Tom Brady hasn’t been bad this season, but he certainly hasn’t been perfect.
Of course, you’d expect that from a 43-year-old quarterback.
But while his skill might decline, Brady’s calling card long has been his intellect and preparation for the game, which isn’t impacted by physical ability.
So maybe that’s why it seems like Brady has been so off this year, as he’s made a few uncustomary mental gaffes, such as forgetting how many downs he had left at the end of a game.
Meanwhile, tension appears to be building between Brady and head coach Bruce Arians, who has been quick to throw the quarterback under the bus this season.
But in the eyes of longtime Brady teammate Tedy Bruschi, Arians is part of the reason Brady has underwhelmed this season.
“I think there is a combination of two things that is holding the Tampa Bay offense back and also Brady in terms of his success and one is Bruce Arians because the guy is just stubborn,” Bruschi said on WEEI’s “Ordway, Merloni and Fauria,” via WEEI.com. “Tom is in the middle of a team with a head coach that our old Patriots teams would love going up against team like this. They have the philosophy of we do what we do and we’re just going to do it, we’re better than you, we think our players are better so go ahead and do what you want I’m still going to throw my deep routes and all this and all of that. We would just adjust to it and take it away know that they still force it in there and we would pick it off. We would do something like that. Bruce Arians and that type of stubbornness”
Bruschi would go on to add that the second thing is the fact that Tampa’s running backs — Ronald Jones, Leonard Fournette and LeSean McCoy — drop pass after pass. Part of the reason for Brady’s success over the years were running backs like James White, who are tremendous pass catchers.
Brady and the Bucs will try to get back on track Sunday at home against the Kansas City Chiefs.
