Brady's lack of mobility is an issue

I know...he didn't run with the ball but still hoisted trophies in '01,'03, and '04...so what?

Just looking back at that nightmare 4th quarter verses the Jets and it's pretty clear the formula to beat Brady and the Pats : Send 4 rushers at Brady by attacking the middle of the line and flood the secondary with the kitchen sink. Dare him to pass. He won't make the risky throw because he knows that turnovers are BAD, so he'll be patient. Eventually the rushers will press him and he'll throw the ball away. One element of the offense that the defense will NEVER EVER have to game plan...Brady scrambling for a 1st down. Defenses don't need to leave a LB underneath if the pass catchers extend the field, because there is zero % chance that Brady will cross the line of scrimmage.

Sure, the Patriots amassed a 14-2 regular season record and our Boy is MVP...no worries, right? But playoff football is a different beast and competion is against the best...which includes the best defenses. Great defenses can keep the score close or even better yet help their team get the lead. Force Brady to have to throw the ball every down knowing that they can devote total resources in the secondary. Eliminate the passing game, and the offense has to run the ball and the clock.

The Jets defensive game plan and execution was a mastery because their pass rushing success early in the game affected both Brady's and the coaches thought process in the 2nd half. Brady was hearing footsteps all evening and the coaches had to adjust protection packages. During crunch time, 4 rushers were all that was needed to get Brady dancing, but with no where to throw with 7 dropped in coverage. A mobile QB would have taken advantage of the wide open space which subsequently would force the defense to change. A mobile QB can create opportunities and space for his WRs instead of the "throw it away and try again next play" reality. Just a few plays can detirmine the winner of a game, and playmaker QB may be able to alter a game with his legs, but not Brady.

I'm not here to diminish Brady's skills, I'm just pointing out that he has his limitations and defenses scheme knowing these limitations, and the Jets executed perfectly.

Of the 4 remaining playoff teams, 2 QBs will jail break early and often...Big Ben and Rodgers ...Cutler and Sanchez less so, but both have the athletic ability to extend plays and get a scrambling 1st down.

The Jets D verses Pitt is a hole different animal. Pitt will extend the field with Wallace and Big Ben will not be afraid to launch the bomb ...or hit the ground running. An entirely different set of components than the Patriots. If the Pitt O line can hold up against the pressure, I like Pitt in the rematch....and of course Sanchez sucks

I kind of was thinking the same thing the other day, but in the end the reality is that the best pocket passers are the ones that end up by winning in February.

Last SB Champion QBs:
2010: Brees
2009: Roethlisberger
2008: Eli Manning
2007: Peyton Manning
2006: Roethlisberger
2005: Brady
2004: Brady

The only real "mobile" QB on there is Big Ben. I would much rather have a guy who is great in the pocket, than a mobile QB who struggles in other (more important) areas of the game.

Football like life is all about tradeoffs. We could swap Brady for a scrambler and run the chinese fire drill offense. Of course when that guy misses games or the leg injuries or concussions start to mount or his WR talent can't keep up or the defense can't compensate for his mistakes we could swap back again...

Or, we could upgrade and reinforce in the trenches on both sides of the ball, where most championships are won or lost unless of course your QB turns out to be a mistake prone knucklehead.

There are other ways to keep the D honest. For example, run an effective screen to a WR or a RB every now and then.

Tom is usually VERY MOBILE WITHIN THE POCKET which is the most important thing. He did seem to be less effective sliding around in the pocket vs. the Jets, for whatever reason, but it has not been a problem worth worrying about at all.

Palm Beach Pats Fan said:

Tom is usually VERY MOBILE WITHIN THE POCKET which is the most important thing. He did seem to be less effective sliding around in the pocket vs. the Jets, for whatever reason, but it has not been a problem worth worrying about at all.

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When Brady gets into trouble is when the pressure comes from up the middle because he has trouble moving to his right and to his left. He is much better against pressure from the outside because one of his strengths his being able to step up in the pocket.

As Ron Jaworski always says, Tom Brady is the most mobile QB in the NFL. This lack of mobility being an issue is BS. No QB in the league can step up and avoid the rush like Brady. Possibly no QB in history can do it like him.

I love how Brady has a historic season as a passer and after one game, he becomes a flawed QB with major issues. Sorry, it doesn't work that way.

Besides, most of Brady's sacks and pressures were not because he didn't have time. He had time and his options weren't open. If Brady scrambled out of the pocket, that wouldn't have changed.

The Dynasty said:

When Brady gets into trouble is when the pressure comes from up the middle because he has trouble moving to his right and to his left. He is much better against pressure from the outside because one of his strengths his being able to step up in the pocket.

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And mobile QBs are suseptable to the outside rush because they are forced to stay in the pocket (I remember a game against the Steelers here Vrabel single handily won a game because Roethlisburger loves to scramble to the right and Vrabel cut off his route and forced him to stay in the pocket). Every QB, even elite ones, have their limitations.

Brady's lack of scrambling ablility is only an issue becuase they have been too much of a pass happy team. Becoming a more physical offense that power runs the ball a lot will slow down the pass rush in the playoffs.

Rob0729 said:

As Ron Jaworski always says, Tom Brady is the most mobile QB in the NFL. This lack of mobility being an issue is BS. No QB in the league can step up and avoid the rush like Brady. Possibly no QB in history can do it like him.

