Tom Brady Admits He Holds Football Too Long (At Times)
September 22nd, 2021
Team guy.
Joe is confident given the words this week that Bucs Super Bowl-winning coach Bucco Bruce Arians fingered Tom Brady for holding the ball too long on his sack/fumble against the Falcons, all of Brady’s sycophants and bootlickers in Bristol, Conn. will have their briefs bunched up at Arians.
In fact, Brady fully admits to people outside of One Buc Palace when he effs up and holds the ball too long.
On Sunday during the FOX broadcast of the Dixie Chicks-Bucs game, when play-by-play man Kevin Burkhardt wasn’t crying about how Florida is hot in the summer, analyst and former Stinking Panthers tight end Greg Olsen relayed a cool story to the audience of a conversation he had with Brady during a production meeting.
Olsen said he was asking Brady about playing behind a rookie right tackle last year and how well Tristan Wirfs played. Brady pled guilty for Wirfs’ lone mishap last season.
“I knew he was good last year, just watching from afar,” Olsen said of Wirfs. “When I studied him this week, for a young tackle in this league, he’s so far ahead of the curve.
“We asked Brady, ‘What’s it been like having a young right tackle? What’s it like working with Wirfs?’ He said, ‘You know he [allowed] one sack last year? It’s because I held the ball too long.’
“So here’s Tom Brady taking blame for the rookie right tackle.”
That’s a pretty cool story and demonstrates how Brady can keep his ego in check and how he’s such a team guy.
Who knows if Brady’s story is true or not but how cool is it that one of the greatest players who ever played the game took a public bullet for one of his offensive linemen?
No wonder guys bust their tails for Brady.
September 22nd, 2021 at 5:17 am
Brady doesn’t need to change a thing. He should please not even pretend. His quick release is what enables him to hold the ball for that last split second completion. Throw it out of bounds to avoid the sack? It’s not like he’s sacked that much. Keep driving the way he is.
September 22nd, 2021 at 5:52 am
@Joe
Once again I question your football judgment.
At the 3 second mark you have to trust your LT to hold his block. At the 5 second mark it is a different story, Brady has to go with the open receiver, presumably a check down (something you don’t believe in though I’m sure the irony is lost on you). Brady saw something he liked, probably a late developing route. He did what he was supposed to do and that was to trust Donovan Smith. Trusting a nerd site that mentions someone was open is crazy, the QB doesn’t have eyes in back of his head. What you expect a QB to do at the 3 second mark is to keep his eyes upfield and fire away within the next 2 seconds. That’s how a pocket QB is supposed to play thus game.
September 22nd, 2021 at 6:36 am
Not sure that many fans (or media) recognize how often Brady has been going deep in these first 2 games. Against Dallas he threw deep 11 times; 7 were complete, 4 incomplete (1 of which was intercepted but that was a Hail Mary to end the half). Against Atlanta he also went deep 11 times; 7 were complete, 4 were incomplete (there was 1 more deep that was called for defensive pass interference thus no-play).
So 7-for-11 deep in each game (63.6%). That means that deep he was just as accurate as he was short or intermediate. THAT’S IMPRESSIVE. But still they are longer-developing plays, so there’s a risk of ‘holding the ball too long’ and of getting sacked. Seems to me that Brady’s learned very well how to mitigate that risk better than any QB I can remember. I suspect that against the Rams & Pats though that he’ll throw deep less often.
September 22nd, 2021 at 6:47 am
Lol!!!
September 22nd, 2021 at 6:54 am
What next?
September 22nd, 2021 at 7:04 am
You can’t have it both ways. On long TDs BA says way to hang in there kid. On strip sack your holding it too long.
September 22nd, 2021 at 7:15 am
and Gronk doesn’t study film …
September 22nd, 2021 at 7:44 am
🐐
September 22nd, 2021 at 7:53 am
What he isn’t admitting to is holding it too long on the strip sack. If it was a deep no risk it play from BA’s play book, how can you blame Brady. What really gets me is BA saying he was pissed at him the rest of the game. So Superstar Coach why didn’t you bench him. BA us all for show to prove he is the captain of the ship when we all know he is really the first mate. Brady is 44 and playing the most targeted by defenses position in the NFL, he will get hit, he will be intercepted and he will fumble so BA the world is not going to end. Overall the line does a fantastic job of protecting him, Rojo, NOT so much.
