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I'm not ignoring it at all - it is a factor, but that does not completely explain Brady's play. There was a time in Brady's career when he could have put up decent numbers playing with these guys, because he would have stood in the pocket, slid to an opening to buy time and hit his open man. The 2003-2004 teams were not loaded at the skill positions. Patten was a nobody before and after coming to NE. Brown was coming to the end of his career. Branch was productive for NE, but a JAG in Seattle. Givens was a 7th rounder with limited abilities. The TEs were high picks with decent skills - nothing exceptional. Brady elevated all of these guys with his poise, confidence and ability to buy them additional time to get open with his pocket awareness. He is no longer that guy. He is much closer to 1999 Bledsoe than 2004 Brady. It's difficult to acknowledge and even harder to watch.
It's not about the athletic ability of his receivers, Brady has always been able to deal with any level of athletic ability, what it is about is the reliability of his receivers, which simply isn't there. they don't get open when or where they are supposed to and need to for the offense to get back on track. That's not on Brady it is on his supporting cast. Once Brady reaches the point where he can count on his receivers to be where they are supposed to be when they are supposed to be the offense will return to form. Claiming that Brady is no longer the player he has been solely upon the start to this season is patently absurd. Brady has been unbelievably consistent throughout his career and the only thing that has changed is that he has been completely stripped of all of his offensive weapons. And although i have never believed Eli manning was an elite QB I think his situation is the most analogous to brady's, he is not as bad as his performance this season would lead you to believe,he is running for his life at every snap and simply cannot perform at his best given an OL that cannot protect him at all. I don't believe for one second that Brady suddenly lost it overnight, you are welcome to but i think that's ridiculous.
Can Brady play better, obviously, and he will when his skill players are getting their jobs done.












