Brady has been deprogrammed

[Iron Helmet]

Brady's greatest strength used to be his ability to quickly survey the field and find the open man. Coupled with a quick release and exceptional pocket presence, he was a stud and capable of carrying the team single handedly. When Moss came in, these key skills were benched in favor of a one or two dimensional approach. Moss, Welker and done. He hasn't played his old style of ball for several years now. To expect that he could after essentially 3 years of reprogramming is unreasonable. We need to go back to the old way and revive the skill set that brought us so much success. We need to axe an aging an overpriced Moss or renegotiate his deal and get more talent across the board and reinstall the original program that we had so much success with.

 

[JtudsJetsFan]

You have to realize that the strategy for playing the Patriots has changed since the SB loss to the Giants. People are getting to Brady much more now....not necessarily sacking him, but getting pressure. Maybe this is because the O-line is aging....who knows. Aren't Mankins and O'Callahan supposed to be the next gen of Pats O-linemen? Maybe Vollmer and Kaczur can't cut it (and Kaczur's getting old now too).

I agree that Brady's gameplan changed with Moss in the mix, but having Welker was probably a huge upgrade to the gameplan. Welker will be back, and Edelman is good, so he hasn't really lost options. I just think that Tom's weaknesses (if you will) are being exposed. But these are the same weaknesses any QB has. You get pressure and force bad throws. He's still the same guy when there's a sustained pocket regardless of who the WRs are.

This is where people need to learn the game a little bit instead of thinking that their favourite Pro Bowler with a famous face is the reason a team has success. Give Brady an O-line and he's great. Hell, give Bruce Gradkowski an O-line and he could probably be pretty good too. Today you saw a Pats team that couldn't get anything going and it was all because they got beat up front. Brett Favre is a great example of this....he's not good this year because he's immortal, he's good because he gets protection and they have a serious run threat.

 

[rbchamps2]

I do not think he has been deprogrammed, I feel he is hurt a lot worse then people think. It looks to me like he would rather throw the ball up for grabs than take a sack and a hit. Also the last two weeks I have not seen the ball coming out of his had a bit wobbly, and not in a tight spiral.

 

[SNL]

I think the biggest reason we had such a hard time this year is the lack of a running game. We didn't have one consistent back all year. Do we keep the RBs we have or get rid of some/all of them?

Is there a RB good enough coming out to be our first pick or do we get a LB, or WR?

 

[PatsFan24]

You have to realize that the strategy for playing the Patriots has changed since the SB loss to the Giants. People are getting to Brady much more now....not necessarily sacking him, but getting pressure. Maybe this is because the O-line is aging....who knows. Aren't Mankins and O'Callahan supposed to be the next gen of Pats O-linemen? Maybe Vollmer and Kaczur can't cut it (and Kaczur's getting old now too).

I agree that Brady's gameplan changed with Moss in the mix, but having Welker was probably a huge upgrade to the gameplan. Welker will be back, and Edelman is good, so he hasn't really lost options. I just think that Tom's weaknesses (if you will) are being exposed. But these are the same weaknesses any QB has. You get pressure and force bad throws. He's still the same guy when there's a sustained pocket regardless of who the WRs are.

This is where people need to learn the game a little bit instead of thinking that their favourite Pro Bowler with a famous face is the reason a team has success. Give Brady an O-line and he's great. Hell, give Bruce Gradkowski an O-line and he could probably be pretty good too. Today you saw a Pats team that couldn't get anything going and it was all because they got beat up front. Brett Favre is a great example of this....he's not good this year because he's immortal, he's good because he gets protection and they have a serious run threat.

the pass protection was good the last month of the regular season.

 

[chevss454]

You have to realize that the strategy for playing the Patriots has changed since the SB loss to the Giants. People are getting to Brady much more now....not necessarily sacking him, but getting pressure. Maybe this is because the O-line is aging....who knows. Aren't Mankins and O'Callahan supposed to be the next gen of Pats O-linemen? Maybe Vollmer and Kaczur can't cut it (and Kaczur's getting old now too).


Give Brady an O-line and he's great. Today you saw a Pats team that couldn't get anything going and it was all because they got beat up front.

Protection for Brady should be the #1 priority of this franchise. Give Brady time to pass and he will be perform in great fashion no matter who the receivers are.

Koppen almost got Brady killed today!

 

[holyredeemer]

You have to realize that the strategy for playing the Patriots has changed since the SB loss to the Giants. People are getting to Brady much more now....not necessarily sacking him, but getting pressure. Maybe this is because the O-line is aging....who knows. Aren't Mankins and O'Callahan supposed to be the next gen of Pats O-linemen? Maybe Vollmer and Kaczur can't cut it (and Kaczur's getting old now too).

