Manning Up On Tom Brady
July 22nd, 2021
Giving the Tribe props.
No, the headline above has nothing to do with Peyton Manning. Joe is actually giving credit here where credit is due to a source that Joe is often openly suspicious of.
That’s the PFF tribe.
Some eight years ago, Sam Monson, one of the high priests of the PFF tribe, typing for BSPN, suggested then-Belicheats quarterback Tom Brady was washed. He was no longer an elite NFL quarterback and his decline was obvious.
To Monson’s credit, in an article published on the tribe’s website today, Monson referred to that BSPN article in his very first paragraph (though didn’t mention who typed it or linked to it).
And why did Monson eight years ago think Brady was past his prime? Because of those dumbarse PFF “grades.”
As Joe often asks, who grades the graders and why do people think dudes who never coached in the NFL are the final and absolute football authority?
But again, Joe gives Monson props for admitting he was offbase — and that maybe those friggin’ grades aren’t foolproof.
Brady being outstanding last year isn’t exactly breaking news, but each layer of context added to the performance makes it even more astonishing. Between the move to a new system that typically induces a massive spike in turnovers, to his age, to the lack of a preseason, and to playing on a torn MCL all year long, Brady’s 2020 performance was unbelievable.
He is about to turn 44, well past the point where other quarterbacks who have pushed the boundaries of longevity have started to wane. Are there any signs at all that Brady’s powers are in decline? Or do we need to start considering him as some kind of natural anomaly to whom the laws of science and nature just do not apply?
Joe thinks it is fair to say Brady is a freak of nature. Certainly an outlier. Never before has a 44-year old quarterback pulled off what Brady has.
“Never” is pretty absolute.
Joe just salivates at what Brady might do this year. Any quarterback dreams of having Brady’s weapons. Now fully healthy and having complete knowledge of Bucs Super Bowl-winning coach Bucco Bruce Arians’ offense, the sky is the limit.
So long as Father Time doesn’t tap on Brady’s shoulder.
That will happen eventually. Won’t it?
July 22nd, 2021 at 11:04 am
Everyone can look & feel like TB12 if they have an anti-inflammatory diet. That’s all he’s doing
July 22nd, 2021 at 11:19 am
Brady is an amazing specimen.
July 22nd, 2021 at 11:23 am
Father Time is moving way to slow to catch Brady.
July 22nd, 2021 at 11:30 am
Complete dedication to his craft. He never lets off the pedal. Remarkable discipline!
July 22nd, 2021 at 11:35 am
What’s amazing is that most of us Bucs fans would never know this about Brady if he were still with the Patriots or on another team. I imagine many NFL fans are still unaware. Yeah, they may know what he did last year with the Bucs was extraordinary, but they don’t know about his drive, discipline, and complete commitment to the game, not to mention he seems to be a really nice guy. They root against him, as I used to, because he wins all the time.
July 22nd, 2021 at 11:35 am
Remember movie “kingpin”
You got monsoned
Enough said
July 22nd, 2021 at 11:35 am
As to the PFF (and others) number crunching, I use them when they support a point. I ignore them when they do not support my point. The American way it seems.
I do agree with Joe though – Cynthia Frelund’s number crunching is almost never correct.
July 22nd, 2021 at 11:43 am
Fahzha Time has Brady on a bungee chord, that’s why it’s taking so long to reel him in, but eventually it will snap back. Hopefully he’ll accomplish what he wants in the next 2 years.
July 22nd, 2021 at 12:28 pm
LOL @Medicated Pete thinking he has Brady all figured out.
July 22nd, 2021 at 12:32 pm
Well PFF did have Brady as the second highest graded QB this year. So I guess the grades are not that bad.
July 22nd, 2021 at 12:43 pm
Brady has dominated this sport from the neck up since he came into the league. PFF havent figured out how to measure intangibles-news flash- they never will. He makes a bunch of smart decisions and has an extensive history of doing so. Even as I sit here and speculate on the GOAT’s future, there is a part of me that understands and accepts that its likely going to be even more outrageous than anyone can imagine, which can include 10 championships, and riding off into the sunset on a unicorn with Gisele riding shotgun.
