It’s not easy to fool Tom Brady, but Miami Dolphins cornerback Bobby McCain successfully duped the New England Patriots quarterback on one play Sunday.
Late in the first quarter of New England’s eventual 38-7 victory at Gillette Stadium, McCain intercepted a Brady pass that was intended for wide receiver Phillip Dorsett. On the surface, it simply looked like an ill-advised throw by the 41-year-old QB, who absorbed a big hit from defensive end Robert Quinn as he released the ball.
Bobby. McCain. Our ball!
📺 » @CBS#MIAvsNE #FinsUp https://t.co/6EArXiMgp7
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) September 30, 2018
But, as Brady explained after the game and elaborated on during an interview with WEEI’s “Kirk & Callahan” the following morning, McCain actually employed a seldom-seen coverage tactic that caught Brady completely off guard.
McCain initially covered wide receiver Chris Hogan, who was running a vertical route out of the slot, but switched onto Dorsett once he saw the latter break inside, handing Hogan off to safety T.J. McDonald.
Brady, not expecting the switch, fired a pass directly to McCain, resulting in an easy pick.
“You know, I thought it was a great play,” Brady said on “K&C.” “And I haven’t seen that happen probably in 10 years where they carried the seam on the inside and they basically trapped the in-cut. We had a guy going vertical, I think it was (Hogan), and McCain was running with him, and he had his back turned to me. I thought he was just going to go with (Hogan). He turned around because he saw the in-cut, and it ended up being a good pick.
“Not a lot of teams have done that over the years. Our defense used to do that quite a bit, and when I threw it — I give him credit. They made a good play. Hopefully, we learn from that and not let it happen again.”
Though he threw three touchdown passes in the blowout win, Brady was not at his best Sunday. He also threw another interception to rookie defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick on what proved to be his final snap of the game.
“I just want to be perfect out there,” Brady said on “K&C.” “And when I’m not, that’s probably what I think about (the next day). And I think that’s a good motivator for me, because I want to get back out there and try to be perfect. That’s what my goal is every week.”
