Brady uncomfortable in the pocket?

[CheeseMonkeys]

Don't get me wrong, Brady is having a good season so far, but he definitely looks scared when he has to stand in the pocket for too long. He used to be so poised in the pocket and wouldn't care to take a hit. He was fearless. Does anyone think his performance has been hindered by his hesitation in the pocket? Perhaps he's just at a point in his career where it's better to play more conservatively. Any input on this?

 

[fnordcircle]

Re: Brady uncomfortable in the pocket

I don't think he's scared in the pocket, I think he's aware that he's working with an OL who are young and still working towards becoming a cohesive unit.

Brady's 'pocket timer' probably has 1-2 seconds less on it than he did with his OLs of yesteryear. And with good reason.

Which would you prefer, a QB who decides to end the play earlier than necessary, once in a while, or a QB who hangs in the pocket too long and gets strip-sacked like we saw happen with Manning?

I just am not seeing anything like Tony Eason out of Tom Brady right now. Eason was clearly afraid behind the line. Brady isn't afraid I think he's being prudent until this new line gels.

 

[nabwong]

Re: Brady uncomfortable in the pocket

I refer you to the thread "phantom rusher"

 

[jmt57]

Does anyone think his performance has been hindered by his hesitation in the pocket? Perhaps he's just at a point in his career where it's better to play more conservatively. Any input on this?



Here you go:


http://www.patsfans.com/new-england-patriots/messageboard/10/953498-phantom-rusher-brady.html

 

[nekromantique]

he looked fine until the 'phantom rusher' incident where connolly ran back and brady seemed to freak a little bit (honestly...if you see your linemen running back, youd probably assume someone was beat as well). didnt get much better after that.


i think hes comfortable for the most part... but not particularly with the back-up o-linemen.

 

[upstater1]

New England Patriots running back Danny Woodhead TD catch - NFL Videos

People forget stuff like this, and it wasn't the only play where he's evaded passrushers with deft footwork.

 

[RodThePat]

Have I been transported back to 2006 with all the "I don't like Brady's body language" talk? Tom will be fine.

 

[PatsDeb]

Don't get me wrong, Brady is having a good season so far, but he definitely looks scared when he has to stand in the pocket for too long. He used to be so poised in the pocket and wouldn't care to take a hit. He was fearless. Does anyone think his performance has been hindered by his hesitation in the pocket? Perhaps he's just at a point in his career where it's better to play more conservatively. Any input on this?

It's called the loss of innocence, my friend.

 

[JJDChE]

I think he's trying harder to avoid getting hit. Probably a good idea considering he's 35 years old. I'd be worried if it was affecting his performance, but it's not.

124/185, 67.0%, 290 ypg, 8 TD, 1 INT, 102.8 rating

 

[Rob0729]

Somebody brought up an interesting theory. I can't remember who said it on the radio, but they thought the pink gloves everyone is wearing for breast Cancer Awarness Month screwed him up this past weekend. He may have seen his own teammates' pink gloves in his peripheral vision and thought he had a rusher closer to him than they were and he was thinking he was about to get sacked.

 

[Big-T]

Somebody brought up an interesting theory. I can't remember who said it on the radio, but they thought the pink gloves everyone is wearing for breast Cancer Awarness Month screwed him up this past weekend. He may have seen his own teammates' pink gloves in his peripheral vision and thought he had a rusher closer to him than they were and he was thinking he was about to get sacked.

I posted it on here after reading a Denver fan mention it, everyone wearing the same pink apparel flashing by in someone's peripheral vision will throw them off, especially when like the first duck & cover he did Solder was right behind him so he could probably hear people moving as well as see pink gloves/arm pads etc

 

[RelocatedPatFan]

I know he's getting older and has suffered some injuries. BUT, are we really at a poitn where we are questioning his toughness (after all the times we hear how injured he is after the fact and never makes excuses for any shortcommings)?

Seriously?

