Tom Brady was always as fiercely competitive as he was brilliant. Nothing proved that more than the time he threw four touchdowns on cornerback Alphonso Smith — right after being taunted with a finger wag. Believe it or not, Smith was benched before the game was over, and his career didn’t last much longer after that. Just goes to show: you never poke the GOAT.
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Here’s what went down: It was a Thanksgiving Day game in 2010. The New England Patriots were trailing the Detroit Lions 17-10 to start the second half. Brady dropped back and tried to complete a screen pass to Wes Welker, but it was broken up by Smith, thanks to his well-timed reaction.
What wasn’t so brilliant, though, was what the corner did next. Smith decided the play was worth celebrating—and chose to wag a finger at Brady, almost like he was warning the star quarterback. But in reality, he was the one who needed the warning. That taunt lit a fire under the Patriots QB, who wasted no time turning his attention toward Smith. What followed was an avalanche of targets—and Smith’s biggest mistake of the day.
Brady first hit Welker on a comeback route, and he fought through a weak tackle attempt from Smith for the score. Then, on a third and short, Brady scanned his progressions and found Deion Branch in a wide-open field for a 79-yard touchdown.
Branch was that open because Smith had blown his assignment and let his receiver run right past him. On the way to the end zone, the wideout added to the embarrassment by running circles around Smith.
The Patriots had the lead, but Brady didn’t feel like Smith had gotten the message. He later hit Branch again for a 20-yard score, with Smith falling at his ankles.
The third touchdown in such quick succession led to the corner getting benched for the rest of the game. The coaching staff didn’t look too happy with his effort at the time. To add insult to injury, Brady hit Welker for a fourth score—while Smith watched from the bench.
Brady finished the contest with 341 yards passing and 4 TDs. He thoroughly dominated the Lions and let the trash-talker know what happens when you poke the GOAT. And it wasn’t the first time he had done this to an opposing corner. But Smith took it the hardest of all his victims.
After the game, Smith apologized via the media, stating, “I just want to apologize to my teammates because they played so hard, I feel as if I was the catalyst for this loss. I also want to apologize to this organization and the fans.”
It’s hard not to feel bad for him. Smith’s career didn’t last long after the Thanksgiving Day meltdown. He suffered a season-ending shoulder injury the following week, and during training camp the next year, he broke his foot. The injuries led to the Lions replacing him, and he eventually wound up buried on the depth chart. By 2013, he was out of the league.
This story is a classic example of why you never celebrate too early—or provoke a sleeping giant. When your opponent is struggling, the last thing you want to do is taunt them into snapping out of their spell. Especially when your opponent is Tom Brady.
Athletes have pride, and they don’t like to be embarrassed in the middle of a game. The best thing to do is to let them stew in frustration and have them figure it out on their own.
Smith learned that lesson the hard way.
