355 replies to this topic

[Bucknahs Bum Ankle]

His place in the league in punting is apparently comparable to his place in passing accuracy.

Even better, sort by Net yards. Brady is first.

[MentalDisabldLst]

His place in the league in punting is apparently comparable to his place in passing accuracy.

Mesko is dead last?

Man, and here I thought he was so good. Guess I'm just a homer.

[jp9183]

Mesko is dead last?

Man, and here I thought he was so good. Guess I'm just a homer.

Unless i`m missing obvious sarcasm. He can be dead last for the next 10 years if all his punts are inside the 20

Edited by jp9183, 17 January 2012 - 09:12 PM.

[MentalDisabldLst]

The way that list was filtered and sorted, Mesko's 2 postseason punts for a gross 39-yard average ranked last.

Obviously (to you and everyone), 2 punts is nothing to judge on anyway, and in this case both weren't kicked at 100% because he was angling for a trap deep in DEN territory. So yeah, sarcasm - but directed at an amusing quirk of small sample sizes.

[Pandemonium67]

Is it too much to hope that his eventual replacement just finished his freshman year of college?

[simplyeric]

The 6-foot-1, 245-pound Hernandez got off to a faster start than Gronkowski last year, their rookie seasons. Hernandez caught 34 passes for 436 yards and two touchdowns in the first eight games in 2010 compared to 14 for 148 and three scores for Gronkowski. Over the second half, Gronkowski took off in part because quarterback Tom Brady made a point of teaching Hernandez to play within the confines of the system, a team source said.

This is an interesting comment here, that's just tossed in. What do people make of this?

You have a guy like Hernandez, who obviously has skills and values... and Brady consciously makes an effort to limit him from freelancing or whatever, in order to get him to play more effectively in the system, in order to make him even that much more useful.

It's hard to imagine Dirty Sanchez doing that...but what about other guys? Is this something that comes up often? (Roethl. or Peyton or Brees..). Or are most qb's/coaches happy enough to have talented players, and just try to utilize them that way?



http://sports.yahoo....ernandez_011812

[dcmissle]

Obviously, Brady had a wonderful overall game against Denver. You can't say much bad about 26-34, 363, 6 TDs, and 1 pick. I'm not starting this thread to criticize his performance or take anything away from what the Pats did on Saturday night.

However, the interception he threw felt reminiscent to me of the pick against the Jets in the first quarter of last year's playoff game, in that it was seemingly completely unforced and the ball just inexplicably got away from him. I'm not necessarily concerned about the pick, because all great QBs throw picks. However, on the next series, Brady seemed hesitant and a bit jittery to me. He wasn't very confident in his reads, and almost got picked again.

In last year's playoff game, it seemed like the pick really jolted his confidence, and the offense struggled to get on track. On Saturday night, the good news is that the offense got back on track after one more bad series.

Hopefully the jitters were caused by having lost a couple recent playoff games, and it certainly felt like the Pats got over that hump on Saturday night. But I have to admit that after the interception and the following series, I was legitimately worried about the offense going into a funk. It seems like Brady puts so much pressure on himself, and that he is taking these playoff games so seriously that he gets a little tight at times, since he knows he only has so many more shots at a title.

Am I overreacting to a couple bad series, or was/is there some reason for concern?

I think TB was a bit too hard on himself when he announced on national television that he sucked today. In the end, he made enough plays to beat a very good team and tough defense in a crucial game.

By the same token, people here were probably a bit too hard on you for the observation bolded above. I can't tell you that the character of the game would have been different if TB hit a wide open Gronk for a TD early. But it sure would have been nice to find out, and four additional points would undeniably have made a big difference in the end game.

And speaking of the end game, Brady INT on the heels of Flacco's INT was flat out indefensible. Even if you defend the concept -- let's drive the nail home here, using a very curious target -- the plug on the play should have been pulled. It was flat out nuts to throw that pass given the coverage and -- most importantly -- the game situation. It was precisely the kind of throw that would have been universally condemned if not thrown by Brady.

Edited by dcmissle, 22 January 2012 - 08:40 PM.

