Tom Brady is trying to go mobile at 37
Yes, Tom Brady has been lauded as one of the best pocket passers of our generation, but he sees mobility as an area in his game that needs improvement, and he's working on honing that skill.
"it's never really something I've been good at, extending plays."
The lack of mobility for Patriots QB Tom Brady has not affected his winning percentage. 171 wins and 53 losses puts Tom at the top of his class at 76.3%. Peyton Manning is next at 68.0%. They both could stand to work on their mobility.
Tom Brady is taking a page out of legendary Florida A&M head coach, Jake Gaither's playbook. Jake's famous quote was "I like my boys to be agile, mobile, and hostile." Tom has chosen the second item to work on. ""Agile" gave way to his age at 37 while "hostile" never was. Jake's teams were 204-36 in his 25 years as a head coach. That is a cool 85% winning percentage.
Eric Frentz, Boston:
"Sometimes, the defense has the initial part of the pattern covered, and if you're able to extend the play, and buy more time for your teammate to get open, it's like a whole other play. It's a great advantage for the offense, so like I said, it hasn't really been a strength of mine."
I joke all the time. i don't have one cell in my body that ever tells me run.
The list of mobile quarterbacks in the NFL are generally the younger ones. Seattle QB Russell Wilson would head this speedy group along with Colin Kaepernick of San Francisco, Aaron Rodgers of Green Bay, Alex Smith of Kansas City, and this week's opponent, Jay Cutler of the Chicago Bears. Tom is not looking to improve on his 5.28 40 yard time from 2000 to a scrambling quarterback. A pocket passer can still move the chains, but it most likely will not be on the ground.
With New England nursing a 20-19 lead over the New York Jets in the 4th quarter, Tom was able to slide to his left in avoiding the pass rush of the Jets. While the distance wasn't more than a few yards, the time extended allowed WR Danny Amendola to get open and make a miraculous catch in the end zone. It wasn't shades of sprinter Carl Lewis for Tom, but it was effective.
Father Time tells us that mobility for the New England Patriots 37 year old signal caller will never be a strength. The work that Tom Brady puts in to improve in this category can only help in "keeping the drive alive."
The pictured above took "mobile" to the extreme. I don't think Tom wants to go that far.
Paul Murphy is a freelance writer from New Hampshire.
Follow me on Twitter at @_prmurphy
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