You, the viewer, don't usually know the order of the reads. But, even if you get the order correct, you have to know the timing, because:
- Being open is meaningless if the QB is under too much pressure to get you the ball, and
- "Wide open" isn't usefully wide open if you're not early enough in the progression that it matters, and
- "Wide open" isn't usefully wide open if you've run the wrong ****ing route, and
- "Wide open" isn't wide open if you don't get open until after the QB has looked at you when you were covered, and
- If you've been Jaking it out there, finally getting "wide open" after the QB is tired of you blowing plays, is meaningless, because he's done with you for the time being, as he should be.
It has always been thus. It's only during the struggling times like now, just as in 2013, that people lose their brains and start forgetting such obvious truths.
Now, does that mean that Brady's been perfect, that he's not blown any plays, and that every single failure is on someone else? Absolutely not. Does that mean that Brady hasn't made more mistakes this year than in the past? No. But it does mean that people need to use their freakin' heads about what they're seeing, rather than just spouting off the nonsense about guys being wide open all the time. Because the bottom line is this:
Either the problem is with the receiving corps, or both BB and McD are throwing an entire offense under the bus in order to protect the reputation of their starting QB, because it's the receivers (and linemen) who are getting benched, not the QB.