 

[BradyManny]

He's been playing MVP-caliber ball the last three weeks, I'll take it.

I think he moves more in the pocket now because he has to. This isn't the 2007 OL and we don't have Randy Moss. He can't just stand back there and wait for people to get open. And even if he could, he shouldn't, because it's being that static in the pocket that makes ACL injuries more likely.

Plus - you got two guys coming back from injury (Vollmer, Mankins) and one guy thrust into a role thanks to our Waters no-show (Wendell). The line is good, but it should get stronger as the season moves on.

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

I think he's trying harder to avoid getting hit. Probably a good idea considering he's 35 years old. I'd be worried if it was affecting his performance, but it's not.

124/185, 67.0%, 290 ypg, 8 TD, 1 INT, 102.8 rating

Doesn't look uncomfortable to me

 

[The Gr8est]

Somebody brought up an interesting theory. I can't remember who said it on the radio, but they thought the pink gloves everyone is wearing for breast Cancer Awarness Month screwed him up this past weekend. He may have seen his own teammates' pink gloves in his peripheral vision and thought he had a rusher closer to him than they were and he was thinking he was about to get sacked.

Well when it's not Cancer awareness month he still sees pink hands and feet when they play the Rats, so I'm not sure that's it.

 

[Ring 6]

Don't get me wrong, Brady is having a good season so far, but he definitely looks scared when he has to stand in the pocket for too long. He used to be so poised in the pocket and wouldn't care to take a hit. He was fearless. Does anyone think his performance has been hindered by his hesitation in the pocket? Perhaps he's just at a point in his career where it's better to play more conservatively. Any input on this?

You have this totally upside down.
To suggest Brady is afraid to get hit is moronic.
There is, however, absolutely no doubt he is reacting to pressure that is not there, because the clock in his head is going off, and he is moving away from nearby rushers who are actually engaged by a blocker.
This is a maturity and ball security issue. Brady has clearly recgonized that taking a sack is far surperior to standing in the pocket and getting hit while throwing, strip sacked, etc.
This is why Brady almost never turns the ball over.
You are taking a positive and trying to call it a negative.

 

[Ring 6]

I think he's trying harder to avoid getting hit. Probably a good idea considering he's 35 years old. I'd be worried if it was affecting his performance, but it's not.

124/185, 67.0%, 290 ypg, 8 TD, 1 INT, 102.8 rating

Its actually affecting his performance in a positive fashion because it is eliminating the turnovers that result from trying to extend a failed play.

 

[Rob0729]

I posted it on here after reading a Denver fan mention it, everyone wearing the same pink apparel flashing by in someone's peripheral vision will throw them off, especially when like the first duck & cover he did Solder was right behind him so he could probably hear people moving as well as see pink gloves/arm pads etc

So someone must have stole it from you. Sorry for not giving you credit. Then again, you stole the info too.

 

[RodThePat]

Unless your QB is built like Big Ben, and is actually bigger and stronger than most linebackers/defensive ends, you should always prefer him turtling up and taking a sack, instead of trying to shake off an oncoming pass rusher to make a play. Tom Brady, more than pretty much everyone else, is aware of the context of any given play. If he doesn't see anybody open, and things start to clog up around him, he'll gladly take the sack and move on to the next play. Nobody will ever lose a game because of a sack. People are talking as if he's got people running open down the field, but is so afraid of the pass rush he'll just cover up immediately, instead of hanging in there to deliver the ball. We've seen him stand in the pocket until the last second and just get the ball out before getting drilled countless times, if he is feeling good about a play, he'll make it. On the other hand, why force the issue if there's nobody to throw the football too and you're about to be taken down? A bad play was called, but he should give the team a chance to move on to the next one, instead of risking a turnover. Obviously, if we're down 10 with 3 minutes to go, he'll force a pass, because there's not much to lose in that situation.

 

[CheeseMonkeys]

His performance has been good but it's very clear that he's not comfortable in the pocket at times. Many people that I've spoken with feel the same way.