Analyzing Brady's Recent Struggles
Tom Brady is now up to 8 INTs on the season, but not so long ago he only had 3. Brady has always been streaky when it comes to INTs. Hopefully he can start another INT-free streak heading into the postseason. Still, let's examine why he has fallen into this little slump as of late.
Brady throws a lot of passes into tight windows, so tipped passes are usually the main culprit of his INTs. Nevertheless, Brady tends to be better than average at avoiding tipped passes. But lately, there have been a few bad bounces and unavoidable INTs (i.e. Aldon Smith).
The other downfall for Brady has been that he has tried to be overly aggressive in delivering the ball to a guy he thought was open for a big gain. Sometimes he chooses a risky throw because it could mean a TD. Sometimes Brady underestimates the defender, or misplaces the throw when he could have just taken the easy play. (i.e. THIS PLAY vs. Miami)
When Brady is able to throw with proper technique he is pretty damn good. Recently there has been too much pressure, and that has affected him. Likewise, his receivers could do a better job coming back to the ball. Still, even Brady has lapses in judgment, and to me, his decision making has been the biggest problem in recent weeks. He needs to go back and find the lovely balance of conservative-aggressive that he was riding in the middle weeks of the season.
We ride on the back of Brady's decision making, and honestly, I think he may need to dial back his aggression to prioritize the protection of the football. He has been making too many bad throws in the early parts of games, and he just needs to be a little more patient. But hey, Tom Brady is his own biggest critic. He knows he needs to be better. Hopefully he can be, starting this week.
For daily news, notes, and analysis from me CHECK OUT THE FLYING ELVIS.
You can also follow me, Jam Lemon, on Twitter @JLemon89
Brady throws a lot of passes into tight windows, so tipped passes are usually the main culprit of his INTs. Nevertheless, Brady tends to be better than average at avoiding tipped passes. But lately, there have been a few bad bounces and unavoidable INTs (i.e. Aldon Smith).
The other downfall for Brady has been that he has tried to be overly aggressive in delivering the ball to a guy he thought was open for a big gain. Sometimes he chooses a risky throw because it could mean a TD. Sometimes Brady underestimates the defender, or misplaces the throw when he could have just taken the easy play. (i.e. THIS PLAY vs. Miami)
When Brady is able to throw with proper technique he is pretty damn good. Recently there has been too much pressure, and that has affected him. Likewise, his receivers could do a better job coming back to the ball. Still, even Brady has lapses in judgment, and to me, his decision making has been the biggest problem in recent weeks. He needs to go back and find the lovely balance of conservative-aggressive that he was riding in the middle weeks of the season.
We ride on the back of Brady's decision making, and honestly, I think he may need to dial back his aggression to prioritize the protection of the football. He has been making too many bad throws in the early parts of games, and he just needs to be a little more patient. But hey, Tom Brady is his own biggest critic. He knows he needs to be better. Hopefully he can be, starting this week.
For daily news, notes, and analysis from me CHECK OUT THE FLYING ELVIS.
You can also follow me, Jam Lemon, on Twitter @JLemon89