July 22nd, 2021 at 12:57 pm
Brady washed Brady can’t throw deep!You think this offense gonna be better with Brady? You think he gonna make the online better he’s gonna get killed! You think he’s gonna make the defense better 😂!!! Yea the goat did all that loser and he called you a dummy. You know who you are cry more I hope Brady play 5 more years just to piss you off.
July 22nd, 2021 at 1:25 pm
LOL! 🙂
July 22nd, 2021 at 1:38 pm
Yeah, but Peyton and lil brother Eli will team up to call MNF games when Brady rolls out there
July 22nd, 2021 at 2:22 pm
Here is the question:…….when it starts to go on Brady….will it start slipping away or will it be a crash?
If it’s just slipping away, he may give us an extra year……if it crashes, it’s over.
July 22nd, 2021 at 2:24 pm
I think anti inflammatory diet and modern conditioning has done wonders for players. It’s not just Brady. We have, the following still going strong:
Roger Federer (tennis) – 39
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (soccer) – 39
Cristiano Ronaldo (soccer) – 36
Only twenty years ago, nobody in these sports played much past 30, unless you were a goalie.
July 22nd, 2021 at 5:02 pm
@Medicated Pete … “Everyone can look & feel like TB12 if they have an anti-inflammatory diet. That’s all he’s doing.”
LMAO Pete. Uhhh, THAT’S ALL he’s doing? Oh if life were only that simple. For some reason, taking dieting advice from someone who calls himself ‘Medicated Pete’ just seems wrong. So very very wrong.
July 22nd, 2021 at 5:19 pm
Tom Brady earned ‘The GOAT’ moniker for his 20-plus years of incredibly high-level, consistent performance on the field. The results speak for themselves far as I’m concerned.
BUT … there have been lots of truly great QBs who didn’t accomplish nearly what he’s accomplished. Brady’s been blessed with working with two great coaches over all those years, and very few QBs can say that. He’s also had some fantastic ‘supporting casts’. The Patriots were a dynasty for many many years, with Tom Brady at the helm. And over those years they had some incredible defenses as well as some awesome offenses.
And last year’s Bucs, a well as this year’s Bucs, are following in those footsteps. I’d bet that no 43 or 44-year-old QB in the history of the NFL has had a ‘supporting cast’ like this one. Our OLine did a great job of protecting Brady last year. Our WR & TE position groups are the best in the league. And as a group, I’d say the same thing about our RBs actually. Our defensive Front-7 is the envy of every team in the league, and our Secondary has improved a bunch. Even our kicker & punter have been outstanding.
And I think the man who knows this better than anyone is Tom Brady. Gut feel is that the coaching & the talent on this team is a huge reason why he chose the Bucs.
July 22nd, 2021 at 7:01 pm
I know you guys are all giving Pete a hard time, but diet is a HUGE part of Brady’s longevity / the TB12 method. And one of the biggest components to the diet is in fact avoiding inflammatory foods. Takes a lot of discipline for sure.
July 22nd, 2021 at 9:25 pm
The “fantastic support cast” for Brady at the Patriots is rather suspect. Brady won a super bowl with the Patriots one year with Danny Amendola (an outcast), Chris Hogan (a lacrosse play in college who turned back to lacrosse after a brief career in the NFL), Julian Edelman (a QB from Kenn state) and injured Gronk. That was it. That was the offense. Belichick totally took advantage of the fact that Brady can do more with less and invested all on defense.
July 23rd, 2021 at 9:15 am
As a patriots fan. I knew you would get the heart of the team. He’s timeless and pissed he gets no respect in his mind. He made our patriots and I enjoy what he’s doing for the mighty Tampa bay BUCS ! Enjoy #8 ..I mean 3 this year. It’s gonna be fun