Bleacher Report - Tom Brady

Why Tom Brady Is the Most Overrated Quarterback of All Time

David Xaviel is the Real Mr. X — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 16:44:25 -0500

As Peter Griffin would say, "You know what really grinds my gears?"

I make no bones about that, but that does not necessarily mean that the facts don't support my conclusion. The facts, in fact, support the actuality of that as fact.

I have stated many times that I love to, "stick it" to Patriot fans, like any real rock musician loves to stick it to the man.

I respect Brady, only in that I believe his legacy is a question that I must answer.

Here though, is the case for why Tom Brady of the New England Patriots is the most overrated quarterback of all time.

The modern era of the NFL has been easier on quarterbacks. The NFL has intentionally created rules to inflate the stats of quarterbacks: Mel Blount rule, Neil Smith rule, Tuck Rule, Ty Law rule, Tom Brady rule, etc.

Like steroids in baseball, the validity of passing stats are now highly suspect. Difference is that the inflation of passing stats is codified. What though do they mean anymore, when so many quarterbacks have similar stats?

Even quarterbacks with bad backs can throw touchdowns, or have little college or NFL experience and yet waltz in from the practice squad, Arena Leagues, or thanks to Matt Cassel, high school.

The farce that has been imposed on NFL fans is that penalty yards from pass-interference can easily lead to touchdowns. The receiver doesn't need to catch the ball, just run into the defender.

And that is why NFL rules inflate passing-stats.

The myth about quarterbacks has been eviscerated since 1999. An NFL team does need an exceptionally talented player to be quarterback, because the NFL will make sure to create rules to give that player every chance they can to ensure that he can succeed.

As much as I dislike the Cult of Dan Marino, at least, Marino had a uniquely quick release that enabled him to make plays regardless of pass protection. I have made points against the greatness of Marino, but mainly because I think he's in the Hall of Fame to the detriment of more deserving quarterbacks.

If Marino is in, they should be too.

Point being that, Brady has no unique skills. He's the beneficiary of a well-built team by Bill Belichik and Robert Kraft. He's the beneficiary of gutsy calls, cheating, and game-management by Belichik. Brady's the beneficiary of NFL rules to protect the passer that inflate stats, which cannot be denied.

Brady has also been the benficiery of kicks made by Adam Vinatieri. If not for Vinatieri, the Patriots would have lost the Tuck Rule Game, and the Super Bowls against the Rams, Panthers, and Eagles. Vinatieri kicked the game-winning field goals against the Rams and Panthers, and kicked the go-ahead FG against the Eagles.

All that anyone has ever said in Brady's defense is he's "cool," in crunch time. Frankly, I must wonder, how hard is it to stay cool when you know that you're cheating?

'Stay cool. We can't lose. We're cheating.'

Ever since Spygate was exposed, Brady has lacked many of those "magical" drives that defined his early career, which would explain the Super Bowl debacle against the Giants in 2008.

There are even clips of Brady saying, "Always cheat."

Before Spygate, Brady was a cheater. After Spygate, he had the fortune of throwing to Randy Moss, whom has been involved in record setting offenses of the 1999 Vikings and the 2007 Patriots.

Moreover, Moss also made Daunte Culpepper a star, whom challenged the single-season TD record in 2004, only for it to be taken by Peyton Manning.

Difference being that the Patriots have no class. They ran up the score in 2007, many times.

Stunningly, in 2004, Manning could have broken the record for TDs in a season against the Ravens, after Baltimore turned-over the ball in its red zone. Yet, Manning took a knee to end the game because the Colts did not need the points. After the game, Ray Lewis thanked Manning for not running-up the score.

In 2009, we have seen Brady for what he really is; a classless shrew that laughed in the face of Lewis, because Brady knows that the NFL will protect his sorry butt to the detriment of other players.

As well, you can't judge Brady by his Super Bowl rings in the argument for the Hall of Fame. The Hall has made a precedent of excluding players with multiple rings (Jim Plunkett, Terrell Davis, etc.) that don't have the stats they love, or who seem to be the product of a system or other forces.

Brady has certainly benefited from forces other than his questionable abilities. You can't point to Brady's stats since 2007 without considering the impact of Randy Moss.

