With quick release, Brady pulls a fast one
There is no shame in marveling at Tom Brady’s brilliance, no matter how much you might despise the Evil Empire and its alleged and/or admitted past transgressions. You can curse and criticize the man for the rest of your days, but what’s the point?
Brady’s handiwork this season should be celebrated regardless of whether or not the Patriots beat the Broncos in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday. He probably has a chiropractor on call for regular re-alignments after carrying his team during different stretches of a season that should have ended by now. His back surely aches.
It's okay to applaud Brady, eternal haters. Your secret is safe with us.
“Sometimes he doesn’t even need an offensive line,” Broncos outside linebacker Von Miller said. “It’s just, ‘Hut,’ and boom. (Pass) right now. Half of the time, he doesn't even need pass (protection). He’s doing most of it himself.”
Brady, frankly, should have been placed on injured reserve months ago, but he managed to mask deficiencies of his injury-ravaged offensive line with a maddening-quick release that has proved annoying to the opposition. Brady averaged just 2.34 seconds to throw the ball — from snap to release — this season, according to Pro Football Focus. That time dipped to 2.29 seconds in the Patriots’ 13 wins, including 2.19 against the Chiefs last week.
The Broncos’ ferocious pass rush that racked up a league-high 52 sacks this season should make for a mismatch against New England’s offensive line, but it would be foolish to discount Brady. The future Hall of Famer has spent all season avoiding pressure — and neutralizing defenses that appeared unstoppable against his team on paper — by quickly getting rid of the ball to the right guy almost every time.
The Broncos, tops in the league in fewest total and passing yards allowed, recorded three sacks and nine hits on Brady in a 30-24 overtime win over the defending Super Bowl champions in Week 12, but the landscape has changed since that November night in Denver. Brady played that game without Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola. Rob Gronkowski didn’t finish due to a knee injury.
Edelman, who had 10 catches for 100 yards last week after missing two months with a broken foot, changes everything. Brady averaged 2.21 seconds from snap to release in 10 games with Edelman this season. It took the quarterback 2.55 seconds to get rid of the ball in the seven games without his trusted top wide receiver.
Every fraction of a second matters. The Chiefs’ formidable pass rush didn’t record a sack and hit Brady only once in their divisional playoff loss.
The Broncos seemingly have the passrusher and cornerbacks to make life difficult on Brady, but nothing is guaranteed against the best quarterback to ever play. The four-time Super Bowl champion is also 3-0 in his playoff career when facing the league’s No. 1 defense.
“With a guy like Brady, you’ve got to be able to have good corners — which we have — that can give the pass rush a little more extra time to get there,” Broncos outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware said. “Because if he’s getting the ball off in 1.9 seconds, nobody’s going to ever get to him.”
Miller, who had a team-high 11 sacks this season, cracked that he only needs one second to get a sack. Brady’s penchant for getting rid of the ball to the exact right spot faster than anyone, however, can be the ultimate nuisance.
The Broncos would be wise to dare Bill Belichick’s team to run after the Patriots managed only 38 yards on 14 carries last week. The Patriots proved last year that they don’t need balance to win it all — their 14 rushing yards against the Ravens in the first round were the fewest by any playoff winner in NFL history — but it’d be a sound strategy for Denver.
The Patriots dusted off 32-yearold Steven Jackson four weeks ago, but their ground “attack” isn’t scaring anyone. The Broncos’ thirdranked run defense that allowed a league-low 3.3 yards per carry shouldn't have much trouble T against New England. he Patriots might need more than just Brady’s quick release to advance to Super Bowl 50. It could be challenging for New England to sustain its signature timeconsuming drives against one of the stingiest defenses around. The Patriots’ three touchdown drives in their Week 12 overtime loss to the Broncos consisted of four, three and three plays. The total time elapsed for those three scoring drives: three minutes, 52 seconds.
“It's hard to drive the ball 12 (or) 13 plays down the field, because they have so many dynamic players,” Brady said. “They’ve got rushers. They have linebackers who can cover (and a) big physical defensive front that makes it tough to run the ball. That’s why they're the best in the league.”
If there’s anyone than can overcome all of that, it’s Brady.