NFL rumors: Antonio Smith takes shot at Tom Brady, calls him a crybaby

The Denver Broncos and the New England Patriots clash will this weekend for the American Football Conference (AFC) championship and the metal warfare has begun.

The Patriots star quarterback will, of course, be in focus and before they take the field, Broncos defensive end Antonio Smith hurls some interesting jabs at Brady, calling him a "crybaby."

Smith is, apparently, singling out how Brady often looks at the referees each time he is sacked. Smith claims the stares indicate that Brady wants some red flags and penalties with each hit, according to the Colorado Springs Gazette.

Brady eventually shrugged off the claims, which, incidentally, gave a couple of tabloids some neat ideas for their covers.

The New York Daily Post and the New York Post picked up on Smith's accusations, eventually using it as their covers. The Daily News even tweaked the title a bit with "CryBrady," while NY Post came up with "Tom Baby."

When asked if he had seen them already, Brady said he hasn't. A tweet of the cover can be viewed below.

On the issue, Brady said that any quarterback would likely do the same. And with that said, he considers the accusations nothing more than a mental missile hurled his way as the Broncos try to get in the heads of Brady and the Patriots.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick is, apparently, wise to the situation and prefers not to pay attention to any of the off-field antics. The Patriots are focused this weekend and are pretty much aware of what is at stake — a Super Bowl appearance.

Despite the war of words, Brady and Belichick are not taking Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning for granted. Both have high regards for Manning and both are pretty much aware of what he can do against the Patriots.

"His preparation, his consistency, his skills; I would never, ever, ever underestimate him under any circumstance," said Belichick, according to ESPN.