Reiss: Has Brady lost the Mariano mystique?

[SVN]

Has New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady lost the Mariano Rivera mystique? - ESPN Boston

s Brady the same quarterback he was pre-injury?

"You hear some people say he isn't, but I think he's pretty darn close," said ESPN analyst Trent Dilfer. "I don't see a big difference. I thought the talk early in the season about his fundamentals was ridiculous. I thought he was fine early on; it was just a matter of trying to get the timing down offensively. Then he goes for five 300-yard games and everyone says 'He's back.' I still thought he was the same; it was just a matter of getting their timing and continuity, and it helped they didn't face a very good pass defense.

"Now the last few weeks, he hasn't been so sharp. New Orleans just kicked the snot out of him. But against Miami, he was 15 of 16 at one point, so you can't say he was bad in the game. They just made a couple of mistakes; I'm still not sure if Randy [Moss] was supposed to go inside on the fade, there was a third-down play late in the game where he forced it to [Wes] Welker, and there was a go route to [Sam] Aiken that he missed.

"But the point to me is that their margin for error is less. Now, with a couple mistakes, it makes it a lot worse. So when you look at Brady specifically, he is still one of the great players in the league and is still having a top-seven quarterback year."

Others aren't so quick to agree with Dilfer.

"He's getting a lot more contact in the pocket. He's maybe not as aggressive to step into those throws," Buffalo Bills safety George Wilson told The Associated Press. "From the games I have seen on TV, throws that have become typical of him, he's missing. He's not hitting them every time like you've grown to expect of him."

"I don't necessarily see anything different other than the talent around him," New York Jets cornerback Lito Sheppard told AP. "They have basically two guys in the passing game that gets the ball, where before it was four or five guys and they didn't have that go-to guy. I think that has kind of made them as a team more predictable. … The defense helped him out a lot in the past. I think the lack of big plays on the defense has been the biggest difference in that team right now."

 

[patsfan-1982]

Re: Reiss:Has Brady lost the Mariano mystique?

(Lito Sheppard) sayed it best

 

[DarrylS]

Re: Reiss:Has Brady lost the Mariano mystique?

(Lito Sheppard) sayed it best

Unfortunately.........

 

[Brady to Brown]

Re: Reiss:Has Brady lost the Mariano mystique?

(Lito Sheppard) sayed it best

YEP.

On offense Brady used to hit the open man, lots of guys for the other team to worry about. Now if they can take Welker and Moss out of the game Brady is lost. Game planning vs this offense is not that hard anymore.

On defense, no leaders, no play makers, no pass rush. Soft coverage on defense to start the second halves of games is a great plan that seems to be working well

 

[SVN]

Re: Reiss:Has Brady lost the Mariano mystique?

YEP.

On offense Brady used to hit the open man, lots of guys for the other team to worry about. Now if they can take Welker and Moss out of the game Brady is lost. Game planning vs this offense is not that hard anymore.

On defense, no leaders, no play makers, no pass rush. Soft coverage on defense to start the second halves of games is a great plan that seems to be working well

sadly doesnt this say how manning played all those yrs without a defense ?iam sure that debate will start again

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Re: Reiss:Has Brady lost the Mariano mystique?

Brady has thrown picks before, even costly ones. He's still the same player he's always been. Just isn't playing with the same kind of team. Dilfer and Shepard seem to get that, although Reiss can't even comprehend that. Maybe because he simply lifted selectively from this far more balanced piece by Howard Ullman of the AP from a day earlier which included liberal attribution to additional AP reporters...as well as an interesting observation from a safety off the street who just finished owning Randy Moss as well as others that would seem to contridict the tone ESPN Mike apparently wished to set. Hope we don't have to start calling him Ron Reiss...

Tom Brady solid but not at his best as Patriots' struggle with 7-5 record - NFL - Yahoo! Sports

FWIW I don't really care what George the Buffalo 4th year UDFA safety has to say about what he thinks he sees on TV. Get enough of that here.