I agree that Brady's gameplan changed with Moss in the mix, but having Welker was probably a huge upgrade to the gameplan. Welker will be back, and Edelman is good, so he hasn't really lost options. I just think that Tom's weaknesses (if you will) are being exposed. But these are the same weaknesses any QB has. You get pressure and force bad throws. He's still the same guy when there's a sustained pocket regardless of who the WRs are.

This is where people need to learn the game a little bit instead of thinking that their favourite Pro Bowler with a famous face is the reason a team has success. Give Brady an O-line and he's great. Hell, give Bruce Gradkowski an O-line and he could probably be pretty good too. Today you saw a Pats team that couldn't get anything going and it was all because they got beat up front. Brett Favre is a great example of this....he's not good this year because he's immortal, he's good because he gets protection and they have a serious run threat.

I'm assuming you're not a pats fan right? Vollmer might not cut it? Thats crazy talk my friend. Mankins is still gettin it done. Kaczur does indeed blow chunks, and Koppen has been very disappointing all yr long. Also, the O-Line would be performing a lot better if Brady wasnt standing there holding the ball all day. And please, dont bring todays game up as an example becuz that has not been the case all yr long. The O-line has its problems, but if we went back to the Weis style offense of 2-3 step drops, quick release, and letting the playmakers do their thing, Brady would be on his ass a lot less. It also doesn't help that the coaching staff all yr. long abandoned the run at the most awkward moments, tossed Brady back at shotgun, and just hoped Moss or Welker would get open.

 

[pheenix11]

Brady is holding the ball too long hoping for a big play from one of his binkies. That is when he is not throwing into double or triple coverage and getting picked off.

His performance today was Bledsoe-esque.

 

[The Dynasty]

Protection for Brady should be the #1 priority of this franchise. Give Brady time to pass and he will be perform in great fashion no matter who the receivers are.

Koppen almost got Brady killed today!

That isnt true, there were plays today that he was given all the time in the world today and he didnt do anything with it

 

[IcyPatriot]

:beersign::beersign::beersign::beersign::beersign:

 

[nashvillepatsfan]

What i want to know is, why isnt he changing the plays at the line? There were a couple instances today where it was obvious the play called would not work, and yet he didnt audible. He just doesnt seem to take care of the ball like he used to.

As for the o-line, there were times he had all day to throw. I wouldnt blame it all on Koppen. Mankins the wonderful, didnt exactly have a great game. Actually, im starting to wonder if he's just incapable of having a good playoff game.

 

[mgteich]

I think the reality is that Brady is injured. We can only hope that he is 100% by the time next season starts.

Another example is where he could have walked into the endzone but didn't and threw the ball away.

 

[pheenix11]

I think the reality is that Brady is injured. We can only hope that he is 100% by the time next season starts.

Another example is where he could have walked into the endzone but didn't and threw the ball away.

That play pissed me off. I was screaming at the TV for him to run it in, I could have made it.

 

[satz]

I keep hearing this about how brady can hit the open man.
and we keep comparing Brown,givens ,branch and fauria to the group we have now Moss ,Wes and nobody.

No one is even mentioning that when you have only 2 real WR it is not easy to get open.

Its funny that in 2007 you never think so with both gaffney and stallworth both had nearly 40 catches a piece.He spread the ball even with Moss and Wes.

Are you comparing gaffney and stallworth to edelman and stanback!!!! that is funny.

 

[gregz0r]

What really disturbed me about yesterdays game was Brady's tunnel vision, even when he had all day to throw he was hell bent on getting the ball to one man only.

There was one play where Faulk was as wide open as you can get, about 10 yards downfield, trying his damnedest to get Brady's attention. But instead Brady forced it to a double-covered Edelman for an incompletion.

Now I know he had a bad day, but I feel like i'm seeing this more and more from him

 

[Str8tCa$hHomie]

I agree completely. The main strength of past Pats teams was the diversity of their offense. Brady was excellent at finding the open man and routinely spreading the ball around. This, combined with a better run game, made it difficult for opposing teams to shut down the offense. Our opponent's focus on one aspect of the offense opened up the other aspects of the offense. This kind of diversity on offense gives the following benefits:

1. Opposing defenses typically can only focus on shutting down one component of the offense
2. Reduces the impact of injuries on the overall offense
3. Reduces the chances that one player's bad game will sink your offense
3. Gives Bill the flexibility to make adjustments throughout the game.
4. Capitalizes on Bill's stength in finding undervalued role players

The pats have gone too far to a "eggs in one basket" approach that makes it easier for opponents to take away their strengths, increases the negative impact of injuries, and limits their ability to make in-game adjustments. I'd love to see them focus on creating a diverse offense in the offseason.