And you can't look to Brady's stats before 2007 without considering the influence of Spygate and NFL rules that have inflated passing stats. You also can't look to Brady's Super Bowl "heroics" without considering Vinatieri and Spygate.

Some might say that Moss stunk in Oakland, which is partly true, but it clearly resulted from a lack of desire. Moss submitted to the muckraking by Raider haters, and thus tuned out until he was traded.

Personally, I think that the only quarterbacks from this era that belong in the Hall of Fame are Peyton Manning, Donovan McNabb, and maybe Kurt Warner. Maybe.

The only Patriots that belong in the Hall of Fame are Robert Kraft, Bill Belichik, Adam Vinatieri, Corey Dillon, Willie McGinest, Richard Seymour, and Randy Moss.

And that is why Tom Brady is clearly the most overrated quarterback of all time. Brady is the greatest quarterback, not by a mile.

To believe such, is just delusion.

Read more Tom Brady news on BleacherReport.com

Patriots-Saints: One Massive Breakdown To End Them All...

Erik Frenz — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 09:40:50 -0500

Never have I seen a game with such little importance in the playoff picture be billed with such heavy hype.

It’s been billed by some as a potential Super Bowl preview, while others see it as a game with the makings for an offensive shootout. Others still think the defensive minds of Bill Belichick and Gregg Williams will dictate the outcome of the game.

Talk about a logjam of story lines, this one is chock-full of them. Ironically, the Saints will need to go through the only team to finish a season 16-0 if they want to accomplish the same feat.

So let’s break down every section of both teams to get a better idea of what may occur this Monday night, starting with the forgotten boys of this battle:

The Defenses

New England : 16.4 points per game (second ), 187.3 pass yards allowed per game (sixth ), 109.4 rush yards allowed per game (14th )

New Orleans : 20.4 points per game (13th ), 214.9 pass yards allowed per game (15th ), 115.7 rush yards allowed per game (20th )

New England’s defense allows the second-least points in the league, but New Orleans scores the most points in the league.

One would figure that the advantage would clearly lie with New Orleans in this one, and they might be right. The Patriots have only sacked the quarterback 18 times this season, and the Saints’ offensive line has been one of the best in football by only allowing 13 sacks on Drew Brees.

It will be up to New England ’s secondary to keep their receivers blanketed, but we all know how that battle usually works out, especially with a field general at quarterback. A cornerback can’t cover a receiver all day, and the Patriots haven’t generated a legitimate pass rush this season.

The Patriots’ secondary has proven to be no group of slouches, however, intercepting 13 passes this season. With the bevy of talent the Saints have backed up at receiver, I’d expect to see more of the same from Drew Brees—a spread attack that will test the depth of New England ’s secondary.

The Saints' defense, however, is a different story. They rank first in the league with 20 interceptions, and have generated 24 sacks on the quarterback. Though their overall performance hasn’t been as stellar as New England ’s (as noted above), they’ve had a penchant for big plays.

Big plays don’t always win big games, though.

New England ’s defense has been more fundamentally sound all season, and though they’ve still given their fans migraines on third down, they’ve certainly done better about stopping opponents from scoring.

Needless to say, both defenses will be tested in what should be a high-scoring affair.

Advantage: New England

The Offenses

New England : 29 points per game (third), 302.3 pass yards per game ( second), 113.8 rush yards per game (16th )

New Orleans : 36.9 points per game (first), 266.2 pass yards per game (sixth), 154.3 rush yards per game (fifth)

One might be surprised to know that New England has outgained New Orleans through the air by almost 400 yards. The Patriots have also thrown 84 more passes than the Saints.

As the old adage goes, there are as many paths to the top of the mountain as there are people climbing it. These two offenses have achieved very similar success in very different ways. While the Saints have enjoyed their success by spreading the ball around to their plethora of options at receiver and running back, the Patriots have heavily utilized their all-stars in putting up their breathtaking numbers.

Randy Moss and Wes Welker are both having monster seasons, even by their standards; Welker’s league-leading 79 receptions and Moss’ near-1,000 yards put both players on pace to record their best totals in those categories in each of their careers.

Marques Colston has made some sensational snags, and is putting up respectable numbers compared to his other seasons.

The surprise of New Orleans’ offense has been Devery Henderson, who has 521 receiving yards. The Saints have been highly successful spreading the ball around; they have four receivers with over 300 yards on the season, while New England only has three of those.

