Beat goes on, so does Tom
Team tempts fate against Dolphins
FOXBORO — Tom Brady got beaten up pretty badly by the Miami Dolphins during yesterday’s blowout win. The Patriots were lucky the pliable one was still able to pull the trigger when it counted, and was still standing at the end. But what was Brady still doing in the game late in the fourth quarter, when it was pretty much settled and the Dolphins were looking for something to hang their hat on?
Don’t let the one sack fool you. The Patriots all-world quarterback was popped, pummeled and repeatedly pounded — at least eight times — by the Dolphins during the 35-17 victory. Defensive end Cameron Wake alone whacked Brady five times. And of course, Ndamukong Suh got in a shot.
Brady’s head, hand, arm, back, you name it, was driven and twisted to the turf. Human pretzel stuff. If not for having a decent running game to take the pressure off, with Dion Lewis gaining 112 yards on 15 carries, Brady might have been mauled and maimed more.
Brady never admits to much when it comes to an opposing team, but even he acknowledged after the game how much he was pounded by the visitors.
“Yeah, I definitely took some shots. They’re a tough D-line,” Brady said. “They’ve obviously made a lot of investments in that group and those guys play really hard. You’re right, they got some good shots on me today but I’ll be back at it and be ready to go Wednesday.”
The Dolphins did their best to take Brady out, and take their chances with Brian Hoyer. They have an interesting history with quarterbacks, last year forcing Jimmy Garoppolo — starting with Brady suspended — out of the game with a sprained AC joint. They also got to Brady the previous year, with Suh stepping on his ankle.
That’s why it was curious to see Brady play the whole game. It stuck out, much like Suh not being called for an obvious facemask on Lewis.
Why leave him in and leave him at risk? Given how many players had already left the game with injuries, it might have made sense to get Brady out when the game was in hand.
Bill Belichick’s explanation? The coach wasn’t comfortable enough with an 18-point lead. At least, that’s the terse message he gave when asked if he considered taking Brady out sooner.
“It’s easy for you to sit there and say the game’s out of hand,” Belichick said, the question clearly not one he was fond of. “If you watch games in the National Football League, a lot can change in a hurry.”
With that 18-point lead and 4:58 to play, Brady handed off the ball three straight times before a punt. He also returned for three straight kneel downs.
So what’s really going to change with 4:58 to play with Hoyer on the field? The game had already gotten pretty chippy, as Dolphins cornerback Bobby McCain had already been tossed for throwing a punch at wide receiver Danny Amendola.
Was that not worth protecting the franchise QB?
Belichick again went back to the notion of not having the game locked up, even though he was up by three scores on a team having trouble scoring.
“The only time I think the game is in hand is when they’re not going to have enough possessions to get the number of points that they need,” he said. “Sorry, we just see that one totally differently.”
In other words, we agree to disagree.
Brady threw an interception in the second quarter, probably because he had been rattled by being hit so much. After one crushing hit by Wake in the third quarter on a 23-yard completion to receiver Brandin Cooks, Brady picked himself up, shaking his right (throwing) hand. He also looked for a flag from referee Ron Torbert, but got none.
The Dolphins, meanwhile, couldn’t do much with the opportunities they had, save for the fumble recovery and touchdown on the botched shotgun snap Brady wasn’t expecting from center Ted Karras in the second quarter. For all the banging on Brady, the MVP candidate still threw four touchdown passes, hitting on 18-of-28 passes.
“No matter how many times we hit him, he still got back up and still won the game,” said Dolphins defensive tackle Davon Godchaux. “At the end of the day, all those hits look good, but it doesn’t matter when you get a loss. Everything has been said, he’s the greatest of all-time.”