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Key matchup: Brady vs. Gildon/Porter
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady throws a pass
AP Photo
Jerry DiPaola is the Tribune-Review high school sports editor. He can be reached via e-mail.
Fame, after becoming the youngest quarterback (24) to lead his team to a Super Bowl victory last February.
Fortune, after signing a four-year, $30.148 million contract extension that gives him a $3.5 million bonus now and $6 million in the spring.
But he also has the daunting task of avoiding two of the league's best pass rushers Monday night at Gillette Stadium. When the Steelers meet the Patriots in their first game of the regular-season, outside linebackers Jason Gildon and Joey Porter can turn the momentum by putting heat on Brady from both sides of the 3-4 defense.
Gildon needs 3 1/2 sacks to tie Joe Greene (66) for second place on the Steelers' all-time list. Porter has 19 1/2 sacks the past two seasons.
If Gildon and Porter are on their game, Brady might need all of that money in small bills to cushion his fall. When he was upright, Brady completed 63.9 percent of his passes last season, but he was sacked 41 times while making only 14 starts.
Given the duty of protecting Brady tomorrow night will be second-year tackles Matt Light and Kenyatta Jones. How Light and Jones handle Gildon and Porter will go a long way toward deciding the outcome of the game.
