Tom Brady: The receiver's perspective
“He’s very sharp mentally, and he expects you to keep up with him, or you get chewed out,” said [Darnell] Jenkins, one of four import receivers whose signings were announced Monday by the Lions. “He’ll call plays in the huddle, then change it at the line, and he expects you to run your routes properly, or he’ll have something to say about it.”
Even if Brady is one of the most accurate throwers in NFL history, his deliveries are not always on the money -- purposefully so, Jenkins said, to maintain an admirable touchdown-to-interception ratio. So a receiver had better be prepared to field a low or high throw or one that requires him to leave his feet.
“He’ll throw a ball low, to protect the route, and you better be able to get it,” Jenkins said. “He’s very strict about route running and ball placement. You need to be able to make the difficult catch.”
Darnell Jenkins was an undrafted free-agent back in 2008 and joined the Patriots for training camp every year from 2009-2011 but never made the final roster. Now he's playing in the CFL.
What Jenkins says above is probably nothing we don't already know. Still, it's interesting to get some insight into Brady's interactions with his teammates, especially his pass catchers. It also leaves you thinking that life with Ochocinco last year must have been rough if he was never in the right place at the right time.
This kind of attitude from Brady is exactly what you should expect from a starting quarterback. He should be out there not only to make himself better, but also his teammates.
