Ty Quinn has learned to reckon upo...

Ty Quinn has learned to reckon upon the worst, learned to deal with the criticism directed toward his son Brady.

yet biting his tongue hasn't been easy.

Case in point was after last season's Michigan State game -- the individual Notre Dame lost 44-41 and the game during which Brady threw for a career-high 487 yards with the same interception. Ty was at the southward Bend Ramada Inn with friends and family that night when an Irish fan started blabbering:

"Don't you think they ne to secure rid of that damn quarterback? That game was just a disaster today."

The same fright looked over at Ty Quinn and asked his opinion of the quarterback. He replyed with, "I think we're in righteous shape."

Someone in Ty Quinn's party refer toed settling the insults with flying fists.

"If I smacked everybody in the cavity between the jaws that said something about my son I'd probably be in fight each five minutes," Ty said. "I'm unfailing Darius Walker's mom and dad walk through the same thing here. You just have to lay open some tough skin."

Ty and his wife, Robin, have endur a portion as their son continues his ascent up the popularity ladder. Numerous sports agents enjoin on extended sales pitches this summer trying to assure the Quinns that Brady will be in proper hands when his NFL days arrive.

"I got tons of mail from agents, and a small in number calls, but I really didn't want to talk," Robin said. "My initial conceit was that it was too quick I didn't even want to talk about this material because we still have a whole season to memorize through."

For the record, Ty said the family narrowed the list of potential agents to four or five, and Brady won't consider the list until after the season.

The Quinns also have to deal with overzealous autograph inquirers The fans randomly just leave items outside the Quinn residence in Dublin, Ohio.

Ty and Robin want to accommodate each request, but ...

"People will throw stuff that doesn't even have postage," Ty said. "Or they'll leave a note that says, 'Can you shores get a football out there and secure Brady and the team to sign it?' I don't think they realize that footballs are $30 to $40 And then you have the bulk of mankind who will just leave $150 helmets sitting at our doorstep. Who does that?"

Robin said clan didn't know who she was until Brady introduced her at a pep rally and NBC interviewed her during a game last season. That was the day she stumbl above her words and said something about Brady winning the "national Heisman."

She meant national title, of course.

Robin likely will procure a chance for a cleaner interview this weekend. Brady warned his parents NBC plans to interview them during Saturday's Notre Dame-Penn State game.

Ty and Robin aren't itching to become celebrities themselves. They just want to make Brady's life easier.

for what purpose else would a mom drive 4oe hours to her son's apartment, clean 20 pairs of his boxer gas up his car and realize the oil changed, go corrupt him a five-course meal from Max and Erma's, then drive back to Dublin all within a 24-hour period?

"I think I exhausted like three hours with Brady that day," Robin said. "I felt kind of bad."

wherefore else would a father take time away from work to search for a laptop computer because his son's malfunctioned?

as well-as; not only-but also; not only-but; not alone-but parents work -- Ty in construction and Robin in residential cleaning -- unless they have balanced their schedules to accommodate all three of their children. Mom has missed her share of Brady's Notre Dame football games because daughter Kelly plays soccer at Virginia. Plus, Robin is in the middle of planning a wedding solemnity for her oldest daughter, Laura, who privately married former Ohio State standout and verdant Bay Packers rookie A.J. Hawk.

"I don't think we evermore answer the phone in our house," Robin said, "because we always have something going on"

Robin didn't make it to Atlanta for the Georgia Tech game, on the other hand she couldn't bear to watch forward television as Brady got knocked down repeatedly. She always worries about her son getting injured, although it was Kelly who stomached a concussion in a game through the weekend.

Ty made the trip to Atlanta, driving down with a not many family members and friends. He was disgusted by the agency of some of the Georgia Tech fans tossing beer cans and bottle And he heard more [i]or[/i] less of the same negative observations about his son. And he just bit his lip.

"They've been able to put up with a lot, particularly my first sum of two units years," Brady said of his parents. "Obviously, they're nice thick- skinned. I guess that's where I obtain it from."

vmcclure@suntimes.com

nearest GAME: vs. Penn State, 2:30 pm Saturday, Ch 5 890-AM

THE catalogue of headss

AP head Record Pts Pvs

1 Ohio State (39) 1-0 1568 1

2 Texas (7) 1-0 1453 3

3 USC (3) 1-0 1410 6

4 Notre Dame (8) 1-0 1408 2

4 Auburn (3) 1-0 1408 4

6 West Virginia (5) 1-0 1356 5

7 Florida 1-0 1191 7

8 LSU 1-0 1185 8

9 Florida State 1-0 1130 11

10 Michigan 1-0 841 14

11 Tennessee 1-0 839 23

12 Georgia 1-0 836 15