Highest paid player in the NFL needs to play a "good" game (not asking too much here are we??) against the Jets. He does that and the Patriots win. I don't disagree about the other players you've named but this thread is about Brady and his performance. Some of his mediot bunboys (Callahan, Borges etc) have tried to downplay Brady's ineptness against the Jets. Good to see an honest attempt at calling it straight here.
What bothered me the most about Brady was the lack of leadership and toughness he showed in that Jet game. No emotion. No passion. I said it at the time and I believe it - the Jets trashtalked their way into the Patriot gameplan through Brady. Never thought I'd ever see that.
I'll never question TB's physical toughness. Never!
Unfortunately I do question his mental toughness now.
His QB rating for the game was higher than his overall playoff average (and Roethlisberger's). That's 7 SB appearances in the postseason between them, and his NYJ playoff loss was almost a full 5 points above BOTH of their postseason averages.
He also had a 65% completion rate, 300 yards, and 2 TD's. I would think an above average QB rating, an above average completion rate, an above average number of TD's, and an above average number of yards thrown (300) would NOT be considered a bad game for most of the 32 NFL teams.
Only here, because we are used to non-stop success.
Running for your life, and going up against a tough defensive team and a great game plan would most likely make most QB's a tad skiddish, and appear to be apprehensive. There may also have been some things behind the scenes, as Icy and some others have suggested (the ammonia in the cup, painkillers, etc)
I guess when you start to act human, and don't appear to be Superman, people start throwing shots and blaming you?? Again, it was a TEAM effort, and the coaching could have been better too. Good teams lose sometimes, and that is what happened. The NYJ shot their wad a week early, and that was their "Super Bowl." Congrats to them. They were the better team that day.
He did not perform up to his usual super-high standard as TFB, the one we have grown accustomed to, and are spoiled with. But if you looked at his stat line before the game, about 95% of us would have thought that would have been enough. Your version of a 'good game' must be 350+, 3-4 TD's etc, because he played 'average' for Tom Brady--which is still 'good' compared to most NFL quarterbacks.
If we need him to throw 350+, and 3-4 TD's against one of the league's better defenses and arguably the best CB tandem, then we are all asking way too much. A higher than average QB rating, 300 yds, 2 TD's, and a 65% completion rate usually isn't considered "not good" by too many people.
FWIW--I agree that he did not play to the standard that we have all set for Tom Brady, yet I will look deep into my heart for forgiveness and cut him a break for his 'human' play at times, because he did not play 'bad' either. It was an all around effort that came up short. Had we won instead of losing by a score, no one would be complaining about his effort--they'd have credited the NYJ defense, which is what we should try and do, in my opinion.