[radsoxfan]

I think TB was a bit too hard on himself when he announced on national television that he sucked today. In the end, he made enough plays to beat a very good team and tough defense in a crucial game.

By the same token, people here were probably a bit too hard on you for the observation bolded above. I can't tell you that the character of the game would have been different if TB hit a wide open Gronk for a TD early. But it sure would have been nice to find out, and four additional points would undeniably have made a big difference in the end game.

And speaking of the end game, Brady INT on the heels of Flacco's INT was flat out indefensible. Even if you defend the concept -- let's drive the nail home here, using a very curious target -- the plug on the play should have been pulled. It was flat out nuts to throw that pass given the coverage and -- most importantly -- the game situation. It was precisely the kind of throw that would have been universally condemned if not thrown by Brady.

I agree. Brady wasn't good, but he did make a lot of good throws, the offense just stalled in the red zone (partially due to poor play calling I thought as well). That wide open miss to Gronk early in the game was a killer though.

As far as the deep INT, I too don't mind the play call but the decision to throw to a covered Slater was the main problem. You simply can't throw that ball into double coverage in that situation, and Brady knows it. At minimum, if you are going to go for a big play to someone not wide open, its gotta be to one of your big targets like Gronk or Hernandez. At least they have a good chance to make a play on the ball, and if not catch it, prevent the INT. Slater being the target exponentially compounded the initial error in judgement to throw that pass in the first place.

[Franklin Fanatic]

I agree. To me, it was a bad play call and bad decision by Brady. Big play on defense and you come back at midfield with a bomb to Slater? Season is on the line and we design a play for Matthew Fucking Slater??

[lexrageorge]

Brady threw 4 passes into the arms of defenders today. One was right after Welker was held, but it wasn't the best thrown ball either. Another was nullified by the offsides call, and Brady may have known he had a free play when he threw it, but still wasn't the best decision. I'm not sure Gronkowski was back in the game when Brady threw deep to Slater, but he still should have thrown it out of bounds rather than threading the needle with one of the league's best safeties in tight coverage.

Probably more credit should be given to the Ravens for the red zone struggles of the Patriots. They covered the Pats TE's and WR's quite well when the field was tight, and they were able to generate pressure at times as well.

But they won, so we really don't need two weeks of threads discussing whether Brady is a good playoff QB, or if something was wrong with him. He partially redeemed himself by (a) getting the Pats into the red zone and (b) that 4th down QB sneak where he catapulted the pile head over heels. That was a very good Ravens team we beat today.

[radsoxfan]

Brady threw 4 passes into the arms of defenders today. One was right after Welker was held, but it wasn't the best thrown ball either. Another was nullified by the offsides call, and Brady may have known he had a free play when he threw it, but still wasn't the best decision. I'm not sure Gronkowski was back in the game when Brady threw deep to Slater, but he still should have thrown it out of bounds rather than threading the needle with one of the league's best safeties in tight coverage.

You can't possibly be taking about the ball that went right through Welkers hands, then bounced into the air before Baltimore caught it. No reason to blame that on Brady at all.

And yes, it was clear the free play deep ball was made because he saw the offsides. It actually was the "best decision".

He made some mistakes, and some costly ones. But lets not add to the list by conjuring more out of thin air.

[Super Nomario]

Another was nullified by the offsides call, and Brady may have known he had a free play when he threw it, but still wasn't the best decision.

Everybody on both teams knew it was a free play. That's why the Ravens DB who picked it didn't try to return it; his teammate signalled for him to go down because the only thing that could have happened for Baltimore was that the Pats would strip it and get field position.

[( . ) ( . ) and (_!_)]

I agree. To me, it was a bad play call and bad decision by Brady. Big play on defense and you come back at midfield with a bomb to Slater? Season is on the line and we design a play for Matthew Fucking Slater??

Setting something up for the Super Bowl. Everyone will be expecting the bomb to Slater if he shows up on offense and then you hit Gronk underneath for a 30 yard gainer.

