[ad_1]
I stopped writing this column for two seasons and Tom Brady is better now than when I left. At the time, there was an appropriate fear that he was hanging on as a regular-season top 10 quarterback before lighting the AFC on the path to his final Patriots title. He fell again in his last season in New England, closer to the league average. Just 18 months later, it’s clear no NFL quarterback has played better since last December, a nine-game Bucs streak.
Brady was Pro Football Focus’s top ranked passer from Week 13 last season – and he just once again dominated the PFF table in Week 1 of 2021. Sensational Justin Herbert in every way has was dominated by a man who was in the NFL when Herbert was 2 years old.
Composing a “Tom Brady is Always Good” shot is one of the most difficult endeavors a writer can take – hasn’t it already been said? – but I’m fascinated by the shape of Brady’s last peak. He’s a different player, making “wow” throws more consistently. Its average target depth is deeper than it has ever been. He’s a lot more fun to watch at 44 than at 24.
Easiest to say about an analyst with an anti-Brady bias is when they question the strength of his arm. Even in 2019, when he achieved his No.14 grade on the year-end QB Index, Brady still had his velocity. The merging of what Brady does best with Bruce Arians offense encouraged the veteran caller to take more risks, which helped TB12 lead the league in PFF’s Big-Time Throws metric in the campaign 2020. He made more important throws last season than Patrick Mahomes! And Brady had five more such throws in Week 1 – that’s as many as he posted in any game in his record-breaking 2007 season, one short of the leader of the week. 1 Kyler Murray and the same amount as Dak Prescott. Unlike Murray and Prescott, however, Brady didn’t have a single “turn-worthy game” by PFF. Unlike them, too, he became the oldest starting quarterback to ever win a game.
There have been several Brady highs, from that dreamy 2007 season through the fast-paced corridor of 2010-2011 to the late 1930s and early 40s in 2015-17, which seemed like the last proof that his career had a shape. not like the others. Maybe this food bombs The stretch in Tampa won’t last that long, but it’s time to recognize that Brady isn’t just playing well for his age. He plays as well as he ever did.
[ad_2]
Source link