Tom Brady: Indianapolis Colts
Now I really will not be welcome in my hometown.
Again, I think many of the quarterbacks in this piece return to their current team. Brees for sure. Tannehill and Prescott also. I would put Brady on that list too, as someone who returns to his 2019 stomping grounds. But with rumors swirling of awkward phone calls and video of Brady and Julian Edelman face-timing with Mike Vrabel at the Carrier Dome, the door is certainly open to Brady finding a new home.
Speaking of domes… or at least stadiums with a retractable roof.
Think about Brady the quarterback. How he wins, where he excels. He wins now, as he has often throughout his career, with his mind. Similar to Brees, Brady excels at diagnosing and deciphering what the defense is doing, and getting the ball out to the right receiver on time and giving him a chance to pick up yardage after the catch.
If you also watch the Patriots’ offense of the past few seasons, you will see the ways they catered to where he is in his career. A continued reliance on play-action passing. The usage of heavy packages such as their 21-personnel package a year ago, or even this season when they were forced to use linebacker Elandon Roberts as a fullback. An emphasis on getting the ball out of his hands quickly to receivers in space.
That fits right with what Frank Reich is calling for his quarterbacks in Indianapolis.
Over his time with the Colts, with both Andrew Luck and Jacoby Brissett, Reich’s West Coast system has helped his quarterbacks through both play-design and creative usage of personnel. In 2018, for example, Reich used both 12 and even 13 offensive personnel in the passing game, with great effectiveness. That season, according to Sharp Football Stats, the Colts threw out of 12 personnel 88 times, completing 61 passes for a Yards per Attempt of 8.7, ten touchdowns (against two interceptions) and with a passer rating of 124.5. Out of 13 personnel, the Colts attempted 19 passes, completed 12, for a YPA of 10.4 and a passer rating of 111.1. One of my favorite designs that season was this four verticals concept that Reich dialed up out of 13 personnel (volume up if you want to watch this video breakdown):
Four Verticals out of 13 personnel? What is this sorcery Frank Reich? pic.twitter.com/wufPepaMIs
— Mark Schofield (@MarkSchofield) November 12, 2018
Beyond that, we all know what a West Coast system stresses: Accuracy in the short and intermediate areas of the field, getting the ball out quickly, making the right decisions with the football, and reading a defense as fast as possible.
For the same reasons Brees would be a fit in Las Vegas under Gruden, Brady would be a fit in Indianapolis.
There are also two additional reasons why this might be attractive to Brady. First, the chance to play indoors. While Peyton Manning and Brees have put up impressive numbers through their careers, both have spent a good deal of time playing in the sterilized atmosphere of a home indoor stadium. Brady, however, has spent his entire career playing outdoors in Foxborough. Getting away from New England winters for a season or two probably sounds comforting.
Finally, think of the above image. Do you think the idea of winning a Super Bowl in Indianapolis sounds good to Brady, the ultimate competitor? Doing it in the same uniform his old rival Manning wore? Something tells me it does…