 

[mayoclinic]

Re: Reiss:Has Brady lost the Mariano mystique?

YEP.

On offense Brady used to hit the open man, lots of guys for the other team to worry about. Now if they can take Welker and Moss out of the game Brady is lost. Game planning vs this offense is not that hard anymore.

On defense, no leaders, no play makers, no pass rush. Soft coverage on defense to start the second halves of games is a great plan that seems to be working well

Lito Sheppard nailed both parts of it - the predictability on offense with Brady focusing on 2 guys, and the lack of big plays on defense.

The thing is, when we didn't have guys like Welker and Moss, Brady used to spread the ball around to whoever was there. In 2006 we didn't have much talent at WR - our entire WR group wasn't much better than Edelman, Aiken and Stanbeck, but TB used everyone to the max. He's not doing that anymore. No matter how good the receivers, it's always easier to shut down 2 guys compared with 5-6. At times Brady has seemed locked in on Moss and Welker, rather than looking for the open guy. That's the big difference I see. Whether that's because of a change in Brady or a lack of time, I'm not sure. Maybe a bit of both.

The defense is evolving, and will be good over time. But the lack of pressure on opposing QBs limits it. It's a decent defense, but it's not a defense that "bails out" the offense.

 

[RhodyPatriot]

Re: Reiss:Has Brady lost the Mariano mystique?

You mean like the Mariano we saw in 2004??

God I'm so sick of the media trying to make bold pronouncments about this coach, this QB, this franchise.
Enough already!!!
Do the world a favor mediots and go play in traffic.

 

[Triumph]

Re: Reiss:Has Brady lost the Mariano mystique?

Lito Sheppard nailed both parts of it - the predictability on offense with Brady focusing on 2 guys, and the lack of big plays on defense.

The thing is, when we didn't have guys like Welker and Moss, Brady used to spread the ball around to whoever was there. In 2006 we didn't have much talent at WR - our entire WR group wasn't much better than Edelman, Aiken and Stanbeck, but TB used everyone to the max. He's not doing that anymore.

Exactly.

And it explains why Welker has so many receptions. Welker bacically replaced Troy Brown.

 

[1968Bledsoefan]

Re: Reiss:Has Brady lost the Mariano mystique?

LOL Makes me Laugh with the Media what are they Gonna say When Brady and The Bunch Run through And TORCH The rest of these Teams?

 

[upstater1]

Re: Reiss:Has Brady lost the Mariano mystique?

So, the answer to the eternal question, "does ESPN the channel suck or do they just have a knack for hiring mediots?" is revealed.

Mike Reiss goes from being a contented and serious reporter to a drama queen in the span of less than 6 months.

Got to be the ESPN influence, no?

 

[Patspsycho]

Re: Reiss:Has Brady lost the Mariano mystique?

Brady has thrown picks before, even costly ones. He's still the same player he's always been. Just isn't playing with the same kind of team. Dilfer and Shepard seem to get that, although Reiss can't even comprehend that. Maybe because he simply lifted selectively from this far more balanced piece by Howard Ullman of the AP from a day earlier which included liberal attribution to additional AP reporters...as well as an interesting observation from a safety off the street who just finished owning Randy Moss as well as others that would seem to contridict the tone ESPN Mike apparently wished to set. Hope we don't have to start calling him Ron Reiss...

Tom Brady solid but not at his best as Patriots' struggle with 7-5 record - NFL - Yahoo! Sports

FWIW I don't really care what George the Buffalo 4th year UDFA safety has to say about what he thinks he sees on TV. Get enough of that here.

Do you ever allow for the possibility that Brady is off his game? Not permanently, but just in a rut right now? You attacked me for raising that possibility and you had the right to do that because I'm just as much of an armchair observer as you are, but for you to attack these observations is just ridiculous, those players, including Lito are pros and know their field.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Re: Reiss:Has Brady lost the Mariano mystique?

