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

[QuantumMechanic]

But really, the most distressing aspect of all of it isn’t the run defense or the penalties. It’s Tom Brady.

He’s played fine/good/OK for most of the season. He can very easily perform the physical tasks of playing NFL quarterback at a level that will win games.

It feels like heresy but that’s the facts. Playing “good” is such an amazing comedown from where’s he’s been since 2014 when he strung together four seasons that cemented his legend as the best to ever play his position.

He’s disconcerted by the buzzing pass rush.

His fundamentals sometimes come undone when there’s no threat at all.

Roll back the final play of the game and watch how he bails out to his left and curls away from presumed contact.

Look at the throw last week in the second half to Cordarelle Patterson that sailed toward the cheerleaders. Or the rushed throw to Chris Hogan against Miami. Or the decision to throw to the end zone on third-and-15 during the final drive with what looked like the Steelers holiday party surrounding Gronk when James White was pretty much alone on the left side and ready to pick up a few to set up fourth-and-manageable with the clock running.

What Brady’s 2018 performance underscores is just how necessary his round-the-clock, round-the-calendar, drag-everyone-with-him-to-the-mountains, football-is-life approach really was to ensuring he was without peer.

Because without that, he’s got a lot of peers this year.

The Patriots are who we hoped they weren't

 

[TB_Helmet]

What Brady’s 2018 performance underscores is just how necessary his round-the-clock, round-the-calendar, drag-everyone-with-him-to-the-mountains, football-is-life approach really was to ensuring he was without peer.

So is he blaming Brady's performance on missing OTAs? Or hinting something else is afoot besides age or just a down year?

 

[QuantumMechanic]

So is he blaming Brady's performance on missing OTAs? Or hinting something else is afoot besides age or just a down year?

Yeah, I thought that was interesting too.

I read it as him saying Brady isn't as all-in as he used to be ("football-is-life approach"). Now, why is is that (if true)? Who knows?

 

[Jangles]

It's really perplexing to watch

I never in my life would have thought what made him great would start to erode before his body did. Maybe he can recapture it. But nothing we're doing is inspiring any confidence right now.

 

[BradyFTW!]

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.

 

[signbabybrady]

Curran sux

 

[Boomer B]

I think Brady has slipped a bit, but I think a lot of it has to do with the talent around hiM.

Gronk is the best TE ever, but sadly it looks like he’s a shell of what he was.

Edelman is good, but no longer great. He’s dropping a key pass every game.

Gordon has done ok. He’s a big body receiver who doesn’t get much separation.

Hogan, Patterson, Dorsett are nothing special.

On top of that we have no one to blow the top off the D. What Cooks brought last year was the opposing team having to honour his big play ability and give him safety help. We line up 3 or 4 wide the D crowds the middle. We were number 2 in the league last year in passes over 20 yds. This year we are 20th. We need an upgrade in play making talent.

 

[supafly]

Curran sux

I don’t know that I would necessarily agree with that, but he has been wrong with some major stuff before, and he has been known to take some half-truths and run with them.

 

[PatriotSpy]

Until we draft a legitimate replacement I roll with TB12. What are we going to do, sign joey flacco?lol.

 

[supafly]

Until we draft a legitimate replacement I roll with TB12. What are we going to do, sign joey flacco?lol.

I think it should’ve been addressed last year. Now, they have more capital and a crappy QB class.

 

[Triumph]

Curran is right and wrong.

Right about the throws to Gronk and the " bombs away" approch instead of patiently taking what the defense gives him. It's more work, but to me it seems like Brady thinks F it let's get this game over and done with. The Haden int was a gift wrapped wounded duck. Prior the half Brady threw a bomb that almost connected for a TD. Problem is that the clock had 1:28 on it and that's too much time for the Steelers.

Dorsett is a bum. Gronk will be gone next year. It's like Gronk isn't there already. Brady misses Almendola. Add up Edelman coming off an ACL and you don't have a lot of money in the bank guys. White is one, but he has been taken out of the picture by teams.

It seems to me that Brady is not at a point in his career that he can or wants to make ordinary guys great. Brady needs guys great already like icing on a cake.

 

[luuked]

Edelman isn't what he was pre-injury

Edelman is good, but no longer great. He’s dropping a key pass every game.

Edelman is having at the very least his usual season. Considering what he is coming back from it might one of his most impressive campaigns. He also has routinely been in the top 5 of dropped passes in the league.

None of his stats indicate that he is used any different than before as well.

 

[luuked]

The Patriots are who we hoped they weren't

Yeah Curran nails it again.

 

[everlong]

Maybe Curran missed the three drops all of which killed drives and were right in receivers hands or maybe he missed the offensive line taking penalty after penalty and giving him less than two second to throw all night. Maybe he missed McDaniels awful game plan and lack of adjustments thereafter. Maybe he missed every time CBS showed the receivers down field and nobody was open.

 

[brdmaverick]

I think Brady has slipped a bit, but I think a lot of it has to do with the talent around hiM.

That's the most perplexing part.

The last two years we had built in excuses (missing Gronk in 2016 and missing Edelman in 2017) but we didn't need them because Brady continued to dominate.

Now they're both on the field, add in Gordon, still have James White, and we're still using the excuse that he doesn't have anyone around him?

Sure, Gronk isn't looking like the Gronk of old, but Brady has been better in the past even without Gronk. THis is why I'm absolutely scratching my head. All of the right weapons are there...they are just not executing.

 

[patsbrasilpatriotas]

Gordon drop, Edelman drop ( he si dropping 2 per game), White (can blame Brady but he should grab that one) is that Brady's fault? 3 drops, lame game plan (McDaniels is really bad sometimes). I don't know what happened to Curran but he is becoming one of the worst click baiters.

 

[IllegalContact]

Not sure why anyone is surprised....the qb is 41 years old

 

[Kontradiction]

Not sure why anyone is surprised....the qb is 41 years old

The team around him pretty much sucks on both sides of the ball as well. How they’ve even gotten to 9 wins this season is beyond me. But they’ll beat the Bills and the Jets and give everyone around here false hope. Then they may even scrape by the WC team at Gillette before they get blasted in the divisional round.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

It seems to me that Brady is not at a point in his career that he can or wants to make ordinary guys great. Brady needs guys great already like icing on a cake.

This is a really bad take. Did you read the recent article about Josh Gordon’s success being so tied to Brady taking him under his wing and following Brady’s ultra dedicated schedule?

If Gronkowski doesn’t play safety against Miami, the team is still 10-,4 about to be 12-4 and everyone is praising yet another fine season from Brady by pulling it all together.

 

[RobertWeathers]

The team around him pretty much sucks on both sides of the ball as well. How they’ve even gotten to 9 wins this season is beyond me. But they’ll beat the Bills and the Jets and give everyone around here false hope. Then they may even scrape by the WC team at Gillette before they get blasted in the divisional round.

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