That Phantom Rusher: Brady

[nashvillepatsfan]

This is only the second thread I've looked at, and so far I've read that the secondary sucks, and Bradys skills are eroding.......didnt we win today? I must've watched the wrong game. :bricks:

 

[Uncle Rico]

I've enjoyed the zillion times he's ducked away from rushers he couldn't see as if he had eyes in the back of his head, then made great plays. Why not chill out and have a cold beverage?

Exactly. People have forgotten how shocking it was to see Brady make a small move to avoid a pass rusher, after years of seeing Bledsoe standing tall and getting plastered.

 

[Patriots Nation NY]

The point of this thread is that he is ducking pass rushers that aren't there. Obviously he is hearing and sensing something around him, real or not. Hence, "imaginary".

exactly my point of this thread .. some folks went way off the reservation ...lol .. funny pats fans .. :rocker:

 

[Patriots Nation NY]

This is only the second thread I've looked at, and so far I've read that the secondary sucks, and Bradys skills are eroding.......didnt we win today? I must've watched the wrong game. :bricks:

who said that?

 

[RodThePat]

He had plenty of time to step up and make throws today... I'm more worried about some of the fade passes he missed, particularly the one to Gronk. I think he missed at least 2-3 of them. I don't know if it's a pressure problem or an accuracy problem. It's frankly sad that I get nervous everytime Brady decides to throw the ball more than 20 yards, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. We rejoice when he occasionally hits a receiver downfield. Emphasis on occasionally.

Which consistent downfield threat do we have? Brady's long ball has never been the strongest part of his game, but when we had guys that could get open deep, he hit those throws more often than not.

 

[Patriots Nation NY]

Which consistent downfield threat do we have? Brady's long ball has never been the strongest part of his game, but when we had guys that could get open deep, he hit those throws more often than not.

I find myself saying "oh shat" everytime I see TFB wind up for a deep ball ..

 

[UK_Pat37]

The one significant time he did it he had Solder right on him...he had held on to the ball for a while and may have felt he was about to get hit. He had no way of knowing wh that was behind him...he felt some sort of pressure and braced himself.

It's called a body clock. No need to over exaggerate a non issue.

 

[Observer]

I think it's an automatic reaction when the sack counter in his head is winding to 0 and there is no one open. He is mentally anticipating a hit/sack.

 

[ForThoseAboutToRock]

The phantom rusher was a guy named Von Miller. That young fellow was in full on beast mode yesterday - I'd wager that was one of the best few individual performances we'll end up seeing against the Patriots for the whole season.

 

[upstater1]

exactly my point of this thread .. some folks went way off the reservation ...lol .. funny pats fans .. :rocker:

So, I take it, you'd rather he not do this. So, then, perhaps you're also OK with him getting whacked because he's no longer ducking when rushers are closing on him from behind, because after all he looks foolish out there ducking.

The point is, you can't have one without the other.

 

[aluminum seats]

I'm not sure why this thread is so contentious. Brady is awesome. But I noticed watching the game yesterday his movement seemed different (to me.) It seemed like he folded into himself a few times. By the way, doing that didn't seem to let him avoid sacks--if anything, he seemed more vulnerable when he did it.

Just an observation. Doesn't take away from his awesome-ness.

 

[Patriots Nation NY]

So, I take it, you'd rather he not do this. So, then, perhaps you're also OK with him getting whacked because he's no longer ducking when rushers are closing on him from behind, because after all he looks foolish out there ducking.

The point is, you can't have one without the other.

hey grasshopper .. key word "phantom" ..

 

[BradyFTW!]

I'm not sure why this thread is so contentious. Brady is awesome. But I noticed watching the game yesterday his movement seemed different (to me.) It seemed like he folded into himself a few times. By the way, doing that didn't seem to let him avoid sacks--if anything, he seemed more vulnerable when he did it.

Just an observation. Doesn't take away from his awesome-ness.

I got the sense that he was doing it to make sure that, as he was taking the sack, he didn't also lose the ball.

 

[Metaphors]

I got the sense that he was doing it to make sure that, as he was taking the sack, he didn't also lose the ball.

Not sure why this isn't obvious. Just ball security...he isn't going into the fetal position and collapsing to the ground.

 

[JMarr]

I'd rather he occasionally sense a rusher who isn't there than not sense the ones who are. He got sacked 4 times today and probably hit another half dozen times in 31 attempts. So it's not like he's imagining someone might be coming.

Exactly.

Trying to avoid turnovers at all costs explains Brady occasionally seeing ghosts more than anything else imo. It's even more important in a "whoever has the ball last" type matchup like this. Unfair to fault him with the way Von Miller was playing as well. It's been awhile since I've seen a guy that quick abusing blockers and getting into the backfield so frequently.

 

[condon84]

I got the sense that he was doing it to make sure that, as he was taking the sack, he didn't also lose the ball.

Really?

 

[Avenger]

it looks like he may have though Connoly was a Bronco rusher

 

[Metaphors]

Really?

Sure. Dumervil has a bunch of forced fumbles over the years. Brady can't tell if Dumervil is locked up with Solder (he was) or if he has an arm free. All he knows is that he could feel pressure behind him. It wasn't like nobody was there.

As for the ducking motion, QBs (other than Sanchez) actually practice that. Coaches will swing pads to simulate a strip move. Protect the ball, step up if you can and reset. That is exactly what he did.

If the implication is that Brady is scared or trying to avoid injury, he wasn't doing a very good job of it. Scared QBs don't extend the play with their eyes downfield. He had a chance to throw it at the feet of a receiver (which he does occasionally) but he still thought there was a chance for a positive play...and he ended up taking a hit because of it.

The things that people will focus on amazes me sometimes. There are legitimate areas of criticism for Brady. His efforts at ball security ain't one of 'em.

 

[upstater1]

hey grasshopper .. key word "phantom" ..

Your key word is irrelevant to what I wrote. Let me say this again: "You can't have one without the other."

 

[upstater1]

Really?

That video pretty much goes against you guys.

It shows Solder backing into Brady.