Tom Brady’s One Passing Hangup
January 11th, 2023
Will Dallas gamble and adjust?
Joe enjoys NextGen Stats because they are not filtered or played around with. They are raw data straight from the sensors on players’ equipment to your computer monitor or your phone.
As one might imagine for the man who leads the NFC in passing and is third in passing overall in the NFL, Tom Brady has been average or above average targeting every area of the field.
Well, except one.
It seems Brady has trouble throwing deep to his left, way below the league average. You can see Brady’s passing chart for the season below.
Is age beginning to catch up with Brady? That doesn’t seem to be the case, as Joe pulled up Brady’s chart from last season. Brady has actually improved throwing short to his left, short-center and deep-middle.
Per last year’s chart, Brady has only fallen off on throws deep-left. If anything, he has improved on his averages — except for deep-left.
As for Brady’s troubles throwing deep-left, remember that two games ago when Bucs stud receiver Mike Evans caught three deep touchdowns from Brady, they were all thrown right.
Joe wonders if Dallas defensive coordinator Dan Quinn will shade his defensive backs to account for Brady’s weakness.
Would Quinn have the stones to roll the dice and dare Mr. Seven Rings to throw to the defense’s deep-right?
January 11th, 2023 at 8:06 am
I asked Chatgpt who the best team in the NFC South was all time and this is what it had to say.
“Based on regular season, playoff, and Super Bowl victories, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are currently the most successful team in the NFC South all-time. They have won the division six times, advanced to playoffs 14 times, and won the Super Bowl twice. They also have made it to Conference championship 4 times.
New Orleans Saints are also a very competitive team in this division, they have won the division 11 times, advanced to playoffs 13 times, and won Super Bowl once. They also made it to Conference championship 6 times.
Atlanta Falcons and the Carolina Panthers both teams have made it to the playoffs multiple times, but neither has yet to win a Super Bowl.
It’s worth to notice that the NFL is a very competitive league and teams performance and records can change year by year.”
January 11th, 2023 at 8:08 am
I wonder if it’s a matter of WHO is going deep left?
January 11th, 2023 at 8:09 am
Left, or right next year we need to find a receiver with speed. Aside from Evans one game against Carolina the Bucs as a whole haven’t been beating teams deep on either side all year. Got to fix that. It would help our run game too if safeties had to stay back. We have no one who can take the top off a defense.
January 11th, 2023 at 8:14 am
I’m glad the pre-halftime tuddie to Miller vs. GB in 2020 wasn’t to the deep left.
January 11th, 2023 at 8:15 am
Throwing touchdowns?
January 11th, 2023 at 8:23 am
WOW! Great info. THANKS a bunch. Nascar has trouble turning right. life goes on
January 11th, 2023 at 8:31 am
Russell Gage is no Mike Evans
January 11th, 2023 at 8:34 am
The green behind the LOS is problematic as well.
January 11th, 2023 at 8:36 am
Who is on the left side to throw deep to? It’s not like Randy Moss is over there and Julio “The Ghost” Jones is useless at best. You need a very tall or fast receiver to throw deep balls to because they are either jump balls or caught by out running defenders. Chris Godwin and Russel Gage aren’t tall or fast enough to fit that criteria.
January 11th, 2023 at 8:36 am
Tompkins deep left TD x2.
Suh.
January 11th, 2023 at 9:03 am
As does Lenny.
January 11th, 2023 at 9:05 am
You know for sure Dan Quinn is looking at this stat. Not Bowles he doesn’t believe in stats, he goes by his gut feeling. RAMS 31 BUCS 28, you can go home now team.
January 11th, 2023 at 9:12 am
Good stuff uhhmmm. Thanks for that data. Something I wasn’t aware of. In the end, winning the Super Bowl is the greatest prize of all of course but it’s drives me a bit to know that the saints have done so well. I would account at least 75% of there success to their previous coach. A man that it’s easy to “love to hate” Sean Payton. I pretty much hate that SOB but on the other hand when I’m able to remove my personal feelings about him, I can’t help but to admire him. In the Saints case it truly was the coach that made the difference. Absolutely NO disrespect to Mr. Breeze (what a cool name) but if I can hate someone that damn much when it comes to finding ways to defeat my team, that man has my number. I CAN’T STAND THAT SOB! Would love to have him as our head coach but that would never happen for a whole large number of reasons….
Hey but the bright side is considering how lousy we’ve our records have been through the life of the franchise “the losingist team in all of sports” I’m proud like a peacock that we are the “real legends of the South. As good as the others have been at times, 2 of 4 can’t even sniff “our jocks” and the saints in the end just can’t really close the show. HA! EAT THAT SHAWN PAYTON! It’s Nasty and Cold!
Go BUCS!
January 11th, 2023 at 9:17 am
One more thing I’ve got to throw in for Cobra Boy up top.
And it goes like this… ” O wait a minute! ”
GO BUCS!
January 11th, 2023 at 11:08 am
You can go home now NEfan
January 11th, 2023 at 11:45 am
Brady has had some Pedro Cerrano moments and throws this season, question is who is Bradys’ Kamikaze Tanaka? Bruce Arians? Bid Daddy Blaine? Def not Trask or Leftwich, so who?
January 11th, 2023 at 12:07 pm
So Attention Dallas DC, you can single ME13 when he lines up on the left. No need to bring the safety over the top!! Stats don’t lie!! Let’s see how that works for you!!
January 11th, 2023 at 12:53 pm
Gee. I hope Dan Quinn doesn’t read JoeBucsFan.com.
January 11th, 2023 at 1:51 pm
HMMM wonder what weaknesses Lamb has? I am sure there is a stat on that somewhere. Nevermind, Bucs coaches ignore stats.
Buckey, just stating the facts Jack!!! I didn’t say Toilet Bowls did.
January 11th, 2023 at 2:16 pm
Evans usually lines up on the right side. and the chart shows all passing towards the right to be good to great.
Godwin is often times in the slot.
So more often than not its receivers like Gage, Miller, etc lining up outside left.
It seems less likely this ‘passing deficiency’ to the deep left is “Brady’s weakness” and more likely that its the quality of receivers lining up on that side.
January 11th, 2023 at 3:03 pm
Better yet if Dallas rolls coverage to the right maybe Brady should try some shots deep left.
January 11th, 2023 at 6:38 pm
Interesting. The deep right passes to the opposite hash are actually very difficult throws. It’s one of the more difficult throws for a QB. The left side isn’t really difficult compared to the right side throws. I’ll be interested to see a more deep dive into those throws. This is where film analysis might be more helpful than just the numbers.
January 11th, 2023 at 6:43 pm
And has other points out, we need more data. Who’s lining up left? What’s the down and distance? Against what teams? The data is inconclusive and I wouldn’t put too much stick in it. I will agree with other analysts who have pointed out that this team doesn’t have much team speed. Evans isn’t really fast. He just has long strides. AB was a speed guy. Miller is fast, but they’ve made him into more of a one trick pony. I would like to see them get creative and move him into the slot. Milller gets absolutely punked when he’s running down the sideline. Defenders just knock him him right out of the play.
January 11th, 2023 at 7:28 pm
These stats do not back up the noodle arm claims of the “Experts ” on this site Joe, surely your numbers are incorrect because they could not possibly be wrong…..
January 11th, 2023 at 8:27 pm
Joe, during the entire article you referred to left and right, then, at the end you write, “defenses deep-right.’ Is that Brady’s left? Confusing or is it just me?
January 11th, 2023 at 8:35 pm
Yes.