Tom Brady: Can the New England Patriots QB Be Stopped in 2011?

The New England Patriots have hung 30-plus points on every defense they've faced for the past 10 regular season games. Tom Brady has been unstoppable the first two weeks of the young 2011 season. Let's save the 2007 talk for later.

He has thrown the ball on over 65 percent of New England's offensive plays, but with numbers like what he's putting up, why not?

One look at those numbers tells you everything you need to know about Brady's hot start to the year, and his prospects for the rest of the 2011 season.

940 Yards

No quarterback in NFL history has thrown for more yardage in the first two games of an NFL season.

Dan Marino's 5,084-yard season seems within reach, at least from the first two games of the season. Brady has nearly 20 percent of the requisite yardage in just two games. 

Yards are yards, though, and some quarterbacks suffer from Forrest Gump syndrome. They can run very far, very fast, but don't know where they're going.

10.68 Yards Per Attempt

Back-to-back 400-yard games is the stat anyone can admire, but Brady has moved the ball at an astonishing 10.68 yards per attempt. 

Sure, you can have a high YPA without a high completion percentage, and what good is that?

What, you thought Brady's hot start started and ended at YPA?

71.9 Percent Completion Rate

Doesn't it feel like every time Brady throws the ball, the receiver catches it? It probably seems that way because it's almost accurate. Not every throw is a pitch-and-catch, either. He's throwing the entire route tree out there.

Let's break these numbers down a different way. Almost three out of every four of Tom Brady's throws went for first downs.

It's no wonder New England has handily won games in which its defense played poorly. Brady has been to them what facelifts have been to Joan Rivers: compensating for the problems, but not a fix-all.

7.95 Percent Touchdowns

One in every 12 of Tom Brady's throws has been a touchdown. That's pretty impressive. 

It's not the 8.7 percent touchdown ratio of his record-setting 2007 season, but it's no less impressive. Brady led the league last year with 7.3, which was the highest number since '07. 

Much like the logic in the first slide, it's not about the volume, but the efficiency. That high efficiency.

Hernandez and Gronkowski

Twenty-four receptions, 337 yards and five touchdowns. That's quite a stat line for two tight ends in the first two games of the season.

Gronk-andez, as they've lovingly been called by Greg Bedard, is a huge part of the Patriots' offensive success because they pose mismatches for linebackers and safeties alike.

128 Passer Rating

Brady's passer rating through the first two games of the season is a whopping 128.0. 

Many people detract from passer rating, calling it archaic and unclear. However, its formula is an indicator for winning football teams in the NFL.

The Patriots have given up a 93.9 passer rating on defense, despite three interceptions through two games. Quite simply, if Brady weren't playing as well as he currently is, the Patriots' chances of winning would be substantially smaller.

The fact that Brady has put up such a high passer rating has been the main reason for New England's success.

Carrying the Load, Once Again

The Patriots offense has picked up right where it left off in the 2010 regular season, hanging 30-plus on everyone in their way.

He's on pace to finish the season with 704 attempts (the league record is 691, set by none other than Drew Bledsoe in 1994).

The Patriots running game has been efficient, though not nearly deadly. It has been Brady carrying the load for the offense. With numbers like what he's putting up, there's no reason he shouldn't get to throw the ball that many times.

Playoffs?

Unfortunately, it's not all sunshine and rainbows for Brady.

Brady was once considered a clutch quarterback, but when staring down the barrel of a fearsome pass rush in the postseason, he has been less "Joe Cool" than "Average Joe."

He has covered up some big problems for the team in the past, and despite the 2-0 start to the season, this year doesn't look much different.

This is the same live-and-die-by-turnovers team we saw last year, and the same one that couldn't generate a single turnover in the playoffs. Tom Brady's record-setting numbers are incredible, but at some point, he will need to shake the demons of the playoffs.