September 22nd, 2021 at 8:11 am
So newbies like Listn tell us it is Arians systems fault, and that Olson and Brady are lying about upon occasion, that Tom holds the ball too long in some circumstances. He sounds B hurt over the fact that some QB’s hold the ball too long in everyone’s systems and throw up lollypops rather make smart plays. And Arians didn’t say he was pissed the rest of the game at Brady…he was pissed at the entire series, the multiple mistakes, and that fact that we didn’t even get 3 points on that series, and ended up giving up points. Overall, your observations are pretty wacky.
September 22nd, 2021 at 8:30 am
This is just Arians and Brady getting together to show the other players that the GOAT can take criticism so nobody else (ROJO) should be offended by it. That’s how you get better.
September 22nd, 2021 at 8:40 am
Well my take, probably repeated too often by now, is the Bucs have been too inconsistent on offense so far. Not a huge surprise considering that the starters played less than a full quarter in the 3 preseason games. Brady was off target on too many throws during the first two games. Too many drives stalled out. I expect to see improvement each week. Mike finally got his share of throws in game 2. Brady threw some great passes to Gronk and others but also missed open receivers more than usual. He still had a great game overall but not as consistent as he usually is especially in the third quarter if I remember right.
September 22nd, 2021 at 8:47 am
Mark2001, did you watch the video? If you did look at the time it took Brady to release the ball. No sure what you mean by newbie but what I do know if you call a slow developing play it takes a little longer to launch a pass. If throwing Brady under the bus is a strategic move to motivate the team so be it. Oh veteran one Mark2001, how did BA & his staff do coaching the Bucs pre Brady? TB12 went 12&4
with broken and ZERO receivers. Some on this site say BA threw Winsten under the bus also. This coaching staff is not a good one, the team just has VERY talented players.
September 22nd, 2021 at 9:08 am
From what I remember of the video BA said he got greedy and held the ball too long. When you watch the play I think BA was meaning that Brady should’ve went to Fournette however if you watch his route to me he looked like he ran it slow causing Brady to hold the ball. It was quick and D.Smith simply needs to do a better job of not getting beat back inside. So it was a combination of things imo. Bottom line the guys on the other side are pros as well and also get paid to play.
September 22nd, 2021 at 9:14 am
Sure List..I saw the video. Smith pushed him to the outside and back, the guy cut inside after he was behind Brady and hit Brady. About a three second event. Of course, Brady usually throws the ball in 2.5 seconds. And I didn’t say that Smith didn’t get beat by the guy eventually. But if Arians and Brady thought they held the ball too long on that play, I’ll take their word for it. Of course, you know in your wisdom exactly what the play call was…don’t you coach? Or that he shouldn’t have taken the dump off or thrown it away. And Winston may be a career backup after this year…at best. He has already failed to grow under multiple HC’s. So I wouldn’t use him an example of any coaching failure. He doesn’t read defenses fast enough, holds the ball too long, and throw up lollypops. He isn’t consistently that accurate downfield. Did you see any of the Carolina game? Heck, he might not even be the starter in NO in a couple more games. Give him a game plan where he throws less than 15 yard passes,. and has no pressure, and he can play…like a multitude of other QB’s can. But beyond that.. He hasn’t grown more than an inch as a player in five years.
September 22nd, 2021 at 9:25 am
Mark2001, I dvr’d the game and yes saw the play run and Will Says is correct, it was a downfield play and Lenny was slow on his pattern. What you won’t do is convince me BA is a great coach compared to the NFL elite. Any coach that has the no risk it no biscuit mentality can’t be very good.
September 22nd, 2021 at 9:46 am
So List…who would you list as “elite” now? Andy Reid? Didn’t look so great in Philly? Belichick? Gruden? The young guys that have won nothing?
Frankly, he pushes the right buttons…has a great staff.. most all of the players respect and truly like him. He knows the game…he and his staff make good in game adjustments. His O is putting up near record production. He is well respected by his peers and players around the league. What is your criteria?
Seems to me the only measure you see is the fact that he couldn’t make Jameis the proverbial “silk purse”. But then, I heard Jameis was asking for 25 to 30 million, when he was worth little more than what NO paid him. And priced himself out of here…. but can you blame the Bucs for upgrading from a Chevy Spark to older Ferrari? So you blame Arians for that?