[tims4wins]

Seemed to me like Brady played kind of jittery today, but the Ravens really didn't pressure him all that much. It was almost as if Brady was afraid of the pressure eventually getting there, and wanting to get rid of the ball early without progressing through his reads. The first drive of the game was a great example, on 2nd and 3 he had Hernandez wide open coming across the field for an easy 10+ yard gain. Brady never looked at him and instead misfired to Gronk. Others have mentioned the misfire to Gronk in the red zone, a completely unforced throw. It seemed like he forced a few of those fades today too, just throwing to the first read and not finding the open man, which is Brady's greatest strength as a passer.

I dunno, I guess it just seemed to me like he was kind of seeing ghosts back there. I think the Ravens had 1 sack and 3 QB hits all game. If you had given me those stats before the game I'd have said the Pats would have scored 31+ and won going away. Instead, Brady got outplayed by Flacco.

He has to play better for them to win the Super Bowl. Since his masterful performance against Jacksonville in the 2007 Divisional round, Brady has played 6 playoff games and has thrown 13 TDs vs. 10 interceptions. In his first 15 playoff games, he threw 23 TDs against 9 picks. Multiple picks in 3 out of his last 6 playoff games. That has to stop.

Tom Brady is the best player on the team and I love him unconditionally. He just hasn't been very good in the playoffs lately.

[Mystic Merlin]

I don't agree - I never thought he was jittery or uncomfortable. He missed a lot of throws, and made some really bad decisions, I didn't see it as being due to some nervousness/fear/discomfort.

[tims4wins]

Fair enough - but it you can't attribute it to pass rush, then what can you say? He just had a bad game? Not sure I buy that.

[Mystic Merlin]

Fair enough - but it you can't attribute it to pass rush, then what can you say? He just had a bad game? Not sure I buy that.

Ok? I'm not looking for a drag-out fight here, but, I don't know, I think he's just human and didn't play altogether well. I didn't see him scrambling around aimlessly, patting the ball, or doing the other things he typically does when he is bothered.

[SMU_Sox]

Is it possible the Ravens D through him with their coverage and schemes?

[Mystic Merlin]

Is it possible the Ravens D through him with their coverage and schemes?

Yes.

That doesn't explain why he was missing open receivers he identified, however. The Gronk overthrow was a pure misfire, for example.

[Jimy Hendrix]

Tom Brady is the best player on the team and I love him unconditionally. He just hasn't been very good in the playoffs lately.

He threw six touchdown passes a game ago in what might have been the most dominant quarterback performance I have ever seen. I think you are overstating your case a little bit here.

He does have to be better than he was today, but not facing the Baltimore secondary will probably help a lot with that.

Edited by Jimy Hendrix, 22 January 2012 - 11:20 PM.

[drleather2001]

Yea I mean shit: you get to the playoffs and Tom Brady is going to face very good defenses. Yet, he will still play well enough to win.

He's not fucking Flash Gordon. People's expectations are just too high.

[Andrew]

I bet he could fuck Flash Gordon if he wanted to.

[Kenny F'ing Powers]

Brady was incredibly accurate today...During the postgame interview.

He played like dogshit. He made very poor reads, he missed wide open receivers, he made awful throws.

Yet, the teams two biggest "weaknesses"--defense and the running game--won against one of the best football teams in the league today.

Brady is a proud dude. I really believe this was the best thing that could happen to him (as long as they win of course). I have faith that he'll come out guns blazing.

[ilol@u]

I'm curious as to what posters think about Tom Brady vs Joe Montana, who right now do you think is "the greatest", and assuming Brady wins the SB in 2 weeks (just for this discussion) what do you think about Brady winning ring #4 and comparing him to Montana?

[Kenny F'ing Powers]

Yea I mean shit: you get to the playoffs and Tom Brady is going to face very good defenses. Yet, he will still play well enough to win.

He's not fucking Flash Gordon. People's expectations are just too high.

This is practically Brady ballwashing and you know it.

