Jets vs. Patriots: Why Antonio Cromartie Is Foolish to Call out Tom Brady

Antonio Cromartie was quoted in an interview as saying he hopes Tom Brady targets him on every play.

Boy, is he going to regret saying that.

I'm betting Brady grants his wish and goes after Cromartie early and often.

Whether Cromartie is defending Deion Branch, Chad Ochocinco or Wes Welker, Brady will find ways to get the ball to Cromartie's guy.

Because, as we all know, Brady doesn't like to be called out.

Ryan Clark and Antonio Smith know this all too well. They called out Brady before a big Steelers-Patriots game a couple of years ago, and Brady made them look absolutely foolish.

I wonder what makes Cromartie think he's going to escape that same fate.

The way he's been playing lately shouldn't lead to much confidence either.

He got burned by Jason Campbell and the Oakland Raiders for a couple touchdowns two weeks ago.

I think we can all agree that Campbell shouldn't even be mentioned in the same sentence as Brady. (Unless it's a sentence like the one I just wrote, where it says they aren't in the same class.)

Brady has more reliable weapons at his disposal and has picked apart defenses for a decade now. He's going to take a lot of pleasure in embarrassing Cromartie.

With the way the entire Jets defense has played lately, allowing the Ravens to clinch a game with a long drive where they only ran the ball and giving up 34 points to the Raiders, adding extra pressure to the unit was a dumb move by the loud-mouthed cornerback.

The Jets are an uncharacteristic 27th in the NFL in rushing yards allowed so far this year. That means the Patriots can keep the Jets honest by running the ball effectively every few plays, opening up plenty of passing lanes for Brady.

Look for the Jets' second-best pass defense to fall a few spots after facing Brady this weekend. He should put up at least 350 passing yards, most of them on Cromartie and the safeties.

Brady probably won't say anything about it publicly, but everyone knows he'll use it as a little extra motivation not just to beat the Jets, but also embarrass them.

Maybe then Cromartie will learn his lesson. But probably not.