The Patriots’ offense hasn’t exactly been producing at the same levels as in years past, and Tom Brady will be the first one to explain why.
“We’re not executing at the level we need to execute at,” Brady said during his weekly appearance on WEEI’s Dennis and Callahan Morning Show. “We scored six points. We really haven’t played well, up to our capabilities all season long. At some point we’re going to have to start doing that on a more consistent basis. We’re working hard at it in practice and we’re going to try to correct it. It’s not like it gets any easier for us.”
Brady has had to adjust to an offense without four of his top five receivers from the 2012 season, and Rob Gronkowski — the fifth — has yet to take the field. Injuries to Danny Amendola, Shane Vereen and Stevan Ridley have further stalled the development on offense, but Brady isn’t using any of that as an excuse. Although, getting some of those key pieces back would make a big difference down in the red zone, where the Patriots are 6-for-17 on the season and went 0-for-1 against the Bengals on Sunday.
“We’ve got to start making the plays that NFL players make,” Brady said. “If we don’t, we’re going to continue to struggle and not score points and put too much pressure on our defense. We’ve got to start being able to get the ball in the end zone, take advantage of our opportunities.”
Through five weeks, the Patriots rank second to last in red zone efficiency, scoring touchdowns just 35 percent they reach the red area — only the Jaguars (33 percent) are worse. Getting two guys — Gronkowski and Ridley — who scored a combined 23 touchdowns for the Patriots in 2013 should help turn that number around, but, in the meantime, Brady knows it’s on him to get more points on the board.
Have a question for Luke Hughes? Send it to him via Twitter at @LukeFHughes or send it here.
