5 Defensive Coordinators Who Have Had the Most Success Stopping Tom Brady

Tom Brady is one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game of football.  To say that Brady was slowed down or even contained in a game is a rarity for anyone writing about the New England Patriots. 

Although he has performed out of this world, there are those few moments and games where he shows that he is still human. 

Whether it was Tom Brady, the receivers or even the faulty play-calling on offense, a bad game for Brady means a good day for the opponent’s defensive coordinators. 

Some coordinators just understand what Brady can and likes to do and tries to manipulate their schemes to counteract that.  

In recent years, the personnel have shifted, therefore what Brady likes to do has changed as well.

During the 2011 season, it is evident that he does not have receivers that can out-muscle other corners and just force themselves into areas.  However, what he does have are receivers who are quick and find what the defense gives to them. 

Although Brady does put up great numbers and is rarely shown in a bad light, coordinators understand that he just another good quarterback in the league that can be stopped or slowed down on any given night. 

Here is a list of some defensive coordinators that have shown success against a Tom Brady led offense.  Some of them may not be wins but the stats show that Brady struggled for the game.  

George Edwards (Buffalo Bills)

George Edwards is the defensive coordinator of the Buffalo Bills.  Whatever he did, he needs to do more of because Tom Brady had a less than stellar performance against them. 

Brady threw for 387 yards while going 30 of 45 on pass attempts as well.  He threw four touchdowns and if it were these stats alone, then coordinator George Edwards would not be up on this list.

However, along with those gaudy stats, he also threw four interceptions, totaling the amount he threw in the entire 2010 season.  

The Patriots ended up losing this game, giving Buffalo a newfound swagger for the rest of the season.

Although Brady put up big numbers, Edwards managed to force Brady into turnovers (something he does not do too often).

Dick LeBeau (Pittsburgh Steelers)

Dick LeBeau is the defensive coordinator of the Pittsburgh Steelers and although the talent on that team is vital to his success, he did come up with the scheme to be put in place.  For that, he gets some credit for being responsible for the slowing down of Brady.

The funny thing is that Brady’s QBR still steadied out at 101.8 at the end of the game. 

Now this may say that he did not do a great job, but in reality, no coordinator is going to “stop” Brady.  He is too good and too smart to allow that to happen.

However, holding Brady to under 200 yards passing is impressive.  When the Steelers met with the Patriots, Brady went 24 of 35 while only throwing for 198 yards and two touchdowns. 

The Steelers ended up winning this game, 25-17.

Greg Mattison (Baltimore Ravens)

The Baltimore Ravens are always known for their ferocious defense.

As long as Ray Lewis and Ed Reed man the leadership position for that defense, they will always compete to the very end. 

The Ravens have some of the most talented defensive players in the league.  That is their essence and their personality. 

Back in the 2009 season, when the Ravens met the Patriots in the postseason, Mattison showed why he deserved the job of Ravens defensive coordinator. 

They ended up winning that game in a commanding fashion of 33-14. 

Tom Brady threw 23 of 42 for 154 yards.  He also threw two touchdowns and three interceptions while getting sacked three times as well. 

His overall QBR was at a staggering 49.1.  This was one of Brady’s worst performances of his career.  

Mike Pettine (New York Jets)

Although Mike Pettine has not had a great track record against New England so far this year, the record is not indicative of the success of the defense.

This is not saying that Pettine is the guru of defense against Brady, but he has shown that he knows how to force Brady into trouble by bringing pressure. 

Not only to Tom Brady but quarterbacks in general, if they get hit more than normal, the timing is off with the receivers.  A lack of timing equals fewer completions. 

Pettine leads a defense that has sacked Brady four times (2011 season high) in their first meeting.

New England was able to get the better of the Jets the two meetings they have had this season.  However, Pettine did manage to do some damage against Brady.   Whether he himself did much, probably not in terms of wins and losses, but many teams after this will be looking at the film to see what he did right. 

Brady will just have more defenses imitating his style ultimately making it more difficult for him to succeed. 

But then again, this is Tom Brady. 

Rob Ryan (Dallas Cowboys)

Now being apart of the Ryan family should account for something when speaking of football IQ. 

They have been known to have a good feel for defense and defensive schemes.  It is no different for Dallas defensive coordinator Rob Ryan. 

Against the Patriots, although they ultimately lost the game on a Tom Brady late-game drive, the Cowboys defense showed a valiant effort in slowing him down. 

Brady went 27 of 41 passing for 289 yards two touchdowns and two interceptions.  Again, the key stats here are the two interceptions.

Some may say that it was Brady making mistakes or the receivers making mistakes, but Ryan did a good job of creating situations to confuse Brady.  

Unfortunately, there was no link I could find to show video of this game.  However, for those who were lucky enough to watch or catch the highlights of this game, Brady still managed to lead his team down for a late fourth-quarter touchdown.  However with the exception of that drive, his overall play was pretty poor.

That had much to do with how the players played and how Ryan prepared them the week prior.