ITLH Roundtable: More intriguing: Boeheim coaching at 80 or Brady playing at 47?

The Inside the Loud staff is back with another Roundtable to debate and discuss what fans would care more to see in a couple years: Jim Boeheim or Tom Brady.

Q: What’s more intriguing: Boeheim coaching at 80 or Tom Brady playing QB at 47?

Boeheim has been a legend both on and off the court while Brady has won ring after ring with the New England Patriots. If both were around in a couple of years, who would be more intriguing to watch? Our Inside the Loud House Staff does their best to answer this odd, but interesting question: Coach vs Player.

Neil Adler- Contributor

This is a totally juicy question, Paul. First of all, let me admit my clear bias right at the start. I’m a diehard ‘Cuse fan, and I grew up near Baltimore, so the Ravens are my NFL team. As such, I don’t really like the Patriots.

My Case for Boeheim

JB is the kind of guy you either love or hate. He whines a lot. He’s dismissive. He’s a curmudgeon. He can act a little mean and even cruel to members of the media, and his own players. I don’t agree with how he always handles himself. However, I love him.

Complaining to refs as only Boeheim does, with his arms raised up to the sky. Getting caught on national television picking his, well, nose. Chewing out reporters. Defending GMac (not 10 bleeping games!). Boeheim can also have a soft side. Look how emotional he got when Pearl Washington passed away.

JB has helped raised millions of dollars for cancer research. He loves SU and Central New York. He’s a family man and supports his community. He’s made some mistakes here and there, but who hasn’t? Some view his personality as dry. I view it as so colorful: Orange, in fact. He bleeds Orange. You never know what he is going to say or do next. His track-record speaks for itself.

When Mike Hopkins headed to Washington, I wished him well, but it’s no secret that I jumped for joy when it became known that JB would continue to roam the ‘Cuse sidelines past 2017-18. Personally, I hope Boeheim is still at the helm by the time my son Kethan, currently nine months old, goes to college. Who knows – maybe Kethan could play for him. I, for one, would feel on cloud nine, but only if the snarky coach didn’t yell at my son. At least, not too much.

Paul A. Esden Sr.- Contributor

In my opinion, frankly neither one would be that intriguing…

Don’t get me wrong I would love to see Coach Boeheim coach until he was 100 because as I stated in a previous Inside the Loud House article I think the Orange have become spoiled and too used to winning.

All you have to do is look at our attendance at the NIT games this year to see that, those seniors deserved a better send off than that. That is only the tip of the iceberg though if Jim takes his 2-3 zone into retirement. I fear the Orange would settle into mediocrity and the only Final Four we would be seeing is the four bums elbowing in line prior to the start of the third quarter to get the last over priced brewski.

Tom Brady…well let’s just say there are two clear cut sides of this issue. The 90% that would like to see him get hit by a bus driven by Roger Goodell (at least he tried) and the New England Patriots fans out there (most of them are band wagon hoppers and have no idea who Drew Bledsoe is let alone Kevin Grogan). So intriguing isn’t the word I would use if that Ugg-boot wearing princess is still playing until he is 47: my word is sickening.

Josh Peelman- Contributor

Follow: @jnpmessenger

I’m with you there Paul Sr.! I also personally dislike (hate sounds too harsh), Tom Brady, but love what Jim Boeheim brings to Syracuse and its basketball team. However, it pains me to say this, but seeing Brady play at 47 would be more intriguing than watching coach still coaching at 80. Here’s my case for Brady:

1.) Only two players has ever made it to the age of 47 while still playing in the NFL.

Interestingly enough, the oldest player of the two was a quarterback and place kicker, and a well known one at that: George Blanda. Blanda retired at the age of 48, according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The other was Morten Andersen, a kicker, who retired at the age of 47. If Brady makes it to the age of 47, he would be one year away from the record. That would be something worth watching.

2.) If last season was any indication, Brady is not slowing down.

He had one of the best seasons of his career at the age of 39 last year.

3.) Brady would be setting a new record for season played in the NFL.

Brady has already played 18 years according to ESPN.com. if he plays until he’s 47, he will have played 25 seasons, one short of Blanda’s record of 26 seasons. Also, if he stays with the New England Patriots all that time that would be 25 years with one team, which has never happened before. That would set a new record as the record is currently set at 21 consecutive seasons with one team. That record is held by Jason Hansen, formerly a Detroit Lions kicker, according to FoxSports.com.

My Case for Boeheim

Meanwhile, if Boeheim is still coaching in 2025, when he’s 80, that means he’d have been with Syracuse for over 49 years. He currently has served Syracuse as Head Coach for 41 years, according to Sports-Reference.com. No one has coached more at one school in NCAA history, according to Syracuse.com. Boehiem holds that record and will continue to as long as he coaches. That record may never be broken.

To put that in perspective, the late Joe Paterno of the Penn State football team, coached the Nittany lions for 46 years before his death. Boeheim staying for 49 years would top that incredible mark. One thing Boeheim does have going for him is that it looks like few to none have ever coached college basketball at the age of 80. So he’d be among the first, if not the first.

Player vs. Coach Durability

All this juicy and interesting statistics aside, a player’s durability over time in football is more difficult than a coaches. I know there are risks in coaching or bad health can catch up to you, but at least Boeheim isn’t getting sacked at least once or twice a week like Brady is in games. That fact a player already has lasted that long in the NFL is remarkable.

I’m not saying coaching isn’t hard, but the older you get, the harder it gets to practice and be ready for games as a player. So if Brady lasts that long then that will clearly be the more intriguing thing for me to see.

I don’t have to like the guy to be fascinated by the fact he pushing back the effects of father time to play the game he loves. Either way, both are incredible individuals, who if they last that long will be the talk of fans in their respective sports for ages to come; if they weren’t already.

Paul A. Esden Jr.- Site Expert

Follow: @BoyGreen25

Sorry to disappoint this time folks, usually me and Ty Butler break it down on the audio side of things. This week I’ll just have to give my written answer. The genesis of this conversation circled around former CNY columnist, Bud Poliquin.

When we were co-hosting Bud and the Manchild a couple of weeks ago he asked me this on-air. So I thought why not pose this to the masses? This is going to sound harsh, but we’ve seen plenty of coaches stick around forever.

Next: Syracuse Basketball: Player Grades for the 2016-2017 Season

As Josh pointed out earlier, quarterbacks haven’t lasted this long and Tom Brady is going to be either the phenomenon or the start of a new era. With all the advancements in technology, I could see more of this generation of quarterbacks lasting longer than their predecessors. But right now it’s not the commonality, so I’ll go simply with Tom Brady.

He doesn’t look he’ll be slowing down anytime soon (ugh), I can only hope as a proud New York Jets fan that he’ll just have a sudden shift in his play. But I’ll have to see it to believe it.

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