New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady looks like he’s giving up on plays at an alarming clip in 2019. Brady tosses the ball in the general vicinity of a teammate, but it’s clear the quarterback knows he’s not going to complete a pass with his intended target. In fact, there may be no intended target.
That has been a product of the Patriots’ offensive woes in recent weeks. But with the offensive line struggling to protect Brady and the quarterback being 42 years old, there was some speculation that he was getting more risk averse to preserve his own health. Brady said that’s not the case.
“I don’t think I’m throwing it away for that. I’m throwing it away because I don’t want to take a sack,” Brady said during a press conference on Friday. “So, I think part of it’s just you feel like you have an opportunity on the play, and if you don’t have that, then I think negative plays actually have a big impact on the game. Turnovers and negative plays I think really keep you from winning games. So, if you can drop-back pass, because I’m not really a scrambler. … I try to throw the ball away to save plays and live for the next down.”
The Patriots have listed Brady with throwing shoulder and elbow issues this season, but perhaps he doesn’t have those problems in mind when he’s dropping back in games. Instead, he explained that he’s worried about ball control, which makes sense in a season when he has admitted his team’s strength is on defense and special teams. More than ever, Brady is in charge of managing the game, which means he can’t turn the ball over. If he’s throwing the ball at the ground, his own player can’t get it — but neither can the defense.
“I think self-preservation for a football player – yeah, I wouldn’t be in the self-preservation business if I was trying to be a football player. So, you’re going to get hit and you’ve just got to understand that’s part of the game.
“So, when they blitz you, you realize you don’t have as much time to throw, so you’ve got to throw the ball a little quicker because the more they blitz, the more one-on-ones there are. So, if they blitz a guy, everyone’s one-on-one. Sometimes blitz-zones and so forth – sometimes they blitz and they overload you, and you’ve got to throw the ball really quick. So, taking hits is part of it. I think my whole objective is to stand in there and try to get the ball to someone who can do something with it – try to get it to a receiver, or a back, tight end with some space, so they can make some yards with it in their hands.”
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