Max Kellerman has been waiting for Tom Brady’s demise to arrive, so Monday was a good day for him.
The ESPN “First Take” commentator predicted the New England Patriots quarterback would fall off a cliff prior to last season, but Brady proved him wrong, winning NFL MVP at age 40. Kellerman doubled down prior to the start of this season, claiming Brady would be done by Week 1.
While Brady performed admirably during the first seven weeks of the season, he has been mediocre over the last three games, including the 34-10 beatdown the Patriots suffered at the hands of the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.
The 41-year-old went 21-for-41 for 254 yards with no touchdowns in the loss and thrown just one touchdown pass in the last three weeks. The 20 incompletions were a season-high for Brady and he was off target on 10 of his 41 throws. This, of course, brought a smile to Kellerman’s face as he claimed Brady has a “wet noodle for an arm” Monday on “First Take,” and compared his current state to that of Peyton Manning during the gunslinger’s final season.
Brady and the Patriots enter their bye week looking for answers. Despite being 7-3, New England would be the No. 3 seed in the AFC if the playoffs started right now, meaning they would not have their typical first-round bye. Luckily for the Pats, they have two games against the New York Jets, one against the Buffalo Bills and one against the Miami Dolphins over their final six games, all of which have been average to putrid this season. New England also has to face the Pittsburgh Steelers, who currently are the No. 2 seed in the AFC, so the path to a first-round bye is clear for Brady and Co.
New England will need to figure out a cure for its ailing offense during the bye week, though. After hanging 43 points on the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 6, the Patriots’ offense has struggled over the last four weeks. The 38 points New England put on the Chicago Bears weren’t a product of a crisp offensive unit, as New England scored 14 points on special teams. The Pats’ offense was lifeless in Week 8 against the Bills, scoring only one offensive touchdown, and the Pats had to use some trick plays in order to pull away late from the Green Bay Packers in Week 9.
Not all is well in New England, but something tells us Kellerman is dancing on the grave of someone who isn’t close to dead yet.
