Do you still think Brady can throw the LONG ball?

[stcjones]

Tom Brady has always been one of the most accurate and precise passers, has eyes in the back of his head and can sense the pressure like few before or now, and is the best clutch QB that has ever played the game......and overall, has been able to throw the long bombs pretty darned well......BUT can he still do it? 2008 was a wash, but last year he seemed to underthrow the long ball alot forcing receivers to come back to the ball.....or resulting in TO's.......Maybe it was because of the injury and he wasn't stepping into the throw last year.....but seemed like he had some difficulty throwing deep this preseason as well

Long bombs are not the key to a great offense obviously so it probably is a mute point, but when you have a burner like Tate out there.....will be necessary sometimes!!! Appreciate your opinions on this

GO PATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Kontradiction]

When he trusts in his arm and uncorks it the first chance he sees, yes. When he stands in the pocket, tries to measure it, and gets in his own head... no.

 

[BelichickFan]

When he trusts in his arm and uncorks it the first chance he sees, yes.

Like the 65 yarder (50 or so in the air) against the Rams. Against backups but the throw still had to be there and it was perfect.

 

[alphilip77]

Does this answer your question?

YouTube - Tom Brady 63 yard TD pass to Randy Moss Week 10 vs.Indianapolis Colts

 

[PatsSox363804]

Does this answer your question?

YouTube - Tom Brady 63 yard TD pass to Randy Moss Week 10 vs.Indianapolis Colts

Was a flag thrown on that play? I don't remember but there should have been one. Guarantee if that was the other way around we get flagged for PI.

 

[Mack Herron]

Yeah the 65 yarder a couple of weeks ago answers the question. The key factor is not Brady's ability, it is whether there is room for him to step up and wing it. Penetration in the middle is effective defense.

 

[Rob0729]

Tom Brady has always been one of the most accurate and precise passers, has eyes in the back of his head and can sense the pressure like few before or now, and is the best clutch QB that has ever played the game......and overall, has been able to throw the long bombs pretty darned well......BUT can he still do it? 2008 was a wash, but last year he seemed to underthrow the long ball alot forcing receivers to come back to the ball.....or resulting in TO's.......Maybe it was because of the injury and he wasn't stepping into the throw last year.....but seemed like he had some difficulty throwing deep this preseason as well

Long bombs are not the key to a great offense obviously so it probably is a mute point, but when you have a burner like Tate out there.....will be necessary sometimes!!! Appreciate your opinions on this

GO PATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Didn't you already start this thread the day before Brady threw a long bomb to Moss in the third preseason game a few weeks back?

Brady most certainly can throw the long bomb, but no matter who the QB is it is a low percentage play. When Moss is the only option down the field, it makes the percentages go down even more because teams bump Moss more and double and triple cover him making it more important to be exactly on target.

The fact of the matter is in long bombs the receiver has a lot of responsibility to make the connection. It is the QB's job to get it to an area and the receiver's responsibilty to make adjustments on the ball. When Brady misses on a long bomb, it isn't always his fault.

 

[Kontradiction]

Like the 65 yarder (50 or so in the air) against the Rams. Against backups but the throw still had to be there and it was perfect.

That's exactly what I mean. He didn't hesitate and stand in the pocket trying to measure it. He faked the handoff, stepped up, and uncorked it. It's because he had confidence in the throw. When he tries to measure the throw, it seems he gets in his own head and his confidence diminishes which results in him putting more air under the ball than he should, which often = an underthrow and a pick. Here are two examples from the preseason...

NFL Game Center: St. Louis Rams at New England Patriots - 2010 Preseason Week 3

^^ The throw is at 2:15. Brady fakes it, steps up, and delivers. No thought process, just trust in his arm.

NFL Game Center: New England Patriots at New York Giants - 2010 Preseason Week 4

^^ The throw is at 1:02. This time he stands in the pocket too long, measures it, and underthrows it which results in an interception.

 

[Kontradiction]

Yeah the 65 yarder a couple of weeks ago answers the question. The key factor is not Brady's ability, it is whether there is room for him to step up and wing it. Penetration in the middle is effective defense.

As you can see in the Giants example, there was room for Brady to step up and throw it. What really matters, in this case, is Brady having trust in his arm. When he does, the throw is perfect. When he gives it a second thought, the throw is off.

 

[stcjones]

Didn't you already start this thread the day before Brady threw a long bomb to Moss in the third preseason game a few weeks back?

Brady most certainly can throw the long bomb, but no matter who the QB is it is a low percentage play. When Moss is the only option down the field, it makes the percentages go down even more because teams bump Moss more and double and triple cover him making it more important to be exactly on target.

The fact of the matter is in long bombs the receiver has a lot of responsibility to make the connection. It is the QB's job to get it to an area and the receiver's responsibilty to make adjustments on the ball. When Brady misses on a long bomb, it isn't always his fault.

ummm...No....don't recall starting any prior thread on the topic.......I was thinking it however......maybe you read my mind Good points here Rob

 

[stcjones]

That's exactly what I mean. He didn't hesitate and stand in the pocket trying to measure it. He faked the handoff, stepped up, and uncorked it. It's because he had confidence in the throw. When he tries to measure the throw, it seems he gets in his own head and his confidence diminishes which results in him putting more air under the ball than he should, which often = an underthrow and a pick. Here are two examples from the preseason...

