Life is a going to be a bit tougher for Tom Brady this year as he adjusts to an offense not predicated on wide receiver Wes Welker. So tough, in fact, that Steelers safety Ryan Clark thinks he’ll be seeing ghosts this season.
Clark answered some questions about the Patriots during an appearance on ESPN’s NFL Live on Monday afternoon, discussing Brady specifically and how he will have to get used to Danny Amendola as his new primary target.
“I think what’s really underestimated is Wes Welker’s importance to not only the New England Patriots, but Tom Brady,” Clark said. “I know they think Danny Amendola can come in and have the same type of numbers he had with the Rams, but we also have to remember, he’s fragile. He’s not a guy who has completed a whole season, especially playing inside in what can be a physical AFC East.”
As for Brady’s poise and efficiency in the pocket, Clark seems to think it’s actually pretty easy to fluster the Patriots quarterback. The veteran safety even pinpointed some of Brady’s jittery tendencies as proof.
“In 2010, we saw it start with the Jets in the playoffs,” Clark added. “When Tom Brady gets pressure and when you’re man-to-man and bumping those guys and making it hard for him to throw, he sees ghosts. Even when guys aren’t around him, even when he’s not about to be sacked, when his clock goes off in his head that the ball should be out, we’ll see him duck, we’ll see him flinch. When you get Tom Brady doing that, the whole New England Patriots mystique goes away.”
Clark didn’t seem to intend any disrespect to Brady with the comments, but you can be sure that they will be playing in the back of Brady’s head when the Steelers visit Gillette Stadium on Nov. 3.
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