Tom Brady’s relationships with his offensive weapons have always been under the microscope. He builds a rapport with some guys, and others are frozen out and left to find their own way.
Now, Brady is actually talking about how he’s felt with some of his teammates who he didn’t have the best relationships with — the guys he couldn’t rely on. Brady recalled conversations with Belichick when they both realized they were done with a receiver.
“I don’t have any trust that this guy can help us win the game. If you put him out there, I’m going not to throw him the ball,” Brady said, relaying that conversation with Belichick, during a radio interview with Howard Stern.
Just last year, NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky questioned whether or not Brady was finished with Phillip Dorsett. Brady said just the opposite.
“I would never think that way — ‘I am done with him’ — that’s crazy. A quarterback’s responsibility is to lead and motivate. We’re often the voice of a lot of situations,” Brady said during a phone-in interview with WEEI, “First, we’re calling plays in the huddle and B, we have a lot of information because we talk with the coaches and coordinators with what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to motivate people and get people to play their best.”
“Guys are trying. I have no problem — I love playing with Phillip Dorsett. I love playing with N’Keal. N’Keal is working his tail off. He hasn’t had a lot of opportunities out there and he’s learning as he’s going. To expect someone to go out in their third game of the year and be perfect, I think that is unrealistic for anyone. I love what N’Keal is bringing. We’re gaining confidence every week. I love what Jakobi (Meyers) is doing. We’re gaining confidence every week. Gaining confidence with Mohamed (Sanu). Julian (Edelman) and I — we’ve played together for a long time and I think that shows itself pretty well. I think you see, James (White) and I, we’ve played together a long time.”
These quotes, dated nearly seven months apart, seem to contradict each other.
This comes off as a bit of a bad look for the future Hall of Famer. As someone at the peak of their profession, he should be willing to help out some of the guys that are struggling. Instead of keeping them out of the gameplan and just having them waste a roster spot and everybody’s time, Brady should be working to get them involved.
Take the route that Drew Bledsoe did with him in the 2001 season. Ask these guys what plays they like, and what they are comfortable with. It should be easier to go to an open guy even if he’s not in the ‘circle of trust’ than it is to go a double or triple-teamed Rob Gronkowski or Julian Edelman.
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