 

[FootballFan85]

You can't blame things on the 2WR thing. People are throwing up the whole no WR3 thing way too much.

Look at Manning. He has Wayne and Clarke, a very similar duo to Moss and Welker. Beyond that, his actual #3 got taken out early, and the Colts have played the year with a #4 and #5, one of whom is a rookie and one who has only a year under his belt. No one had really even heard of either of them. Yet they do just fine.

Brady should definitely be capable of doing the same thing with his no name guys. The fact of the matter is, you don't need a crazy 3rd receiver to make open space for your main 2 and to keep your main 2 effective, and if you throw the ball well, you can make those nobodies playing 3rd and or 4th look good.

Protection is a much bigger issue than the lack of a name brand WR3. In 07 the Pats has Moss, Welker, Stallworth and Gaffney. 4 guys who are all capable of being #1s. Moss and Welker are Moss and Welker, Stalworth was the king of YAC and Gaffney would be considered a top 1 or 2 WR on the majority of teams in the NFL. However having 4 guys like that almost NEVER happens and I think that year may have spoiled peoples expectations.

Most teams don't have 3 really solid receivers. Some teams don't even have 2. How many teams do you think would kill to have Moss and Welker as their combo?

 

[crowell33]

Brady's greatest strength used to be his ability to quickly survey the field and find the open man. Coupled with a quick release and exceptional pocket presence, he was a stud and capable of carrying the team single handedly. When Moss came in, these key skills were benched in favor of a one or two dimensional approach. Moss, Welker and done. He hasn't played his old style of ball for several years now. To expect that he could after essentially 3 years of reprogramming is unreasonable. We need to go back to the old way and revive the skill set that brought us so much success. We need to axe an aging an overpriced Moss or renegotiate his deal and get more talent across the board and reinstall the original program that we had so much success with.

My first instinct was to agree with you but then I checked Moss numbers. 83 catches, over 1200 yards, 13 touchdowns, only one lost fumble. It might be hard to replace that production.

 

[Simkin]

I ll take the 3000 yardas 25 TD Brady over that year Brady anyday

 

[TheComeback]

You can't blame things on the 2WR thing. People are throwing up the whole no WR3 thing way too much.

Look at Manning. He has Wayne and Clarke, a very similar duo to Moss and Welker. Beyond that, his actual #3 got taken out early, and the Colts have played the year with a #4 and #5, one of whom is a rookie and one who has only a year under his belt. No one had really even heard of either of them. Yet they do just fine.

Brady should definitely be capable of doing the same thing with his no name guys. The fact of the matter is, you don't need a crazy 3rd receiver to make open space for your main 2 and to keep your main 2 effective, and if you throw the ball well, you can make those nobodies playing 3rd and or 4th look good.

Protection is a much bigger issue than the lack of a name brand WR3. In 07 the Pats has Moss, Welker, Stallworth and Gaffney. 4 guys who are all capable of being #1s. Moss and Welker are Moss and Welker, Stalworth was the king of YAC and Gaffney would be considered a top 1 or 2 WR on the majority of teams in the NFL. However having 4 guys like that almost NEVER happens and I think that year may have spoiled peoples expectations.

Most teams don't have 3 really solid receivers. Some teams don't even have 2. How many teams do you think would kill to have Moss and Welker as their combo?

Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie are a much better combination than Edelman and Stanback/Aiken/Slater. Stanback has 2 career catches. Aiken was the #5 receiver on the Bills. Edelman is a rookie converted QB playing wide receiver for the first time in his life and broke his arm halfway through the season. Slater just sucks. All you have to do is watch a Colts game and you can see that Collie and Garcon are good players... not great, but far more reliable than the garbage the Patriots used this year.

Despite all that, the real problem for the Pats is that Brady has not been going through his progressions this year. Part of the reason the Colts have a better attack is that Manning makes his reads and throws to the guy who's open. That's what Brady used to do. Now, he locks in on a guy and throws to him no matter what. There were a few examples of that in the Ravens game, and he's done it all season.

It's probably related to missing a year of playing time. Still, he's had a full season to work on it, so either the coaches didn't pick up on it or Brady is having a hard time re-adjusting to the NFL. Neither of those situations is good for the future of the team.

Hopefully he improves next season, because we aren't going to have success in any critical situation if he doesn't.