September 22nd, 2021 at 9:54 am
Regarding the “no risk it, no biscuit philosophy”. Look around the league. KC, GB, and most other top tier teams. What are their offensive philosophy? Taking advantage of down field mismatches or highly mobile QB’s that create with their legs and take advantage of down field mismatches. It is the nature of the game…partial a result, I think, of the rules changes protecting WR’s and QB’s from John Lynch explosive defenders. If it is the name of his philosophy that bothers you, so be it. But look at the game now days. How many teams are scoring over 20 points pretty consistently? Look at the scores on a week to week basis. Very few “baseball score” games.
September 22nd, 2021 at 10:21 am
Mahomes throws a ton of underneath passes, the majority to Kelce and to his RB’s which frees up Hill deep, Wilson does the same, then let’s if fly. Did you not see Atlanta & Dallas game, majority underneath. Minnesota underneath. Raiders work Waller underneath to open up downfield. I will give you GB, Chargers and Bill’s, how many SB’s have the won recently. To answer your coaching question, not many coaches could lose with this Bucs team. Do you not agree the 1st down off tackle/ dive every first down last season was a wasted down? To be more specific I would the Payton, Belichick, Reid, Rivera, Tomlin, McDermott, Carrol, Shanahan, Gruten, McVay and probably a few more I can’t think of. Hey I want Bucs to win just as much as you do but I do think coaching could get in the way. Atlanta came in and did the exact same thing as Dallas did. What did the coaches expect would happened? Bad coaching from top to bottom.
September 22nd, 2021 at 11:23 am
List…I would say that little was wasted last year. We won the SB.
The choice of plays isn’t just Arians calling them, or Byron calling them, or Brady calling them, though Tom has the right to change any play he sees fit. I’m pretty sure if Tom had problems with the play calling, he would make his feelings known, behind closed doors. So I have no problem with the play calling. We are winning. And BTW…have to run the ball if for no other reason than to give the D a rest from time to time. And to keep the D honest. Much more to it that you are taking into account.
And to be more specific, I wouldn’t trade any of those coaches for Arians right now. We just won a SB. And are trying to walk the line of winning another.
And all you can do is criticize the coaching…which makes me think you are just trying to find fault. Sad you just can’t enjoy the ride.
September 22nd, 2021 at 12:19 pm
Mk2001, this isn’t middle school, not everyone gets a trophy. This is an open forum and why not criticize those who are supposed to make crucial decisions regarding the future of this team. You do realize Brady and Gronk are enjoying themselves in Tampa is because of the lackadaisical nature of the coaching on this team? Now that maybe fine for the multiple HOFers and veterans on this team but what happens to those that get traded or cut and have to go work in a more discipline environment? I guess we need not care about that so how about when Brady leaves? I will tell you, team goes to sh#t because he is what drives this team. Oh and I am enjoying the Bucs ride and wish them continued success they are fun to watch but continued penalties and bad defensive coverage is a coaches job and that is the weak spot now.
September 22nd, 2021 at 12:34 pm
Talk about middle school. Brady and Gronk are having a great time because they have more freedom to do it their way, and in doing so last year, they won a SB. It is that simple. Brady is respected for his talent and knowledge. Gronk is looking like the Gronk of old…because he again loves football and is healthy. It isn’t because of “loose coaching”. Ask Playoff Lennie, when he was told last year to stop pouting or hit the road. They tell it like it is.
And what do we do when Brady leaves? If we can win another SB this year, I believe we will find the answer to replace him…but it is all gravy. And if we have the winning culture in place, there is a good chance we will have a reload and not a full rebuild.
Why would you worry about that now? It usually takes decades to get back to the SB after winning a SB or two. But if you have a great coaching staff in place, and culture, you can identify and develop talent. So I think we are in a good place. You might ask what we will do after Arians retires, which is every bit as much a concern for me as when Brady retires.
September 22nd, 2021 at 4:25 pm
That’s funny, if BA falls off the face of the earth tomorrow there would be a list of coaches from Tampa to Miami long applying for the easiest job in the NFL. A self coached team I assume is a pretty good gig.