239 yards, 22 for 36, 0 TD's and 2 INT's, 57.5 QB rating. If those were Sanchez's numbers, we'd be all to ready to explain why he's a bust. Peoples expectations aren't "too high". That's just a fucking ugly game. He didn't do enough to keep us in it, he did enough to turn a blowout into a close game. If Tom Brady was even "average" Tom Brady, this team wins by multiple scores.

Still, the team won. I do not expect Brady to go into the crapper on back to back games. No way. Brady got his bad game out of the way. Bad news for the G-men.

[Tony C]

Brady was incredibly accurate today...During the postgame interview.

He played like dogshit. He made very poor reads, he missed wide open receivers, he made awful throws.

Yet, the teams two biggest "weaknesses"--defense and the running game--won against one of the best football teams in the league today.

Brady is a proud dude. I really believe this was the best thing that could happen to him (as long as they win of course). I have faith that he'll come out guns blazing.

yep. agreed completely.

Is it possible the Ravens D through him with their coverage and schemes?

Clearly they had a great scheme, didn't blitz much and covered very well. But, as MM said, that doesn't explain all the bad reads and bad throws.

You can't possibly be taking about the ball that went right through Welkers hands, then bounced into the air before Baltimore caught it. No reason to blame that on Brady at all.

And yes, it was clear the free play deep ball was made because he saw the offsides. It actually was the "best decision".

He made some mistakes, and some costly ones. But lets not add to the list by conjuring more out of thin air.

This is pure ball washing -- what is the argument that this was his 'best decision,' unless you're saying he absolutely sucked each and every minute of the game? It's true that it was a defensive offsides, but in the moment given that the play wasn't blown dead there's no way to be sure of what the flag was about. Even if you did somehow magically know with certainty what the flag was about, throwing an INT is by no means his best decision. Even on an off night, he did complete some passes, etc.

I don't agree - I never thought he was jittery or uncomfortable. He missed a lot of throws, and made some really bad decisions, I didn't see it as being due to some nervousness/fear/discomfort.

It seems to me he was both overly confident and overly aggressive -- full of himself, in short. I love the 'i sucked' comment and hope that carries through and he gets real and gets humble. He'll be in the HOF one day, but he's not yet a HOF-er and still needs to earn it every game. He can't just throw it whereever and expect the defense to part. Throw the ball away if the guy isn't open, take what is offered, and don't be too intense....that was not a clutch performance. For all the reaming of whomever the guy is who started this thread for expressing even an inkling of doubt about Brady, this game was a lesson. That Pats won despite Brady, not because of him. He's a great but mortal QB.

I'm confident that this was the best thing that could have happened, and Brady will respond as he has so often. But he deserves no ball washing for this game.

[pantsparty]

Brady's postgame analysis of himself was amazing; it's so rare to actually see a player admit that they didn't live up to how they need to play/what they're capable of. I hope that he is absolute hell to deal with, pushing hard in practice every day, for the next two weeks so that tonight's performance isn't repeated.

[Tony C]

Agree, love his post game attitude. but i hope for the next two weeks he's not hell on others, nor that he's hell on himself, even. I hope he's relaxed and not overly intense.

[Beomoose]

How often does Brady have 2 terrible games in a row? He's not going to be fucking around for the next 2 weeks.

[DrewDawg]

The 6-foot-1, 245-pound Hernandez got off to a faster start than Gronkowski last year, their rookie seasons. Hernandez caught 34 passes for 436 yards and two touchdowns in the first eight games in 2010 compared to 14 for 148 and three scores for Gronkowski. Over the second half, Gronkowski took off in part because quarterback Tom Brady made a point of teaching Hernandez to play within the confines of the system, a team source said.



This is an interesting comment here, that's just tossed in. What do people make of this?

Jumping back to this for a second--how does making Hernandez play within the confines of the system make Gronkowski take off?

[Hendu for Kutch]

This is pure ball washing -- what is the argument that this was his 'best decision,' unless you're saying he absolutely sucked each and every minute of the game? It's true that it was a defensive offsides, but in the moment given that the play wasn't blown dead there's no way to be sure of what the flag was about. Even if you did somehow magically know with certainty what the flag was about, throwing an INT is by no means his best decision.

