady on a screen pass on the first day of Saints and Patriots' joint practice in 2016.

"I look back and he was like really trying to chase me, really trying to come after me," Rankins recalled. "That’s a different level of competitive nature. This is practice and at this point in his career, he is Tom Brady. He’s not trying to prove anything to anybody. He didn’t have to do that."

Rankins isn't the first player to applaud Brady's vigor at 44. And he won't be the last. The seven-time Super Bowl champion has managed to win games effortlessly over the years. Despite enduring a difficult 2021 NFL season due to injuries and inconsistency, Brady still led the Buccaneers to the playoffs with two games left. Rankins acknowledged Brady's approach.

"You watch it unfold and you realize that’s a different level of greatness right there," Rankins said. "I’ve had some battles with him and came out on the good end of some of them and came out on the bad end of some of them. Hats off, he is, you can’t argue with it, the greatest to ever do it. At the end of the day, he is the opponent this week and we’ve got to go get him," Rankins concluded.