Moss and Welker account for over 57 percent of New England ’s total receiving yards. The closest any New Orleans tandem comes to that number in the Saints’ aerial attack is 44 percent, by Colston and Henderson.

With all the hype around New Orleans’ passing attack, one might also be surprised to learn that New Orleans’ rushing attack is ranked higher than their aerial assault, and has 40 more rushing yards per game than the Pats. The Saints have also run the ball 40 more times than the Patriots.

New Orleans has outgained New England by 305 yards on the ground , and averages 4.8 yards per rush; New England falls .3 shy of the league average, as they gain 4.0 yards per carry.

Both teams love to utilize receiving options out of the backfield; Reggie Bush has almost as many yards receiving as he has rushing, and Kevin Faulk (not surprisingly) has 60 more receiving yards than rushing yards.

The Saints feature the recently popular two-back system, with Pierre Thomas and Mike Bell both at over 500 yards rushing on the season.

The Patriots, due to injury, have relied less on their running game than in the past (which is saying a lot). Laurence Maroney is the teams leading rusher with 455 yards and six touchdown runs.

Due to more flexibility, and also the crowd noise in the Superdome , I have to give the advantage to the Saints. They’ve done more, albeit against less talent, than New England has, and have done it consistently through this season.

Advantage: New Orleans

The Coaching

Bill Belichick: 145-89, 15-4 in the playoffs

Sean Payton: 35-23, 1-1 in the playoffs

Although this isn’t a playoff game, I think it’s important to note the playoff records of these coaches. Bill Belichick has far more experience than Sean Payton when it comes to big games (though that didn’t seem to bother Colts’ first-year coach Jim Caldwell in Week 10). With this being a potential Super Bowl matchup, the pressure is on for both teams.

Payton is held in high regard as an offensive wizard. He uses smoke and mirrors, trickery, and a wide variety of tools to create an offense that works like magic.

Belichick, on the other hand, is revered as a (evil) genius. His defensive schemes have remained effective throughout his tenure as head coach, and his players often reflect his own mentality—wily individuals with a knack for making the smart play, reading and reacting.

If offensive mastermind Sean Payton can out-think Belichick’s defensive genius, it could be a long day for the Patriots’ defense.

Belichick is rarely outsmarted by an opposing coach, though. He is definitely more big-game-tested than his opponent. I’d say the pressure is on Payton to produce a game plan effective enough to defeat the Patriots.

Advantage: New England

The quarterbacks

Tom Brady: 66.4 completion percentage, 3,049 yards, 20 touchdowns, 6 interceptions, 100.4 quarterback rating

Drew Brees: 68.1 completion percentage, 2,746 yards, 22 touchdowns, 9 interceptions, 105.8 quarterback rating

Matchups between two of football’s elite quarterbacks don’t happen very often, especially in non-conference games. This game has promise to be a shootout, as mentioned before.

I can’t really say it much better than Gil Brandt already did , but maybe I can shed more light on this epic discussion.

Although these two quarterbacks are incredibly comparable this season, statistically speaking, their styles are almost black-and-white different.

Brees has had his success carving up defenses by utilizing his multiple threats at receiver. His athleticism and ability to spread the ball around have been key to New Orleans’ change of fortunes this season.

Brady has done what any quarterback would: make use of his most lethal weapons. His presence in the pocket has made up for his lack of athleticism, as he has an innate ability to feel the pressure and to evade it.

The defenses of both teams will have their hands full, trying to confuse two quarterbacks who have seen virtually everything. Brady has good days and bad days against blitz-heavy defenses like the Saints. The Patriots, on the other hand , are masters of disguising their coverages and blitzers , showing blitz to make a quarterback think he has no time in the pocket, or faking a three-man rush and bringing the heat.

Since these two quarterbacks are so evenly matched, in the end , I give the advantage to the quarterback who doesn’t have to deal with crowd noise. Brady has played well in the Superdome in the past, though, so don’t be surprised if both quarterbacks have a great game.

Advantage: New Orleans

Overview

The Saints know they will be getting the best New England has to offer; the Patriots have a huge chip on their shoulder and a big point to prove after the crushing loss to the Colts, the “other” biggest game of the year.