On this point, of course he knew it was offsides. The guy jumped, and if had been drawn the play would have been whistled dead. It could only be on the defense. Both teams knew it, which was why the defender just went straight to the ground after the INT instead of trying to return it.

And of course throwing a deep rainbow is a good decision on that play. It's what they're taught to do in that case. it's a no risk, high reward play. Especially given that you know you've got a defender with a headstart coming in at you. Get rid of it quick for maximum potential gain, the INT result is irrelevant because there was no INT.

[DrewDawg]

It's true that it was a defensive offsides, but in the moment given that the play wasn't blown dead there's no way to be sure of what the flag was about.

Yes there is. If the flag was on NE for a false start the play is whistled dead.

[Tony C]

d'oh! yep....carry on.

[radsoxfan]

This is pure ball washing -- what is the argument that this was his 'best decision,' unless you're saying he absolutely sucked each and every minute of the game? It's true that it was a defensive offsides, but in the moment given that the play wasn't blown dead there's no way to be sure of what the flag was about. Even if you did somehow magically know with certainty what the flag was about, throwing an INT is by no means his best decision. Even on an off night, he did complete some passes, etc.

It was the best decision he could make on that play. Not his best decision of the entire game. No where did I imply that.

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

I'm curious as to what posters think about Tom Brady vs Joe Montana, who right now do you think is "the greatest", and assuming Brady wins the SB in 2 weeks (just for this discussion) what do you think about Brady winning ring #4 and comparing him to Montana?

Their careers are eerily similar. Nearly identical W-L records, TD passes, passer ratings, playoff results...it's scary.

[ShaneTrot]

He is getting no love for his sneaks in this game? Pretty ballsy plays he made for a big conversion and a TD, knowing he was going to get whacked. I bet Matt Ryan wishes he could sneak like Brady.

(null)

[SMU_Sox]

I was born in 1985 so I never had the pleasure to watch Montana play. That being said I'm very wary about comparing players across generations. The pendulum has swung so far to pro-offense rules that today's passers, receivers, and to a lesser extent RBs have it a lot easier than they did even a decade ago.
That being said I think both have to be in the GOAT discussion. That's probably obvious. Montana's legacy is defined by 4-8 games. He was nearly perfect in his four SBs and had memorable performances in most of the conference championship games (but not all). If Brady has another amazing SB they have to be considered equals, or at least they would be in my eyes.

Quick edit: When I said defined I don't mean I'm ignoring his gaudy regular season stats. Obviously he was amazing then too but it is the post season that made him a legend. I think this is true of Brady too.

Edited by johnlimberakis, 23 January 2012 - 08:18 AM.

[Gambler7]

When Brady saw Kraft on the field right after the game he apoligized to him and said I'll be much better in two weeks, I promise you, They had video of it on one of the stations last night. He certainly wasn't happy after the game.

[TheoShmeo]

I don't know the cause and I think that "sucked" is something of an overstatement, but Brady wasn't particularly good yesterday. Both interceptions were balls he clearly should not have thrown, the Gronk pass was hard to miss given how open Gronk was and how big the TE's wing span is and those things were made worse by the fact that Brady had considerable time all day. The failure to pick up a first down on the last Pats' last drive was also largely on his shoulders.

I live with the mantra that the Pats will always win if Brady is given time, and but for Sterling Moore's incredible play and a good bit of luck, a bitter exception would have been visited upon me and the rest of us yesterday.

Still, between Brady's overwhelming need to win another championship, the natural desire to right the wrong against the Giants and how disgusted he is over that performance, I think we have the perfect Brady storm on our hands.

[Gambler7]

I'm actually encouraged...they just beat the 2nd best team in the AFC with their best player having one of his worst games. That's huge. If Brady was on last night they would have coasted IMO. The defense and most importantly for this next game, the offensive line, was outstanding. People are overlooking the defense holding them to 3 points on the Woodhead fumble.

I wonder how much of a problem his left shoulder is? He again after the game took the ball and tucked it into his stomach with his left hand and kept it in there.

