It’s awfully rare to see Tom Brady take off and run upfield.
For starters, the New England Patriots quarterback isn’t exactly fleet of foot. Rushing out of the pocket also can be a safety hazard for quarterbacks, as defenders won’t be inclined to take it easy on a signal-caller once he exposes himself as a runner.
Josh Allen learned this the hard way Sunday afternoon at New Era Field. The Buffalo QB sustained a brutal high hit from Patriots cornerback Jonathan Jones in the fourth quarter of New England’s 16-10 win. Jones, who many members of the Bills believe should have been ejected for the hit, only was nabbed for an unnecessary roughness penalty, while Allen was forced to exit the contest and never returned. The second-year quarterback currently is in the league’s concussion protocol.
Brady was subject to a similarly punishing hit early in his career, which prompted Patriots coach Bill Belichick to deliver some sage advice to his quarterback.
“I had a play like that up in Buffalo … I remember the next day Coach Belichick said to me — I’ll never forget this — ‘Hey Brady, if you want to have a career in this league, when you’re running like that, you throw the ball away or slide,’ ” Brady recalled Monday on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show,” as transcribed by ESPN’s Mike Reiss.
Brady and Allen obviously are different kinds of quarterbacks. Allen has begun to establish himself as one of the NFL’s top dual-threat QBs, while running never has been a part of Brady’s game. Still, Belichick’s advice is worth heeding. Trying to barrel through defenders very rarely will end positively for quarterbacks.
For those keeping score at home, Brady registered -3 rushing yards in Week 4. He didn’t have much success through the air, either, as he only managed to log 150 passing yards in what was a frustrating afternoon for the Patriots’ offense.