Plus, they have a chance to deliver a crushing loss to the currently-undefeated Saints, and do to them what the Giants waited until the Super Bowl to do to New England in 2007.

Bill Belichick loves to turn off the opposing team’s biggest playmaker . With that being Drew Brees, who is having an MVP season, it will be no small feat to simply shut him down.

To shut him down isn’t necessarily to shut down the entire New Orleans’ offense, though; as stated above, the Saints have been even more successful running the ball than passing. Shutting down Drew Brees forces the Saints to become one-dimensional, though, and the Patriots have been highly successful against the run.

I think time of possession could play a huge factor in this game; either quarterback will have a field day in the second half if the opposing defense is tuckered out from too much time on the field.

In the end , I believe this game will come down to the final possession. Call me a homer if you want, but I’m going with New England in this game.

Brady and Belichick have a ton of experience in big games, and the fact that they haven’t gotten it done in those big games this season is just more indication to me that they’ll get it done this time around. They’re due to have that big game where their execution is near-perfect and where they hang on for the full 60 minutes of football.

I can make one safe assumption: whichever team wins, they'll start with "New."

Read more Tom Brady news on BleacherReport.com

Chris J. Nelson's Week 12 NFL Game Predictions

Chris J. Nelson — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 14:53:01 -0500

Man, I knew I should have picked Denver at home on a short week. Oh well. At least I had a good week last week.

Last week's record: 12-4
Season record: 108-52 (67.5%)

Falcons over Buccaneers — Tampa Bay appears to be a long way off right now and Atlanta at home should have no problem handling their division rival, regardless of whether or not Michael Turner plays.

Dolphins over Bills — Buffalo's offensive line and secondary has been hit hard with injuries recently, swinging the advantage even farther toward the Dolphins. I like Miami on the road in this one.

Bengals over Browns — Brady Quinn had a fantastic day against the league's worst pass defense in Detroit last week, but he won't have that luxury again. Cincinnati is the much better team from top to bottom and I can't envision them losing.

Seahawks over Rams — In a battle between two dismal NFC West franchises, the difference could come down to the presence of Rams running back Steven Jackson. The Pro Bowler missed every practice this week with a back injury and is considered a game-time decision. Considering the Rams promoted rookie running back Chris Ogbonnaya from the practice squad today, I'm going to guess Jackson won't play and that the Seahawks will take advantage.

Jets over Panthers — Mark Sanchez has really come back down to earth lately and is just giving games away right now. Still, Carolina's pretty unimpressive and isn't as committed to the run as they should be, so I'm taking the Jets' strong defense at home.

Eagles over Redskins — Washington gave Dallas a game last week and could do the same against another division rival tomorrow. Still, Philadelphia is a much more talented squad and they have to be the pick.

Colts over Texans — Far less-talented Houston teams have beaten far more-talented Indianapolis teams in the past, but I can't justify picking against the Colts with the way Peyton Manning is playing right now.

Chargers over Chiefs — Kansas City pulled off the surprise upset against a much better Steelers team last week, but I don't see it happening two weeks in a row. San Diego is better and should win this one.

Jaguars over 49ers — It's never easy flying to the west coast, and Jacksonville arrives in San Francisco with some very unimpressive play lately despite some wins. Still, I just don't like much about the Niners except for a handful of players and I'm going to predict Maurice Jones-Drew leads the Jaguars to victory.

Cardinals over Titans — Tennessee has reeled off some wins recently with their quarterback change, but all the credit is due to running back Chris Johnson. However, I'm predicting they get taken down a peg and upset by Arizona this week.

Vikings over Bears — Chicago's offensive line is woeful, while Minnesota's gives Brett Favre all the time in the world to throw. I can't justify picking the Bears in this one.

Ravens over Steelers — Pittsburgh is certainly a talented squad and maybe even better than Baltimore at full strength, but I can't pick Dennis Dixon to win this one on his first start on the road against a very good Ravens team.

Patriots over Saints — New England is getting hot and they present one of the best challenges remaining for the Saints this season. I say Tom Brady wins a big one on the road.

Chris J. Nelson is a journalism major at Georgia State University. He operates his own Miami Dolphins web site, The Miami Dolphins Spotlight, and can be followed on Twitter here.

Read more Tom Brady news on BleacherReport.com