Mar 2, 2014
The answer to the question is YES… The days of Tom Brady being known as an elite quarterback are starting to diminish. The New England Patriots finished a miracle 2013-2014 season with a lost in the AFC Championship game. Brady and the Patriots deserved a vast amount of credit for having a successful season. Despite major injuries on both sides of the ball, Bill Belichick orchestrated his best season as a head coach.
Changes made to improve the league’s 2nd worst pass defense, did not progress as anticipated. The secondary continued to be the worst in the NFL, giving up a large number of explosive plays. Aqib Talib, the team’s top cornerback struggled through a season of injuries. Generating a pass rush against opposing quarterbacks is still an issue that has not been resolved. If Patriots defensive linemen successfully rush a quarterback, their cornerbacks can stay with their assigned receiver and not allow them to break routes.
The defense has received a large amount of blame because of their lack of making crucial stops at critical times. Well, the same can be said for Tom Brady. The Patriots offense was reduced to backup and rookie wide-receivers and tight-ends. Brady played one of his worst seasons as a pro quarterback. He finished the season with 4,343 passing yards to go along with 25 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Brady had games against New Orleans, Denver and Cleveland where he resembled the 2001 thru 2007 quarterback who refused to lose.
The Patriots quarterback displayed a glaring level of inaccuracy. He often missed open wide- receivers during critical stretches in a game. In the beginning, public perception was to place blame on the rookies and their unfamiliarity of the Patriots offense. As the season progressed, Brady and his accuracy issues became more noticeable. Truthfully, the Patriots quarterback has not looked the same since he returned from his season ending knee injury in 2008. He looks uncomfortable when he stands in the pocket, noticeably moving around and ducking when pressure isn’t there.
Brady’s throws are not as crisp as they use to be, due to his accuracy issues. Watching Brady play now as compared to years before the knee injury, seem to resemble a player who has lost his “killer instinct”. The last time the New England was seen, Tom Brady played a very lack-luster game where he missed wide-open receivers and hesitated to make plays. The Denver Broncos dominated every facet of the game. Brady seemed to shrink under the pressure of performing at a high level in the AFC championship.
These circumstances were odd, due to Brady’s history of rising to the occasion in championship moments. The old Tom Brady cherished those moments of closing teams out and driving his team down the field for the win. Unfortunately, this Tom Brady may never be seen again on a consistent basis. Father time has never been defeated, so his elite status will continue to diminish.