NFL Game Center: St. Louis Rams at New England Patriots - 2010 Preseason Week 3

^^ The throw is at 2:15. Brady fakes it, steps up, and delivers. No thought process, just trust in his arm.

NFL Game Center: New England Patriots at New York Giants - 2010 Preseason Week 4

^^ The throw is at 1:02. This time he stands in the pocket too long, measures it, and underthrows it which results in an interception.

Great points here Kontra (and everyone else for that matter) I am sure so much has to go into one of those long throws.....starting with making a confident throw and stepping in and letting it fly........Great replies here folks......and thanks for the youtube post....alot of great memories on that page!!!!

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

Brady can do anything.

He can do what Mr. Perfect did in an old WWF promo where he threw a football 50 yards or whatever and caught it himself.

 

[Rob0729]

ummm...No....don't recall starting any prior thread on the topic.......I was thinking it however......maybe you read my mind Good points here Rob

Sorry, I know someone started the same thread right before that game. It was almost the same question and points. Just assumed it was you.

 

[RayClay]

yes..................

 

[DarrylS]

yes..................

Brilliant, succinct... he can throw the ball as far as he needs to..

 

[TomBrady'sGoat]

i've never thought that Brady was particularly good on long throws. he definitely has the arm strength for it, but until Moss (perhaps the best deep ball catcher in the history of the game) came around they didn't connect very often. in his defense, he didn't throw a lot of deep passes in the first place due to the lack of quality receivers and the conservative offensive approach.

so it probably is a mute point

the term is "moot point." i know it doesn't really add anything to the discussion but i have to fend it off when i see it.

 

[WhiZa]

Brilliant, succinct... he can throw the ball as far as he needs to..

This is true. His accuracy might be lacking though. The only time he feels comfortable throwing the long ball is to Moss at any time or to a WR who is going to out-run their DB to the ball in space (ie Bethel Johnson or Andre Davis).

 

[RodThePat]

i've never thought that Brady was particularly good on long throws. he definitely has the arm strength for it, but until Moss (perhaps the best deep ball catcher in the history of the game) came around they didn't connect very often. in his defense, he didn't throw a lot of deep passes in the first place due to the lack of quality receivers and the conservative offensive approach.



the term is "moot point." i know it doesn't really add anything to the discussion but i have to fend it off when i see it.

There isn't a single quarterback in the NFL who "connects often" in throws that travel 30 yards or further in the air. If you complete more than 35% of such passes that's an impressive number. Brady's problem last year was missing wide open guys down the field in the beggining of the season (the Denver game, for example), it just seemed as if he wasn't confident enough or just overthinking plays, supressing his instincts. Those plays where the WR has the cornerback by a step and the ball is over/undertrhrown are pretty much the norm around the league. You just have to hit the open man, and Brady did improve on that as the season went on.

I just find these kinds of threads very funny, seing as his last healthy season was the greatest a QB has ever had. He comes back from an ACL tear, plays the latter part of the season with broken ribs and a broken finger and people begin to question his abillity. Jesus, people, there are plenty of areas on this team deserving our concern. Let's not lose any sleep over Tom Brady's play. I'm sure he'll be more than fine.

 

[Sicilian]

That's exactly what I mean. He didn't hesitate and stand in the pocket trying to measure it. He faked the handoff, stepped up, and uncorked it. It's because he had confidence in the throw. When he tries to measure the throw, it seems he gets in his own head and his confidence diminishes which results in him putting more air under the ball than he should, which often = an underthrow and a pick. Here are two examples from the preseason...

NFL Game Center: St. Louis Rams at New England Patriots - 2010 Preseason Week 3

^^ The throw is at 2:15. Brady fakes it, steps up, and delivers. No thought process, just trust in his arm.

NFL Game Center: New England Patriots at New York Giants - 2010 Preseason Week 4

^^ The throw is at 1:02. This time he stands in the pocket too long, measures it, and underthrows it which results in an interception.

I think what you theorize has merit, but I'd present a different look at this too. That is, when a deep ball develops earlier, it's usually because the receiver instantly gets a good jump on the DBs. Thus all Brady has to do is chuck it as deep as he can in the direction of the route and Moss will generally catch up to it.

When it takes longer, it means that Moss or the deep threat didn't get behind the defense, and it's usually a more dangerous play to make. Brady is probably hoping Moss will come down with it due to his leaping ability. Maybe not the best strategy, but I don't think he's overthinking it, I think that deep balls are just a lower percentage play the longer the play extends.

Conversely, short and intermediate passes are higher percentage the longer a play goes, because the DBs tend to have to cover more moves for a longer period of time. Better chance that a shifty receiver will break free in a seam.

 

[PatsBoy12]

Brady can still throw it better than most, but I don't think he's among the most accurate at the deep ball. However, his play-action fake is pretty close to perfect. It's so good and rivaled only by Peyton . . . probably.