Curran: Brady has "got a lot of peers this year"

[aluminum seats]

Like most things, it’s a combination of elements. Some good receivers gone, Gronk decline (permanent or not), etc.

And yeah, maybe part of it is Brady deciding not to be the same off-season guy he was the rest of his career...we had people mocking the idea that Brady skipping OTAs could possibly mean anything. Maybe it didn’t. Or maybe his legendary commitment and focus that we blew him for for 20 years actually did matter.

 

[50-yard-line]

Athletes get older and get a little bored with the grind. This year has seemed off since the SB - so many players were pissed, and not just pissed about losing. And they were public about it, which is a first for this team.

Then the OTAs...

It's just been a funk, and I don't think this team has really found its identity here with 2 games to play. Here's the good news, though: THEY'RE HEALTHY.

No one is more aware of the bad year Gronk's having than...Gronk. Same with Hightower, same with Brady.

So no, this isn't like past years where they've limped into the playoffs without key pieces.

Also, who in the AFC is unbeatable? Who in the NFL is unbeatable?

No one. There is no dominating Denver team or super Manning-Colts team. The Chiefs are stumbling, the Steelers should have lost 4 straight before yesterday's game, and even as bad as the Pats played, a couple of huh? penalties (Jackson's DP was phantom, as was that late holding) were difference-makers. They went into Pittsburgh, against a desperate team and played them even...on a bad day.

Are they going to the SB this year? Shrug. No fan base in the league should be thinking their team is a clear favorite right now.

Brady's been having those brain farts more and more for several years (end of half picks ring a bell).

 

[varjao]

This team sucks to the point I even made a profit out of their incompetence yesterday.

But I still believe in this team and I think they can make a deep playoff run if the stars align. Remember the Eagles, Giants. Things like that can happen. A lot of sure bet teams are not looking good right now, Chiefs, Rams.

AFC is certainly up for grabs. The only team I see a step ahead is the Saints.

 

[luuked]

Agree but the problems this team has go much deeper.

Teams lose on the road for two reasons. 1) they aren't talented enough or 2) they aren't mentally tough/focused enough.

You can make a case the 2018 NEP are a bunch of front-runners.

It looks like a mix of both to me. The defense is not talented enough but you can at least feel that most players are playing their asses off even if they are not good enough. Hell I even saw Malcom Brown fired up and pissed at the refs for consistently not getting a holding call.

The offense has the talent (on paper) but seems to lack emotion and focus. The only moment where I felt like the player on offense showed any emotion was when CP almost made that first down. Apart from that it seemed like a lot of sleep walking.

I mean I don't expect them to go the OBJ extremes and kick goalposts but you'd think that after the tenth false start penalty there would be more emotion.

 

[QuantumMechanic]

I've been thinking the same thing.

I think it's highly plausible because the team has missed on so many picks and needed to acquire talent via FA or Wal-Mart, Bill needed to overlook some of the cultural standards of the organization. Thinking he had a strong enough locker room to absorb the new talent, he was OK with it but it's clear Brady, Gronk and perhaps others aren't at bought-in to the program as he hoped.

If you are familiar with the final two seasons of Tom Landry's career, its starting to look like this.

“I just can’t get them to play the way I need them to.”

 

[RobertWeathers]

It looks like a mix of both to me. The defense is not talented enough but you can at least feel that most players are playing their asses off even if they are not good enough. Hell I even saw Malcom Brown fired up and pissed at the refs for consistently not getting a holding call.

The offense has the talent (on paper) but seems to lack emotion and focus. The only moment where I felt like the player on offense showed any emotion was when CP almost made that first down. Apart from that it seemed like a lot of sleep walking.

I mean I don't expect them to go the OBJ extremes and kick goalposts but you'd think that after the tenth false start penalty there would be more emotion.

I'm almost hoping the coaching staff and the players are 1/2 assing the regular season and will turn it on in the playoffs.

But I doubt it....

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

So you said 9-7 back in Aug?

This team has been an 11-12 win team all year.

The problem is a 11-5 team is not as good as a 14-2 13-3 team and this fan base has forgotten what that looks like

11-5 would be our worst record in 9 years, that is an unbelievable thing to be able to say

 

[libra957]

Brady needs to play at an elite level until 45, otherwise, there is no point on playing anymore. His arm is fine, his head lately isn't. The patriots are never gonna have an elite defense or elite running game, they rely on Brady to make critical throws at critical time, he isn't making them right now.