Do you ever allow for the possibility that Brady is off his game? Not permanently, but just in a rut right now? You attacked me for raising that possibility and you had the right to do that because I'm just as much of an armchair observer as you are, but for you to attack these observations is just ridiculous, those players, including Lito are pros and know their field.

I'm not attacking anyone but Reiss. Try reading the AP article he selectively drew from to fit his preconceived spin. The one in which the vast majority of players see no difference in Brady other than his surrounding cast and their collective performance.

 

[Satchboogie3]

Re: Reiss:Has Brady lost the Mariano mystique?

Lito Sheppard nailed both parts of it - the predictability on offense with Brady focusing on 2 guys, and the lack of big plays on defense.

The thing is, when we didn't have guys like Welker and Moss, Brady used to spread the ball around to whoever was there. In 2006 we didn't have much talent at WR - our entire WR group wasn't much better than Edelman, Aiken and Stanbeck, but TB used everyone to the max. He's not doing that anymore. No matter how good the receivers, it's always easier to shut down 2 guys compared with 5-6. At times Brady has seemed locked in on Moss and Welker, rather than looking for the open guy. That's the big difference I see. Whether that's because of a change in Brady or a lack of time, I'm not sure. Maybe a bit of both.

The defense is evolving, and will be good over time. But the lack of pressure on opposing QBs limits it. It's a decent defense, but it's not a defense that "bails out" the offense.

This idea that he doesn't spread the ball around anymore is ridiculous. It's not true. The problem is just consistency at his 3rd/4th options. Brady has thrown 627 yards and 53 receptions to a 3rd receiver this year (Edelman/Aiken/Galloway/Stanbeck). I think the biggest problem is that the TE aren't being used enough in the passing game. Watson is a good catching TE and would really help Brady as a 4th target, but the O-line has been so bad that he almost always stays in the block.

Do people really want Brady to throw less to his best receivers? If their open, let them make the play!

 

[upstater1]

Re: Reiss:Has Brady lost the Mariano mystique?

Do you ever allow for the possibility that Brady is off his game? Not permanently, but just in a rut right now? You attacked me for raising that possibility and you had the right to do that because I'm just as much of an armchair observer as you are, but for you to attack these observations is just ridiculous, those players, including Lito are pros and know their field.

I considered this and then I rejected it.

I think poor play calling on offense is his much bigger problem.

The offense is totally predictable, and that predictability means the players are not going to perform optimally.

 

[TheComeback]

Re: Reiss:Has Brady lost the Mariano mystique?

Lito Sheppard nailed both parts of it - the predictability on offense with Brady focusing on 2 guys, and the lack of big plays on defense.

The thing is, when we didn't have guys like Welker and Moss, Brady used to spread the ball around to whoever was there. In 2006 we didn't have much talent at WR - our entire WR group wasn't much better than Edelman, Aiken and Stanbeck, but TB used everyone to the max. He's not doing that anymore. No matter how good the receivers, it's always easier to shut down 2 guys compared with 5-6. At times Brady has seemed locked in on Moss and Welker, rather than looking for the open guy. That's the big difference I see. Whether that's because of a change in Brady or a lack of time, I'm not sure. Maybe a bit of both.

'
That's a big part of it, but so is the play-calling. And it isn't Bill O'Brien making the bad decisions, but another Bill on the Patriots who has retained the same system for a few years now.

When you consider that 75% of Brady's passes come out of the shotgun, and that 75% of the time Maroney is in the game, or Brady is under center, it's a run, the offense becomes incredibly easy to gameplan against. You just double up Welker and Moss and it's basically game over for the Pats, especially if you can get a moderate amount of pressure on Tom.

It's unacceptable. This has been going on since the middle of 2007 and Belichick hasn't changed a damn thing about the offense. We need to be running at least 50% of our passes under center, with Maroney in the game. I don't care if he can't catch like Kevin Faulk, or if he's not the best blocker in the NFL. We HAVE to find a way to make the offense less predictable.

