Five Reasons to Be Concerned About Tom Brady in 2012

Tom Brady has been among the best quarterbacks in the NFL since his first Super Bowl win way back in 2002 against the St. Louis Rams.

While almost every face on the New England Patriots roster has changed over the years, Brady has been the one constant that keeps them in the hunt for a Super Bowl year in and year out. Regardless of the amount of talent around him, he has been able to produce MVP-caliber seasons time and time again.

However, lessons can be learned from Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts this year. No matter how good you think you have it and no matter how reliable you think a player may be, you never know what the next season will bring.

Manning was right beside Brady in the elite category of NFL quarterbacks. Then one neck injury sent his season and team's record spiraling out of control. 

Brady has avoided a major injury other than tearing his ACL during the first game of the 2008 season. Although, injuries aren't the only reason to worry about Brady.

Here are five causes for concern for Brady heading in to the 2012 season.

Age

Tom Brady will be 35 heading in to the 2012 NFL season. 

While quarterbacks have found success well in to their late 30s, we have seen a fair share of them deteriorate quite quickly. So far, Brady hasn't showed any noticeable signs of aging. He appears to be every bit the quarterback he was in 2010. 

However, much can change from year to year.

Brady is fortunate that the offense the Patriots run doesn't rely on much else other than his throwing accuracy and his ability to read a defense. Those are generally the last two skills to go for a quarterback. 

Still, it has to be acknowledged that Brady is getting older. I'm in no way predicting he is going to fall off completely in 2012, but the age has to start showing up at some point.

He Is Overworked

The Patriots have relied on Tom Brady's arm more than ever this season. 

New England's defense is the worst in the league, and they have allowed just about every quarterback the chance to throw for 300 or more years on them. Mediocre offenses look like juggernauts against this defense.

The pressure has then been placed on Brady's shoulders to keep the Patriots in the game.

The running game has been no help to Brady this year. The Patriots uses two relatively high draft picks on running backs and BenJarvus Green-Ellis was coming off a good year, but they just haven't been able to orchestrate an effective running attack.

I don't believe that Brady's arm is going to fall off. However, the more he drops back, the more likely he is to take hits. Those bumps and bruises pile up over the long haul.

If the Patriots can't get a running game behind Brady this offseason, he could be in for a rough year.

He Can't Live Up to Himself

Tom Brady is having one of the best seasons of his career this year.

If it wasn't for Aaron Rodgers having an amazing year, Brady would be neck and neck with Drew Brees for MVP of the league. He will likely pass Dan Marino on the single season passing yards list, and depending on how much Brees plays Week 17, he could steal the record for himself.

So what will be the follow up in 2012?

Brady is not only one of the best quarterbacks in the league, but one of the league's fiercest competitors. He demands perfection out of his teammates and himself. It is easy to overlook obvious flaws when Brady is playing at such a high level.

What happens to team morale if Brady has a down year? How would Brady himself handle struggling?

There are no signs pointing to him falling off the map in 2012, but you have to imagine he'll have a down year at some point. 

Lack of Talent Around Him

Tom Brady has always done well with a lack of elite offensive weapons.

We saw what he was able to do with Wes Welker and Randy Moss in 2007. While he still has Welker and Rob Gronkowski, two of the elite weapons in the NFL, defenses have started to catch on how to slow them down. Playing Welker physical at the line of scrimmage and double covering Gronkowski has taken them out of several games.

Brady has done a good job of turning past their prime players like Deion Branch in to reliable options, but eventually his life will need to be made easier.

Aaron Hernandez is another solid option, but he mostly takes advantage of the focus being on Welker and Gronkowski. Individually, he isn't an elite-caliber option.

The lack of a defense also hurts Brady. It becomes a lot more difficult for him when he doesn't have the advantage of good field position thanks to a defensive stop. 

Brady has been able to push through it thus far in his career, but it is something I would be concerned about over the long-term.

Disappointing Playoff Performances

With another postseason appearance locked up for the New England Patriots, we will be looking to see whether Brady and company can overcome their playoff woes that have followed them the past two years.

Brady's last two postseason games were against the Baltimore Ravens and the New York Jets. Both games resulted in losses and were accompanied by less-than-stellar performances from Brady.

In those two games, Brady had a 59.6 completion percentage along with four touchdowns and four interceptions. For a quarterback that made his name on big playoff performances, these were terrible showings.

We will need to wait and see what this year's playoffs bring, but if Brady struggles again there may be some question as to whether he is the same guy he was back in the early 2000s. 

Brady has always had the reputation of being a big game, clutch quarterback. If he continues to disappoint in the playoffs, that reputation will take a hit.