Joe Namath urged fellow Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady not to make the same mistake the Jets’ QB did at the end of his career.
Namath played for the Jets from 1965-76. Then, faced with a new Alabama QB having been selected by New York in Richard Todd and a coaching change to Walt Michaels, Namath went from Broadway Joe to Hollywood Joe, joining the Los Angeles Rams for 1977.
It did not work out. He was 2-2 in four starts, throwing four picks in his final one — against the Bears on MNF — before retiring. Namath doesn’t want Brady to follow his white-shoed footsteps.
“It’s almost beyond my belief that (Brady) would go to another team under any circumstances,” said Namath, via ESPN. “I can’t imagine that separation. Moving out of the New England area that he’s been so accustomed to, and his family, that’s a hard thing, too. I don’t think he’ll ever leave that totally behind, I really don’t. I want to see him play as long as he physically and mentally wants to, man, because we’ve all seen over the years the execution that has been superb more times than not. We don’t get to see that kind of player, that kind of character, very often. It’s very rare.
“I wish I knew what I learned in making that transition before making it, “meaning it turned out to be a very difficult transition.”