 

[RobertWeathers]

11-5 would be our worst record in 9 years, that is an unbelievable thing to be able to say

We are spoiled rotten.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Brady needs to play at an elite level until 45, otherwise, there is no point on playing anymore. His arm is fine, his head lately isn't. The patriots are never gonna have an elite defense or elite running game, they rely on Brady to make critical throws at critical time, he isn't making them right now.

I do wonder on the Haden INT if the arm failed him. Does that go OOB 2 years ago?

When hes able to step up and have good mechanics he looks great.

When his footwork is off, shoulder flies out or is off balance is when he gets in trouble.

 

[Gronkowski123]

He's really bad against pressure. 3rd and longs we have no chance.

 

[Gronkowski123]

He also gives Gronk no chance on those go routes. Just heaves it out bounds lol.

 

[Ring 6]

It looks like a mix of both to me. The defense is not talented enough but you can at least feel that most players are playing their asses off even if they are not good enough. Hell I even saw Malcom Brown fired up and pissed at the refs for consistently not getting a holding call.

The offense has the talent (on paper) but seems to lack emotion and focus. The only moment where I felt like the player on offense showed any emotion was when CP almost made that first down. Apart from that it seemed like a lot of sleep walking.

I mean I don't expect them to go the OBJ extremes and kick goalposts but you'd think that after the tenth false start penalty there would be more emotion.

What do you want them to do?
Emotional displays dont win football games.

 

[RobertWeathers]

He's really bad against pressure. 3rd and longs we have no chance.

Vs the blitz this year he hasn't been himself. Not sure if hes lost a millisecond in processing info, physical reaction or his receivers aren't as good at picking it up because they are older as well.

 

[RobertWeathers]

He also gives Gronk no chance on those go routes. Just heaves it out bounds lol.

Gronk has not been "Super Gronk" since Week 1. Still a very good player but when double teamed I'm not sure Tom should have the unbendable confidence he'll pull it down.

 

[Ring 6]

He's really bad against pressure. 3rd and longs we have no chance.

Untrue

 

[Gronkowski123]

Vs the blitz this year he hasn't been himself. Not sure if hes lost a millisecond in processing info, physical reaction or his receivers aren't as good at picking it up because they are older as well.

Isn't Brady one of the worst qbs in the league against the blitz this year?, Hard to imagine, he's usually money!!!!

 

[holyredeemer]

I mean... the guy's human. Yeah, the slippage has been noticeable, so Curran's overall premise isn't wrong, but I think assigning blame for that to some weird notion that he isn't 100% committed or because he wasn't at OTAs or whatever is misguided and missing what's pretty clearly the real story here.

The real story, IMO: who is his safety blanket this year? What player on this roster is he both a) familiar and comfortable with, and b) is still notably good at his job? Amendola left, Edelman isn't what he was pre-injury, and Gronk is so diminished by injury that I'm not even sure if you can call him 'good' right now. That really just leaves White, and sure enough for the first half of the season they were the lion's share of the passing offense, but defenses seem to have more or less figured out that White isn't a credible threat to run and can basically be defended as a receiver.

In the best years, Brady had somewhere between 2 and 4 guys who he was familiar with, who he trusted implicitly, and who could reliably get open. Now he's got zero, and to the extent that he's forcing the ball in uncharacteristic ways I think it has a lot more to do with this than some implication that he isn't giving it his all or that he's no longer a fundamentally sound QB or whatever.

Every QB looks a lot worse when you take away the receivers they trust. Look at Rodgers and Goff this year when they've had to deal with losing their own guys - they become downright pedestrian.

He has had almost an entire season to figure out. The same guy who made it work with names like Kenbrell and Caldwell. We can look in other directions for different problems all we want, but sooner or later, we have to look at Brady too.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Isn't Brady one of the worst qbs in the league against the blitz this year?, Hard to imagine, he's usually money!!!!

As of mid-Nov statistically hes near the bottom in comp % and QB rating vs 5 rushers.

 

[Gronkowski123]

Gronk has not been "Super Gronk" since Week 1. Still a very good player but when double teamed I'm not sure Tom should have the unbendable confidence he'll pull it down.

I think it was against the Jets. Gronk was 1v1 against Adams near the right sideline, 2 straight go routes, both went out of bounds