Brandon LaFell gave his season debut an “F” on Sunday, but Tom Brady doesn’t sound ready to give the New England Patriots receiver a failing grade.
The Patriots quarterback defended LaFell’s performance in their 30-23 Week 7 win over the New York Jets, in which the “X” receiver had five drops.
“Everyone has confidence in him,” Brady said Monday on WEEI’s “Dennis & Callahan.” “It was his first game back, and those weren’t all easy catches. Some may have hit his hands, but they weren’t right in the sweet spot. I think for all of us, it’s getting back in football mode and dealing with the game speed and so forth. I have a lot of confidence in Jo and what he’s able to do. He’s been a great player for us since he got here. We’re going to keep finding ways to get him the football.”
Brady is correct. LaFell’s first drop was on a low pass, his second was behind him, the third was low again, the fourth was behind him and the final one was tipped at the line of scrimmage and came in high.
Brady specifically praised a catch LaFell made in the second quarter when he was hit immediately after hauling in a 19-yard pass. He was hit so hard on a 6-yard reception late in the third quarter that he did a flip through the air.
“Phenomenal play — he got sandwiched there and held onto it,” Brady said. “He’s that physical presence that, honestly, that we don’t have a lot of other guys can provide. The way he’s played, the way he can take hits, give them out, run through the defense, break tackles, he’s a very unique player to our team.”
Thumbnail photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images
