He's still the man
By Maureen Mullen / USA Today Sports Special Edition
The Patriots sent rumbles, if not shockwaves, through the NFL this spring when they drafted a quarterback in the second round. Jimmy Garoppolo, out of Eastern Illinois, was New England’s second pick and the 62nd overall in the draft.
In their history, the Patriots have drafted just eight other quarterbacks with a higher pick. The last time the Patriots drafted a quarterback with a higher pick was in 1993, when they took Drew Bledsoe with the No. 1 overall selection.
So choosing Garoppolo this high signals the beginning of the end of the Tom Brady era in New England, right?
Sorry, but the reports of Brady’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. For now, anyway.
Brady turned 37 on Aug. 3. He is entering his 15th NFL season, his 14th as the Patriots starting quarterback. Brady is signed through 2017. As long as he is healthy, he will be on the field.
But, the selection of Garoppolo does indicate that the Pats are at least looking down the road, to a time when Brady will not be their everyday quarterback.
“With the situation we have at quarterback, I think that we felt as an organization that we needed to address that to some degree in the future,” head coach Bill Belichick said. “So, we'll see how all that works out. But I think you're better off being early than late at that position.”
The Patriots now have three quarterbacks on their roster: Brady, Garoppolo, and Ryan Mallett, a third-round pick (74th overall) out of Arkansas in 2011. Mallett has spent the past three seasons as Brady’s back-up, getting into all of four games, all in 2012. He made a grand total of four pass attempts with one completion during that time. Brady’s understudies do not see much time in the limelight or on the field.
“I don't think any rookie player is ready to come in and play in the National Football League at any position, certainly quarterback is in that,” Belichick said. “Every player that comes into this league has a lot to learn, a lot to improve on, and has to learn a new system and all the things that we see at this level. It's the same game, but it's a different game. They all have a lot to learn. We try to teach it to them the best we can.”
Whether Garoppolo or Mallett, whose contract is up after the season, is the eventual heir to Brady remains to be seen. Perhaps neither will pan out. Perhaps the Patriots acquire someone else who supplants both of them before Brady finally takes his last snap.
But, there was speculation this offseason suggestion that time may be nearer than most think. Brady’s declining numbers have led to questions about his ability at his age.
At 36, he didn’t show obvious signs of wear and tear last season, throwing for 4,343 yards. But, there’s no denying most of his numbers were down. Not that these numbers do not factor in 2008, when he was injured in the first game and attempted 11 passes.
His passing yards were his fewest since 3,900 in 2010.
His 60.5 completion percentage was his lowest since 60.2 in 2003.
His 25 touchdown passes were his fewest since he recorded 24 in 2006.
His 4.0 touchdown-per-pass attempt percent was the lowest of his career.
His 6.9 yards per attempt were the fewest since he averaged 6.8 in 2006.
He was sacked 40 times, the most since the 41 from his first full year, 2001.
And while Brady has led his team to five Super Bowls and three championships, the Patriots have not won since Super Bowl XXXIX after the 2004 season. They lost to the Giants in each of their last two appearances, after the 2007 and 2011 seasons. The Patriots lost to the Denver Broncos in last season’s AFC Championship Game.
But is this a sign of a quarterback in decline? Or is it more attributable to those around him?
MAKING ADJUSTMENTS
Brady was without several key pieces while his injury-riddled offensive line struggled last season. Dynamic tight end Rob Gronkowski was limited by injuries for all but seven regular-season games. Tight end Aaron Hernandez remains jailed and awaiting his trial on murder and weapons charges, for which he was arrested in June 2013, ending his NFL career. Wide receiver Wes Welker left New England in free agency for Denver before last season.
Brady was surrounded by several new faces last season -- some new to the league, some new to the team, some new to their roles, including wide receivers Danny Amendola, Josh Boyce, Aaron Dobson, and Kenbrell Thompkins.
“They’re not rookies [anymore],” offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said of his young receivers. “You can see that right away. We’re watching tape. Some of the cuts are from last year when they were rookies. You see some of the mistakes that we made -- that are great mistakes to make because as a coach, you see a guy make a mistake and that’s your opportunity to fix it and make him a better player.