September 22nd, 2021 at 4:46 pm
List..maybe you haven’t been a manager before. You expect a HC to act like a supervisor? They don’t because the skills are so refined of their players, develop game plans on both sides of the ball and such. it requires many specialists, supervisors or lower level managers to do the jobs . The best upper level managers know how to manage their managers…and if upper level managers, they also develop lower level managers, and give them the resources to develop their people. They rarely micromanage the lower level employees. It isn’t that they are being “lazy”. It requires different skills. They set the tone, develop the culture. and position the team strategically throughout the year. And that is why so many great position coaches fail to become good HC’s.
September 22nd, 2021 at 4:53 pm
I agree totally with Mark.
BTW, I’ve been wondering about how Joe nicknames our (hated) other NFL teams. Just what have we to look forward to? The Slackers? The Ain’ts? The Dolts? The Viqueens?
September 22nd, 2021 at 5:47 pm
Mark2001, I have built and sold 2 businesses and currently own another. I have managed up to 45 people so I am well aware what delegation means. On the flip side there are good managers and there are those that walk around with a cup of Dunkin Donuts coffee all day and expect others to do their job and call that delegating. You see scenario 1 and I see the coffee cup filled with scotch. No big deal, to be honest I hope I am wrong. All I know is this could be the best team to ever play the game. Love to se 20-0.
September 22nd, 2021 at 6:16 pm
Listn…you should know there are different kinds of managers, requiring different styles. There are managers with hundreds of employees, easily trainable, easily replaceable. That doesn’t require the skill involved with managing a different kind of employee. And they often have no more than a few supervisors. Being a manager with various supervisors, each with their own specialization, and each employee one not readily replaceable, with huge egos, and specialized skills is a different animal.
Many posters on this board thought all the problems with this team had to do with talent. Amazing how many of those guys we were going to jettison before Bruce arrived…and amazing how many have developed into good players. And the reason? Good Coaching. And that involves assembling a skilled and talented staff, keep them working independently and moving in the same direction to reach the ultimate goal. And Bruce is over all of it. He downplays his role in the team success, because those in the business know he is doing a good job. And the objective is to succeed, using every lever at his disposal. Even getting Brady here had to do with Arians doing his job in coordination with Licht. And he created the environment that helped Gronk and AB come here. He could have said no. So in my book he is doing a great job. And if that means just the right word at the right time, while driving in a golf cart, so be it.
September 22nd, 2021 at 6:28 pm
Fair enough with getting Brady. Originally BA gave AB the straight arm, it was Brady who recruited Gronk, Lenny and sold BA on AB. Maybe Arians is the manager you claim him to be but management 101, you don’t criticize your direct reports in public. He tends to do that a lot. Yes he praises them as well but one is motivating the other is not.
September 22nd, 2021 at 6:36 pm
But you miss one big point. Arians had to say yes to allow AB to be here. I’m sure he had to sign off on it. Most everything these guys do is public. I don’t think he would have said what he did publicly if he didn’t know that would push Brady’s buttons, that Brady would take it the right way, and that it would inspire the rest of the team to play better….all about personal accountability. He didn’t mention Ryan Jensen’s penalty directly, because that wouldn’t accomplish what he wanted. The old punish in private, praise publicly axiom isn’t in concrete, especially in dealing with HOF egos and a bunch of young talented guys that know if you would give it to Brady a little, no reason they would get it from both Arians and Brady if they let the team down.. as well as every other player.
September 22nd, 2021 at 6:38 pm
Frankly, I think you are talking Mgt. 101, and Arians is teaching a Master Class….that smart old basket….
September 22nd, 2021 at 6:51 pm
Arians fingered Tom Brady for holding the ball too long? What do you know that we don’t Joe?
September 22nd, 2021 at 6:52 pm
If you say so, not sure how often this tactic will work if the team isn’t already on to it now. You did get the old bastard correct. Maybe he gets a little short tempered as he gets up there.
September 22nd, 2021 at 6:58 pm
As long as Brady and the other movers and shakers on the team are part of the plan, I don’t think there is a problem. It isn’t a trick…it is a statement of culture…of personal accountability.
September 22nd, 2021 at 8:54 pm
That is what a great leader is usually doing; taking the responsibility. That is why other players follow TB to the Bucs.