There is nothing ingenious about this offense. Heck, it might be the dumbest offense in the league. It's like a 12 year-old playing Madden. Anyone with basic football knowledge can predict what the offense is going to do on any given play, simply based on the formation they're in. That's pathetic.

 

[bigfandan]

Re: Reiss:Has Brady lost the Mariano mystique?

YEP.

On offense Brady used to hit the open man, lots of guys for the other team to worry about. Now if they can take Welker and Moss out of the game Brady is lost. Game planning vs this offense is not that hard anymore.

On defense, no leaders, no play makers, no pass rush. Soft coverage on defense to start the second halves of games is a great plan that seems to be working well

B2B, I concurr 100% on the pathetic D. Yes, Brady could have played better, but the D is terrible.

Going in to the season, I had a really bad feeling about the defense particularly on defensive front 7. I said at the time we should have taken at least one of the USC Trio. Anyone of the Mathews, Cushing, or Maualuga would have been huge for us, now seeing their production elsewhere. (In my view, they play like boardline probowlers right now. They are all very solid starters on playoff contenders). They slided on the draft day, and we could have easily used one of our 4 second round picks there. (We did take a LB later but by that time the board did not have LB talent; our pick McKenzie, many teams rated him below 6th round. So I was not expecting anything from him.)

When Vrable was traded, many of us were concerned with the depth at LB. Some people of the In-Bill-We-Trust camp were saying Bill must have seen great things from the youngsters. McKenzie was lost for the season. Crable was put on IR. And Redd was released. We were like what younsters? Is there another L.T. in Bill's magic LB closet? They said Bill is pulling a big trade to fill the void (Taylor or Peppers). Then Seymour was traded; and we were shocked because we HAVE NO Pass Rushers. Bill's fans said we have depth on pass rushers, no worries, it hurts very little this year and we WILL be better positioned from 2011 forward. Well looked all these moves are dubious at best. If he did not make these mistakes on draft this year alone, and not make the mistakes on trades (Vrable, Seymour), we WOULD HAVE a strong defense. Why not keep Crable on the roster to give us more options just in case. (Even if Crable is one-dimensional just pass rushing; that one dimension would have helped us tremendously. Even if he played bad, live game experience would helped his development and he would be more ready next year than sitting on IR, assuming he will stick around. We made room for Seau; I love his leadership, but he could have been brought in as an assistant coach).

Sometimes even smart people are blind to what is happening. You have to trust your own eyes. Bill has made a lot of errors this year especially on the defensive front 7. Result of his actions left us with no room for errors. If you have a couple of guys slacking (and AT certainly did) and you have no depth behind them. That's why there is no pass rush. Bill shot his own foot on this one. Does anyone agree with me?

 

[SoCal Pmen]

Re: Reiss:Has Brady lost the Mariano mystique?

The talent is still there around him. For whatever reason if its his lack of confidence in his 3rd or 4th option or lack of creative play calling, the offense this year has looked very one dimensional and predictable.

 

[NYCPatsFan]

Re: Reiss:Has Brady lost the Mariano mystique?

...

Tom Brady solid but not at his best as Patriots' struggle with 7-5 record - NFL - Yahoo! Sports

FWIW I don't really care what George the Buffalo 4th year UDFA safety has to say about what he thinks he sees on TV. Get enough of that here.

Your knock against Reiss is taken but this is making me scratch my head. You wouldn't give importance to the thoughts of a NFL PLAYER and equate his comments on seeing football film to the same as the fans on this board of whom you can bet 99% have never played professional football??

eye opening indeed.

 

[SHOWTIME15]

Re: Reiss:Has Brady lost the Mariano mystique?

I'm not attacking anyone but Reiss. Try reading the AP article he selectively drew from to fit his preconceived spin. The one in which the vast majority of players see no difference in Brady other than his surrounding cast and their collective performance.

this isn't the first time Reiss has done this...