As much as I absolutely hate to say it, Brady has not been playing well this year.

[Ivan]

I don’t see a decline in velocity. And I think most of the problems have been due to all the issues that have been cited. He moves well too.

I think there may be two areas where you can maybe see a slight decline (note all the qualifiers here because everything could be tied to overall offensive woes):

—Brady’s first couple of throws in a game. He seems a bit stiff before he gets going, and his first throw or two are sometimes real wtf? efforts.

—Vision. Seeing the whole field quickly, open receivers, closing defenders. Feel like maybe a bit of a dip there.

As far as a “ vision” issue goes I think that’s related to a lack of trust in his line protecting him and skill players not being where he expects them to be. And unlike past years he doesn’t have Gronk to bail him out of tough situations and keep drives alive. However, if there is one player I trust to put it all together in January and February it’s Brady.

 

[Deus Irae]

I think he has lost a little in terms of arm strength but not a lot. His passes didn't seem to travel through the wind as well during the Cowboys game (possibly an arm strength sign). I think his accuracy and decision making have declined noticeably. This could be a product of his surrounding talent so it's hard to pin point but the eye test says he doesn't look quite the same. He is still accurate but not as accurate consistently.

One thing we've seen from Brady over the course of his career is that he's changed the "How" of throwing the football downfield. He puts a lot more air under the ball now. It makes it easier for his receivers to get under the ball. The downside is that gusting winds affect the throw more. But he's been doing that for years. And, when he feels the need to throw a sharper type of pass (See the endzone throw to Harry for an example), he can still do it as well as anyone in the game.

So, is it possible that he's lost a little bit of zip on the ball? Sure, it's possible. We don't have access to radar data on all of his throws, with context for each throw. But it seems more likely, to me, that any possible decline in that area is more likely to be about sustained high power tosses a/k/a repeatability, rather than an inability to make them at all.

There's a reason he let us all know just how fast he can still sling it a while back, after all.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

I had a black '65 Gran Sport ragtop

 

[maust]

'70?

 

[eustis22]

And Pittsburgh is not terrible.

Objection! Claims facts not in evidence!

 

[eom]

His best game of the year so far passing wise has actually been game 1 against the Steelers. People have been so caught up on how good the defense has been playing that they have not thought about how Tom has been playing this year. He has never had a passer rating that is below the league average in his entire 20 year career. So far, however that has been the case, his passer rating so far is actually lower than it was in 2013 which was a hard year because of the likes of Aaron Dropson and Thompkins. I really hope this isnt the cliff and it's because of the offensive line not giving him the time he has been accustomed to in recent years or the lack of reliable weapons similar to 2013. The eagles were blanketing edelman almost the entire game, Harry is still getting accustomed to the system and Sanu was not able to get much separation throughout the game. You could say that the lack of Gronk is also causing the offense to look anemic but Brady did not have Gronk for most of 2016 and thrived in the games that he played. I seriously hope it is not the cliff and Wynn comes back and we see the Brady of old late in the season and during the playoffs because if it is the cliff, Pats are in trouble. Offense playing like it did last sunday will not cut it against Baltimore or even Kansas City. If last year's offense played against this Ravens team, it probably would have been a shootout and a win but the offense is simply not what it has been and they will have to figure it out in order to compete in the playoffs against the league's best teams. Defense can only carry you so far.

bro can we just enjoy 1 week out of 19 yrs?

 

[maust]

bro can we just enjoy 1 week out of 19 yrs?

 

[Kontradiction]

“You know what? I’m going to say it. Tom Brady hasn’t been playing well this year.”

 

[SBLIII]

He has/is declining (ed). It's normal at 42.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

I had a black '65 Gran Sport ragtop

I've said this before; The experience and knowledge Brady has is not quantified, along with his character and attitude. He's in fact better equipped to handle things today because he's older. This far outweighs the physical effects of age.

 

[Gronkowski123]

He has stunk at times..hard to admit it. Third and longs we have no chance of victory. Think of King Stannis attempted siege of winterfell.

 

[BelichicksHoodie]

He has/is declining (ed). It's normal at 42.

The fact that he’s even playing at all is an a anomaly. Favre was barely standing at 41. Brady still looks like he’s in his 30s physically.

 

[Ivan]

It’s more than the loss of Gronk, although that’s been a big factor. It’s the losses of Gronk, Allen, Andrews, Develin, and until now Wynn. They were a dominant blocking team last year, especially in the playoff run, and we expected the same from this team, but losing all that blocking, as well as struggles from their skill players has diminished this offense significantly. There’s nothing they can do about TE, but their line can definitely play much better, the backs can play much better, and they have enough at receiver , if everyone is healthy, to be a very good offense. It will be a really interesting stretch run, and the playoffs will be fun. I’m looking forward to it, the first half of this season was brutal to watch, and I’m glad most games they have from jete on out will be competitive, it’s much more fun to watch.

 

[Ivan]

He has stunk at times..hard to admit it. Third and longs we have no chance of victory. Think of King Stannis attempted siege of winterfell.

I can understand that sense but i think they have actually been pretty good league wise on 3rd and long. A stat geek could resolve it.