[loshjott]

Simms yesterday said Brady is best sneaker in the NFL today. He's the best I can remember in about 3 decades of watching football. Much of that is because he picks his spots incredibly well and rarely sneaks from an in-tight line when everyone is expecting it. And nobody in Gillette Stadium was expecting the Cam Newton imitation yesterday. That was a joy to behold.

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

He is getting no love for his sneaks in this game? Pretty ballsy plays he made for a big conversion and a TD, knowing he was going to get whacked. I bet Matt Ryan wishes he could sneak like Brady.

(null)

Remember how awful Bledsoe was at QB sneaks, despite being even taller than Brady?

That dive for the TD followed by the shot from Lewis was awesome.

[lexrageorge]

Some stats from the Ravens' game logs this season:

Big Ben: 42-78, 0.538, 617 yards, 7.9 YPA, 2 TD, 4 INT
Mark Sanchez: 11-35, 0.314, 119 yards, 3.4 YPA, 0 TD, 1 INT
Matt Schaub: 21-37, 0.566, 220 yards, 5.9 YPA, 1 TD, 0 INT
Alex Smith: 15-24, 0.625, 140 yards, 5.8 YPA, 0 TD, 1 INT
Philip Rivers: 17-23, 0.740, 270 yards, 11.7 YPA, 1 TD, 0 INT

Brady: 22-36, 0.611, 239 yards, 6.6 YPA, 0 TD, 2 INT

Only Philip Rivers in the above group clearly had a decent day against the Ravens this season (Matt Hasselback also had a good day against them early in the season, netting 8.5 YPA). Yes, the 2 Brady INT's were definitely in the category of "unforced errors", although the INT on the bomb also was a great play by Pollard and Smith. But otherwise credit should go to a solid Ravens' defense that was 3rd best in the league in points allowed, 4th in passing yards, 3rd in yards per pass attempt, 2nd in rushing yards and rypa. This was one of the elite defenses in the NFL. The coverage was very good all day, Baltimore was not rattled by the Pats no-huddle schemes, and despite that Brady did make some nice passes into some tight windows.

Also, let's not get caught up in all the "0 TD passes" nonsense. Brady drove them the length of the field for the go-ahead TD in the 4th, and then the Pats ran to set up Brady's two QB sneak attempts.

[tims4wins]

I don't know the cause and I think that "sucked" is something of an overstatement, but Brady wasn't particularly good yesterday. Both interceptions were balls he clearly should not have thrown, the Gronk pass was hard to miss given how open Gronk was and how big the TE's wing span is and those things were made worse by the fact that Brady had considerable time all day. The failure to pick up a first down on the last Pats' last drive was also largely on his shoulders.

I live with the mantra that the Pats will always win if Brady is given time, and but for Sterling Moore's incredible play and a good bit of luck, a bitter exception would have been visited upon me and the rest of us yesterday.

Still, between Brady's overwhelming need to win another championship, the natural desire to right the wrong against the Giants and how disgusted he is over that performance, I think we have the perfect Brady storm on our hands.

Agree with everything you've written, except for maybe the last line. I kind of think that Brady wants it SO BAD that he presses a little, like yesterday. Hopefully he can just play with patience and rhythm in two weeks. When he's not overthining back there, he is a surgeon. When he is worried about other things going on, he becomes a little less precise in both his reads and his throws. While the Giants pass rush presents problems, at least they don't have Ed Reed patrolling the secondary, so hopefully Brady will be able to relax a bit more.

[Dehere]

I'm curious as to what posters think about Tom Brady vs Joe Montana, who right now do you think is "the greatest", and assuming Brady wins the SB in 2 weeks (just for this discussion) what do you think about Brady winning ring #4 and comparing him to Montana?

I've been holding off on starting this discussion for weeks. If the Pats win this Super Bowl Brady certainly has my vote for the greatest of all time.

Sure it's hard to compare across eras, but if you look at the guys who won four titles Montana and Bradshaw, and hell even Starr if you want to go back that far, had far more supporting talent relative to their era than Brady has had. The rules are kinder to passing today, no doubt, but Brady has rarely has come this far with less help and done it in a salary cap/free agency era that increases player turnover.

