SVN

i dont know much about QB 3 step 5 step drop throws etc but watching the tampa -carolina game today...how gruden is having his QB drop 7-10 steps for long pass plays..
Do you guys think its an adjustment maybe brady/pats can do..give his receivers more time to get open maybe ?

hwc

The number of steps is QB101 stuff for NFL QBs. It's how pass patterns are timed. 3 step drop for short routes, 5 step drop for intermediate routes, 7 step drop for long routes. Good NFL QBs have the proper footwork mechanics drilled into them for hours and hours and hours and hours and hours. There's a great training video shown on NFL Network occasionally with Bill Walsh and Joe Montana on a high school practice field demonstrating the various drops: 3 step - throw right, 3-step throw left, 5-step right, 5-step left, etc.

Brady has impeccible mechanics including footwork. In fact, if you were to watch nothing but his drop and footwork, you would know whether the primary pattern on the play is short, intermediate, or long downfield.

BTW, one of the complaints that Bill Walsh always had about Bledsoe was that his mechanics were sloppy -- that he didn't spend enough time working with on his drops with receivers to time up the routes.