It’s safe to say Shannon Sharpe hasn’t been impressed with Tom Brady’s performance this season.
The Patriots’ defense once again looked dominant Sunday in New England’s 27-13 win over the Cleveland Browns at Gillette Stadium. Their offense, meanwhile, had some ups and downs, although the unit obviously did enough for the Patriots to improve their record to 8-0.
In many ways, that’s been the story of New England’s 2019 campaign, which is about to become more difficult for the Patriots given their upcoming schedule, and Sharpe couldn’t help but take a few shots at Brady on Monday’s episode of “Undisputed” on FS1. The former NFL tight end-turned-talking head just doesn’t think the 42-year-old quarterback has been that great in his 20th season.
“Hell, it’s been all about the defense all year long,” Sharpe said. “Can anybody remember the last time this team (the Patriots) won a game because of their quarterback? Can you? You’ve gotta go way, way back because it hasn’t happened this year and it did not happen in the Super Bowl, because he had a 26 QBR. Remember, Skip Bayless, because you love QBR. He had a 26 QBR, had one snap for both teams in the red zone.
“It’s so hard to critique and analyze Tom because any time you critique him, (it’s), ‘What about those six Super Bowls he? What about what he did in the AFC Championship Game? That’s his, that’s on his résumé,” Sharpe added. “I’m critiquing his play this year, on a game-by-game basis. Anybody that thinks Tom Brady is playing at the level he was playing at three (or) four years ago and this defense is some boo-boo is sadly mistaken. This defense is playing historically great. Who they’ve played aside, the defense is taking the ball away at a rate we’ve never seen before. … This is all about the defense. It’s not about Tom.”
Sharpe makes some fair points: It is often difficult to critique Brady without significant blowback, particularly from Patriots fans. And New England’s defense is carrying the load this season, which is a stark contrast from some previous seasons in Foxboro.
But to suggest Brady has played poorly would be unfair. He’s been perfectly fine, taking care of the football and doing exactly what he needs to do in order for the Patriots to succeed and ultimately contend for another Super Bowl title.