I love how Brady has a historic season as a passer and after one game, he becomes a flawed QB with major issues. Sorry, it doesn't work that way.

Besides, most of Brady's sacks and pressures were not because he didn't have time. He had time and his options weren't open. If Brady scrambled out of the pocket, that wouldn't have changed.

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While I agree with everything that you said, your last point is a little off. Having a QB that can escape the pocket can make plays and force the defense to worry about the possibility of the QB running. When a QB escapes the pocket, WRs can adjust their routes towards the QB and get open.

Brady used to be able to know he was about to get hit, yet still wait a moment longer to allow his receivers to get open, deliver the ball, and then take the hit and jump back up into the huddle. Now, after he gets hit a couple of times, he's anticipating pressure, feels pressure when there isn't one, rushes his throws before receivers even turn around or throws off target. I hate to call him a mental midget but he's definitely not the same prior to his injury. Not to mention his constant complaining to the refs about getting calls when he gets hit (a sense of entitlement).

Rob0729 said:

As Ron Jaworski always says, Tom Brady is the most mobile QB in the NFL. This lack of mobility being an issue is BS. No QB in the league can step up and avoid the rush like Brady. Possibly no QB in history can do it like him.

I love how Brady has a historic season as a passer and after one game, he becomes a flawed QB with major issues. Sorry, it doesn't work that way.

Besides, most of Brady's sacks and pressures were not because he didn't have time. He had time and his options weren't open. If Brady scrambled out of the pocket, that wouldn't have changed.

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This is spot on. His receivers were blanketed and he still had time to move within the pocket. There's a big difference between being mobile and being a scrambling type quarterback and I'll take Brady's brand of mobility any day.

The Dynasty said:

While I agree with everything that you said, your last point is a little off. Having a QB that can escape the pocket can make plays and force the defense to worry about the possibility of the QB running. When a QB escapes the pocket, WRs can adjust their routes towards the QB and get open.

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Sometimes. Other times, a scrambling QB is more likely to make mistakes because he loses half the field, can't plant on the throw and is throwing on the run, and can't always see everything that is going on on the field. It really changes from situation to situation.

condon84 said:

Brady used to be able to know he was about to get hit, yet still wait a moment longer to allow his receivers to get open, deliver the ball, and then take the hit and jump back up into the huddle. Now, after he gets hit a couple of times, he's anticipating pressure, feels pressure when there isn't one, rushes his throws before receivers even turn around or throws off target. I hate to call him a mental midget but he's definitely not the same prior to his injury. Not to mention his constant complaining to the refs about getting calls when he gets hit (a sense of entitlement).

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So, in other words, what Brady did nearly this entire season was an abhoration and what happened this last Sunday is the norm. I know you Negative Nancys have been eagerly waiting all season to return to the board to biatch how Brady has become soft and lost his passion for football. But other than complaining to the refs, Brady rarely did what you described this season.

Rob0729 said:

Sometimes. Other times, a scrambling QB is more likely to make mistakes because he loses half the field, can't plant on the throw and is throwing on the run, and can't always see everything that is going on on the field. It really changes from situation to situation.

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Yeah, I agree. Which is why I would much rather have a QB who is very comfortable in the pocket and has the accuracy that Brady has.

Since 2004, Roethlisberger has been sacked 250+ and he is one of the more mobile QBs in the game. Roeth's problem is that his line is marginal in pass protection, but also he holds the ball longer than most and lets his receivers get downfield which is also the reason he is near the top in yards per pass play.

I'll defer to guys like Jaws that say Brady is the best there is in moving around the pocket and buying that additional 1/2 a second to deliver the ball. What he also does better than anyone is recognize where the pressure is coming from and call for the appropriate protection scheme.

IMO folks need to ease up on Tom. He had a bad day. I'd also say that the coaching staff may have been a little lax in developing the appropriate strategy in dealing with the multiple ways NYJ was to bring pressure which includes receivers cutting off routes, more running, more max protect, etc.

Seemed like a accross-the-board system failure to me...

Matt Cassel is a better scrambling QB, but I wouldn't trade him for Brady in terms of overall ability.

McNabb was a running threat as well, but it is telling Reid wanted him to be more of a pocket passer in their offense.

We can always look at the last game and say "if Brady were more of a runner, we would have won." That assumes the defense wouldn't adjust to that ability and scheme differently as it would be a known quantity in film. It also assumes the likely trade-off for mobility over accuracy would have gotten the Pats to that game at all in terms of season record.

Rob0729 said:

So, in other words, what Brady did nearly this entire season was an abhoration and what happened this last Sunday is the norm. I know you Negative Nancys have been eagerly waiting all season to return to the board to biatch how Brady has become soft and lost his passion for football. But other than complaining to the refs, Brady rarely did what you described this season.

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I don't know if you watched the Patriots prior to 2007 season, but Brady used to stand in the pocket and get hit while delivering a strike. That was what separated him from the rest of the QBs. Sunday, you saw him ducking defenders when no one was near him. It's not the first time I've seen him do that when defenses were getting to him. It's not me being negative, it's what really happened. I blame this on his injury. I truly believe that it's still in the back of his head.

the solution to their Defensive gameplan(rush 4 and drop everyone back) was to run the ball not blaming this all on the coaches but i reallly dont think we saw enough of law-firm

He's the slide and glide pocket passer, as others posted. i'm waiting for the "Kill Brady" thread, Poor Tom.