“Now we’re not in stage one anymore. And those guys have hit the ground running. They’re in good shape, which is really exciting for us. We’re out here running. We don’t stop for a couple hours, and those guys don’t ask to come out. They don’t need to come out. Their minds have slowed down. They can process a lot of information. You can count on them to do things after the snap.
“It’ll be exciting to see how far we can go with them.”
Brady said he could see the difference during minicamp.
"It's been great. I love working with those guys,” he said, when asked about Thompkins and Boyce, both entering their second seasons. “We've had a great relationship since they got here over a year ago. They put a lot of time in, a lot of effort to get to the point where they're at now. And now they've got to take advantage of it.
“You're only a young player for a certain amount of time in the NFL. At that point, people are just waiting for you to produce. You can't make -- nobody can really make mistakes. Not if you want to be a good offense. The best teams have the most consistent, dependable players and that's what everyone is out here trying to be for our team because that's going to make our team the toughest to beat."
Over the years, Brady has learned to take advantage of opportunities.
“It’s about making improvements, and it goes from the guys who are the newest on the team to the guys who are the oldest on the team,” he said. “You work hard to put yourself in a good position to compete, and when you get your opportunity, you got to make it happen.”
WHATEVER IT TAKES
Having a year to work together with his young receivers should help improve Brady’s numbers this year, as should having a healthy Gronkowski back. In the games Gronkowski played last season, Brady’s average passing yards per game climbed to 315, compared to 271.4 overall.
McDaniels didn’t notice any difference in Brady this spring, despite the off-season speculation.
“I think his preparation and the way he comes to work and approaches his job is always incredibly consistent,” McDaniels said. “He’s always at the top of his game in that regard. He’s going to work hard. He’s going to spend a lot of time here. He takes incredible care of his body. He’s ready to practice every single day, mentally, physically.
“Obviously it’s a pleasure to coach him. We’re excited to get started out here and work on what we’re going to become eventually as the year goes on. I see the same guy. Obviously a very gifted player with a great attitude, great leadership skills. Nothing’s really changed.”
Brady has joked that he would like to play till he’s 50.
“You know,” he told Sports Illustrated’s Peter King, “you don’t have to (stink) when you get older. It’s hard to explain to people, but the commitment I make, in terms of keeping my body in shape and my nutrition right, should make me healthy.
“I feel better today than when I was 25, and I know that’s hard for people to believe, but I do. I work at it. Basically, I work all offseason to prepare my body to not get hurt. I can’t help the team if I’m on the sidelines. I’ve got to be durable.
“I’m not here to be king of the weight room. I do things to make me a better quarterback, whatever they are. Does it work? You be the one to judge. Watch me play. Then draw your own conclusions.”
As fiery a competitor as Brady is, he doesn’t need manufactured motivation. Let people say he no longer is among the five best quarterbacks in the league – he says he doesn’t care.
“I’m always pretty fired up,” he said. “So I think there’s people that always have opinions about us as athletes. You just try to go out there and do your best and go home and hope that you left it all on the field. Some days you don’t play your best, but that’s sports.
“I’ll try to go out there and be the best I can be this year and – were they Jets fans or Dolphins fans or Bills fans? Patriot fans? I don’t know. Everyone’s a little biased. My wife thinks I played pretty good. My mom thinks I played pretty good. So that doesn’t matter."
Does he feel a responsibility to groom his successor?
"I think being the best I can be for this team, however I can help us win, that’s ultimately what my goal is,” Brady said. “So, whatever I need to do to help our team win, that’s what I try to do, however that plays out with the other guys.
“Certainly, if those guys are going to contribute, certainly whatever I can add to help them perform better is how I want to be as a leader and teammate, as a friend, someone they can rely on for information. You know, I’ve had some experience. I try to convey that to a lot of guys."
There will come a time when Brady is no longer The Man for the Patriots. But, as long as he is healthy, that time is not now.
