ESPN:Is Tom Brady on the decline?

[SVN]

Is Tom Brady on the decline? - AFC East Blog - ESPN

 

[RobAllan]

No.

And I'm not clicking on that link either. Blasted ESPN.

 

[mgcolby]

Definitely the sloooooooooow season.....

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

Declining from the best there ever was, to merely one on the best 2 QBs in the league?

I suppose you can argue that, but when when the barely (or not) perceptible decline has you playing far above the level of any conceivable replacement, is it at all relevant?

I am sure that every guy Tom's age has physical limitations he didn't have 10 years before. He also has intelligence and recognition now that he lacked back then, though.

 

[PrairiePat]

Doesn't this article come out every offseason around this time?

 

[Shockt327]

According to Williamson, he can already see signs of Brady on the decline.

"I don’t think he’s the deep passer he used to be, but I don’t know if he was ever great at it," Williamson explained.

If Brady isn't a good deep passer than I don't know where that leaves Peyton Manning or even Aaron Rodgers; cause Brady wasn't too far behind, if not on par with, both last year.

Oh, and he didn't have the deep threat the other two did.

Below I used "passes thrown" which is simply how far the ball was thrown in the air....

Pass Thrown	comp/att yrd	td/int

TFB
21-30 yds:	16/47	468	5/2 
31-40 yds:	6/15	256	3/1
41+ yds:	0/6	0	0/0

PM
21-30 yds:	19/43	554	6/4
31-40 yds:	7/18	289	3/1
41+ yds:	0/1	0	0/0

AR
21-30 yds:	15/38	434	8/1
31-40 yds:	5/9	216	3/0
41+ yds:	1/7	52	0/1

 

[Bruins29]

I dont think there is a decline is his skills necessarily but I see the point of one thing. 16 games is a huge toll on the body and mind and a 35-36 year old QB is not going to bounce back and heal like a younger QB would near the end of the season.

The point is that perhaps TBs decline in the playoffs is due to his body not being able to repair as quickly as it did years earlier. He gets into game 17 and 18 and he is a bit more worn down.

It is just nature. Brady likes to stay in games but perhaps at this stage of his career optimum performance when it counts should trump ego and stats. Hopefully a strong run game will help too.

I dont know, I think some it is is worthy of a discussion.

 

[Ivan]

I am a huge Patriots fan but there is simply no denying it. Brady played almost as poorly as Peyton Manning last season, and if that isn't a sign that he is on the decline then nothing is.

 

[Salva135]

James Walker can't even attempt to hide his contempt for the Pats and Brady, it's hilarious. I usually abstain from the criticisms of sports media because I think fans tend to be very selective in what they hear, but this guy flat out HATES the Pats, and it's not at all subtle. He and Rob Parker just spew their bias.

 

[Archeryaddict12]

I don't think he is on the decline. He plays just as good we just need a team. He puts up stellar numbers each year, no denying. He might not be able to do what he did when he was younger, but he still does much more than what people are calling Rodgers and manning goats. Maybe that's why he was with T.O. Learning to take care of his body better? Who knows but Tom has alot left IMO.

 

[BradyFTW!]

Has he declined from his absolute prime? Maybe a little bit. But he's still one of the top 2 quarterbacks in the NFL, and is unlikely to suffer a major decline anytime soon, so... so what?

 

[SHOWTIME15]

I agree that brady is the big reason the the team didn't beat the ravens last season. Folks, he just didn't play great in the AFCCG. The ravens just confused him and when he gets confused he panics. And it doesn't help that he doesn't have any scrambling ability when no one is open downfield. I don't think brady is a guy who likes to throw the ball out of bounds when nothing is there....sometimes he tries to make plays that just aren't there.

With that said, i don't think he's in decline. He just doesn't play as well against the ravens or giants.

 

[randomk1]

That deep ball argument is such BS. In recent years almost every QB has had better deep threats than Brady. Julian Edelman,Branch, Ochostinko,Lloyd,Tate - none are guys with any real speed or size to make plays down the field.

 

[Silver Blue&Red]

Pats WR's are on the decline......were..

 

[PatsDeb]

We don't even have to click. It's June and every year at this time Tom Brady is on the decline and the Jets or Miami are favored to win the AFC East. By November everyone's predictions are wrong. I think I'll wait until then to panic.

 

[flasox27]

I am a huge Patriots fan but there is simply no denying it. Brady played almost as poorly as Peyton Manning last season, and if that isn't a sign that he is on the decline then nothing is.

Fuinny how ESPN doesn't produce articles about Peyton Manning declining even though he has neglible arm strength and succeptability to injury.

 

[Salva135]

That deep ball argument is such BS. In recent years almost every QB has had better deep threats than Brady. Julian Edelman,Branch, Ochostinko,Lloyd,Tate - none are guys with any real speed or size to make plays down the field.

It's not total BS. There have been studies that show that Brady has a poor deep ball. His completion % at that level ranks near the league low, it's not all the receivers. PFF also recently came out with an analysis that shows Brady is one of the best when handling outside pressure but dead last when handling inside pressure.

I think all of these analyses pass the eye test. Brady is historically awesome at certain parts of his game, and questionable at other parts. He's not perfect.

 

[Deus Irae]

It's not total BS. There have been studies that show that Brady has a poor deep ball. His completion % at that level ranks near the league low, it's not all the receivers. PFF also recently came out with an analysis that shows Brady is one of the best when handling outside pressure but dead last when handling inside pressure.

I think all of these analyses pass the eye test. Brady is historically awesome at certain parts of his game, and questionable at other parts. He's not perfect.

All credibility is lost right there.

 

[VrabelJr]

Only Tom Brady question I care about: Is Tom Brady good enough that we can win a Super Bowl with him as our QB? [x] Yes [ ] No

James Walker is a pitiful writer. I've stated this on many occasions and will continue to do so. He has the hots for Miami Dolphins (he lives in Miami).

 

[Jackson 2]

Doesn't this article come out every offseason around this time?

6th straight year since the 07 SB.