Mike Lombardi Pinpoints Main Reason For Tom Brady’s 2018 Struggles

Tom Brady hasn’t looked like himself in 2018.

A year after winning the NFL MVP award, the New England Patriots quarterback ranks outside the top 10 in most passing categories and has some believing that he’s been playing the second half of the season on a partially torn MCL.

But, perhaps the answer is much simpler than an injury.

Mike Lombardi, who worked as an executive under Bill Belichick for both the Cleveland Browns and Patriots, was asked about Brady’s struggles Friday on WEEI’s “Ordway, Merloni and Fauria,” and he believes TB12’s issues for the most part boil down to one thing: trust.

“I think a little bit of it is that a lot of new players are on the team and I think you see that,” Lombardi told guest hosts John Tomase and Marc James. “When Tom misses a throw, when he thinks the receiver is going to be to the right and he ends up being to the left, that’s really all about trust. That’s what happened to me, when you watched him with Josh Gordon, it was really kind of unique in how he was able to develop trust with Josh Gordon on such a quick basis and he did. And I think that’s really what it comes in to, there’s a lot of guys, it takes a lot of time. You know, missing the OTA days, people say, ‘Well, Tom Brady he doesn’t need it.’ But the guys around him need him there and I think some of that sometimes shows up.”

While Brady hasn’t been lighting it up like he has in years past, the 41-year-old quarterback has maintained he isn’t injured and feels as good as he could after 15 weeks of football.

The Patriots, meanwhile, have struggled away from Gillette Stadium this season but still have the chance to clinch a first-round bye in the playoffs with a win over the New York Jets on Sunday in Foxboro.

New England should be able to rely on its running game and defense to beat Sam Darnold and New York, but the Pats certainly will need Brady’s A-Game once the playoffs begin.