Let me start by saying that this is not an "I hate Tom Brady Article", nor will I try to make the claim that he is not a good quarterback. He's a darn good quarterback that can make all the throws and has experienced a great deal of success throughout his career. However, I feel the need to truly analyze his game because I feel that many people, both fans and in the media, are too hung up on the early success of his career and refuse to look at the product that is actually right in front of them. But that's okay, because that's what I'm here for.
I don't want to take anything away from Brady in terms of the success he has had. Winning three Super Bowl championships is certainly nothing to scoff at. However, it has been over seven years since his last championship and the "Golden Boy" has continued to come up short again and again and again. Brady's record in the playoffs since 2005 is 7-6 with an average passer rating of 87.7. While the numbers are not bad, they are certainly underwhelming for someone who is labeled by many as the most clutch quarterback of all time.
To put the numbers into perspective, during that time frame Ben Roethlisberger is 9-3 with an average passer rating of 86.5 and Eli Manning is 8-3 with an average passer rating of 90.9. Both of them also have won two Super Bowls during that span. Despite these numbers, you'd be hard pressed to find anybody who would claim that Eli or Roethlisberger is a better QB than Brady.
Clearly Brady is not the unstoppable force in the playoffs that everyone wants to believe that he is. But let's take it even further. Brady consistently puts up some of the best numbers in the NFL which keeps him in the conversation of top 2 QBs each and every year. I would argue though that his numbers can be rather deceiving and that he is the beneficiary of the Patriot system. To be frank, I hate Bill Belichick. But there is no denying that he is one of the greatest coaches of all time and a masterful offensive game-planner.
For the best example I'm going to take a look at Brady's record breaking year in 2007. If you watched them play then you saw that a large portion of his throws were well designed screens, many of which went to Wes Welker, who would then scamper for a few more yards before being brought down. After running a bunch of short plays that would slowly but surely march them down the field, defenses were forced to play up closer to the line of scrimmage in hopes of slowing down those plays. This is when the Pats could unleash Randy Moss, sending him deep down the field against single coverage so Brady simply had to bomb it deep where more often than not, Moss would come up with it. Now I'm not trying to take away from the fact that Brady still needed to be able to make the throws and did so almost perfectly. I'm simply trying to point out a large chunk of the yards Brady had were results of short passes that his skill players then took for extra yards after the catch. In addition, he was able to do all this work behind what has consistently been the best offensive line in the entire NFL, which leads me to my next point.
In my opinion, the true measure of a quarterback is what he can do when everything breaks down. In other words, when the play doesn't go how it was scripted, what can that QB do to make a positive play. This is where Tom Brady's greatest weakness lies. If he is unable to get the ball out to a receiver quickly, or if his line doesn't give him the proper amount of time, he becomes a sub par quarterback. Obviously when a QB is under pressure he isn't going to perform as well, but time and time again I've seen Brady crumble and completely fall apart if he isn't able to sit in the pocket comfortably.
Last, but certainly not least, is probably the most crucial criticism I have of Tom Brady. I've already discussed how he has had his fair share of struggles in the playoffs when it matters the most, but how about during the regular season when he's trying to close out wins? Based on what you hear people say about Brady in the media you'd assume he's perfect at closing out games, seeing as he constantly receives the "clutch" label. If that's what you believe then you would be surprised to hear that since 2009, the Patriots have lost seven games after leading with under five minutes left to play. That's tied for the third most blown leads in the NFL during that time span. But of course you would then say that's not Brady's fault, it's because of the defense. Well, apparently not. In that time frame, through the sixth week of this season, he had a total QBR (quarterback rating) of 15 during the final five minutes of a game with a one possession lead. For a reference, a QBR of 50 is supposed to represent an average quarterback. Not only is this not clutch, it's downright awful.
Now that I've made my point I would just like to acknowledge that I am indeed nitpicking. Tom Brady has still had a great career and is likely to go down as one of the greatest to ever play the game. But I am tired of everyone putting him up on such a high pedestal that he frankly does not deserve. People seem to be stuck in the past and while it may feel like just yesterday that he won 3 out of 4 Super Bowls, it's been quite a long time. And even though he has had clutch moments in his career, he just might not be the unstoppable force with the game on the line that so many make him out to be.
Two things: first, in brady's defense, all he can do is throw the ball. Its not his fault that wes welker dropped a crucial (well-thrown) pass in the final drive during last year's super bowl.
ReplyDeleteSecond, I think the "system argument", if you will, is a bit flawed. It is something that one seems to hear a lot, that a guy is only good in the right kind of system. To me, that is hardly analysis, it is more common sense. Of course a player will perform optimally in the best system for his strengths. rg3 is fast so run some bootlegs for him;peyton manning is not fast so keep him in the pocket and let him do his thing. Football is a team sport, and the qb may be the most visible player on the offense, but he is the sixth most important player on the offense (everything begins with the o-line). Short throws to set up longer throws hold the same fundamental line of thinking as using the run to set up the pass. Its intelligent football. To free up randy moss or some other deep threat and take the defense's attention off of him, you throw screens and slants to other receivers, and then unleash moss. that shows command of the basic tenants of how to manipulate a defense. of course brady could call a post pattern every play and show off his arm and bomb it, but that wouldn't get his team anywhere because the defense would figure it out real quick. just because brady doesn't make those throws every down doesn't mean he can't make them.
Also, on a somewhat related note, there really should be a clear distinction between the terms "great" and "clutch". i am not a huge football fan, but it seems to be that brady is a great qb and is better than eli, but eli is more clutch. if brady is outperforms eli for three and a half quarters, then he is the better qb. but if eli leads a game winning drive and brady falters, then eli is more clutch. they are not necessarily related.
I see your points and completely understand what you're saying. First off, as for the system thing. Yes, I agree completely that everyone is a product of their system for some extent. To me, though, the difference between true greatness and just being very good, is what you can do when the system breaks down. Aaron Rodgers, for example, can use his legs to help him out of a jam when the scheme or play doesn't work correctly, and then still make an accurate throw on the run. Ben Roethlisberger can use his size to shake off defenders and still make throws. Even Eli is very good at standing in the pocket when it's collapsing and make a great throw. I've watched a lot of Tom Brady, and he does not do that. If he doesn't get his perfect pocket he not only struggles, but is downright awful. If you watch carefully, there are a lot of times that the pocket is breaking down but he still has space, but he just starts getting jumpy and doesn't know what to do. That's my point about the system. Like if you put him on a team with an offensive like like the Eagles or Steelers, I genuinely believe Brady would be no better than average at best. But you are certainly correct that every QB needs a system that fits him. And you are also correct about the difference between clutch and great. So my main point was that Brady isn't as clutch as people seem to think he is, aka he doesn't come up big when it matters the most. I would also like to just add that in the two Super Bowls of Brady vs. Eli, Brady didn't outplay him for 3.5 quarters. If he had, Eli wouldn't have been in position to be "clutch". That's just my opinion though.
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