It's interesting to me that Brady as the possible GOAT has barely been mentioned at all as a storyline of these playoffs. I think it shows that even now he's still somewhat underrated.

[FL4WL3SS]

Some stats from the Ravens' game logs this season:

Big Ben: 42-78, 0.538, 617 yards, 7.9 YPA, 2 TD, 4 INT
Mark Sanchez: 11-35, 0.314, 119 yards, 3.4 YPA, 0 TD, 1 INT
Matt Schaub: 21-37, 0.566, 220 yards, 5.9 YPA, 1 TD, 0 INT
Alex Smith: 15-24, 0.625, 140 yards, 5.8 YPA, 0 TD, 1 INT
Philip Rivers: 17-23, 0.740, 270 yards, 11.7 YPA, 1 TD, 0 INT

Brady: 22-36, 0.611, 239 yards, 6.6 YPA, 0 TD, 2 INT

Only Philip Rivers in the above group clearly had a decent day against the Ravens this season (Matt Hasselback also had a good day against them early in the season, netting 8.5 YPA). Yes, the 2 Brady INT's were definitely in the category of "unforced errors", although the INT on the bomb also was a great play by Pollard and Smith. But otherwise credit should go to a solid Ravens' defense that was 3rd best in the league in points allowed, 4th in passing yards, 3rd in yards per pass attempt, 2nd in rushing yards and rypa. This was one of the elite defenses in the NFL. The coverage was very good all day, Baltimore was not rattled by the Pats no-huddle schemes, and despite that Brady did make some nice passes into some tight windows.

Also, let's not get caught up in all the "0 TD passes" nonsense. Brady drove them the length of the field for the go-ahead TD in the 4th, and then the Pats ran to set up Brady's two QB sneak attempts.

This is pretty disingenuous. Brady shot himself in the foot on a number of plays and it wasn't the play of the Ravens defense. There were times when Brady couldn't find an open man and credit goes to Baltimore for that (the play where Brady scrambled out of the pocket and tried to throw comes to mind), but there were a lot of open receivers in that game, Brady just couldn't get them the ball.

[Al Zarilla]

Yes there is. If the flag was on NE for a false start the play is whistled dead.

There are some pre-snap penalties on the offense when play isn't stopped though, thinking of not enough players on the line of scrimmage. Maybe Brady though, being right there absolutely saw the defensive guy offsides and knew he couldn't go wrong. Happens a lot, i.e., no downside no matter what happens so the QB takes a lot of risk.

[lexrageorge]

This is pretty disingenuous. Brady shot himself in the foot on a number of plays and it wasn't the play of the Ravens defense. There were times when Brady couldn't find an open man and credit goes to Baltimore for that (the play where Brady scrambled out of the pocket and tried to throw comes to mind), but there were a lot of open receivers in that game, Brady just couldn't get them the ball.

Couldn't the same have been said about those other games I quoted? It's hardly disingenuous to note that the Ravens D had a propensity this season of causing QB's to underperform. Stats don't always lie.

[FL4WL3SS]

Couldn't the same have been said about those other games I quoted? It's hardly disingenuous to note that the Ravens D had a propensity this season of causing QB's to underperform. Stats don't always lie.

What did those other games have to do with this game? They don't change the fact that Brady shot himself in the foot more often than the Baltimore defense stopped them.

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

What did those other games have to do with this game? They don't change the fact that Brady shot himself in the foot more often than the Baltimore defense stopped them.

The Ravens played a ton of man to man coverage which made Brady wait in the pocket to throw longer than usual. Really, the only free receiver all day was Gronk early and Brady missed him.

It's combo of both, IMO. The Ravens played pretty stout defensively AND Brady had a bad day throwing the football.

Now is the time I'm a grumpypants and remind people that Brady had a lousy personal game and yet the Pats still won against a very good team and still put up 23 points.I would take it as a GOOD sign that Brady played lousy and yet the team won. We've been hearing all year from the dimwitted likes of Felger that "OMG if Brady's not perfect they're gonna lose!" Nope.