Tom Brady continues to be an anomaly as it pertains to NFL longevity, but some are under the impression the star quarterback has taken a few punches from Father Time in recent years.
Seemingly the most common critique of Brady over the past campaign or two has been arm strength. The six-time Super Bowl champion never has had the biggest arm in the league, but there are folks in the football world who believe Brady can’t zip it like he used to.
Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians isn’t sure how those evaluators came to that conclusion.
“They’re not that smart,” Arians told NBC Sports’ Peter King. “The guy can make every throw. He threw a ball 60 yards the other day to (wide receiver) Scotty Miller that was on a dime. The thing about our offense is you throw it to the guy that’s open. If Tom (sees an open man deep), he takes the shot. If not, read it out. He and Peyton have that same characteristic. Like, ‘I’m not gonna take a 50/50 shot when I got a 90 percent shot underneath.'”
Tampa Bay tight end Cameron Brate also has been impressed with the pace on Brady’s passes.
“That’s probably the thing I was most surprised with,” Brate said. “I am a big fan of the game and kind of read up on different columns. I obviously saw the narrative, you know, ‘Does Brady still have it? Can he still throw the ball at 43?’ Whatever. And, man, he can still sling it. All the work we did in the offseason, that’s kinda the one thing I was really most impressed with, his ability to throw the football. He can still spin it.”
With a live arm and a fully loaded arsenal of weapons, Brady could be in store for a monster first season in Tampa Bay.
