(09-01-2018, 10:54 AM)Nashville.Dave Wrote:

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(09-01-2018, 10:52 AM)Bullseye Wrote: If I am right about the Patriots' LT situation, I could see Brady being closer to retirement after the first two weeks.  I think he takes a physical beating against Houston and us.

Both the Texans and the Jaguars have a LOT of quality pass rushers who could pose various matchup issues for their (Patriots') tackles.

I can hear it now.  "Is Brady washed up"  "the pats are 0-2, are they done" oh we can hope

Thing is, in my eyes it wouldn't be a knock against Brady.

Yes he is 41, and the laws of football physics apply to everyone, including Brady.  But I haven't seen any discernible drop in his level of play long after most guys have ended their careers.

But the thing with Brady is that as a general rule, he has had exceptional blind side protection for his entire career.

He went from Matt Light to Nate Solder.  There might have been the occasional game (Baltimore or Denver in the playoffs) where they didn't protect him well and he got roughed up, but not once has he had an entire season where Pats fans had to lament having a turnstile at LT, or where they've had to constantly adjust their routes and protections to adjust for liabilities at T.

I think that's why his skills have not seemed to erode the way most players his age have.  I think that's why they've had so much success with 4-5 WR sets.  I think that's why they have enabled their TEs to flourish as receiving threats as opposed to having to stay to help in pass protection.

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