Has Tom Brady Lost a Step?

Derek: I feel like a troll for even posting this question.  Last year all the Tom Brady regression talk drove me crazy when his worsening stats were clearly due to a major lack of offensive weapons.  However, after Sunday’s game, I feel like this may actually be a fair question.  Looking back, I don’t think you can compare what we saw in Miami with the Tom Brady from 2007.   No, Brady doesn’t have anywhere near the offensive talent surrounding him now that he had back when Moss and Welker first arrived, but there were several times on Sunday where he simply failed to connect with an open receiver.  2007 Tom Brady was on the money, all the time.  So yes, he’s lost a step.  But I also think he’s wiser now than he was then.  I think he’s even more competitive and hungry for that championship that has been eluding him for the past nine seasons, and I’d still rather have him leading my team than any quarterback in the league.

Kyle:  Brady is slipping a bit. That is to be expected with a 37 year-old athlete. While he is still very good, it seems like average play is becoming an all-too-often occurrence. He is missing far too many open receivers and he is much too willing to surrender on a play, rather than taking a hit.

Raj: I think we’ve been seeing it for quite some time. Let’s be clear that Brady is still pretty awesome and reliable. The only problem I see is that other teams have him figured out. I think that contributes to him losing a step but I believe it shouldn’t be an issue.

Rick: I think going forward, the key for the Patriots has to be that they have to go to a more balanced attack. It’s a common theme that when Brady throws the ball 50 or more time, the team doesn’t usually win. Brady still struggles to complete the deep ball downfield, but maybe that will somewhat change when Aaron Dobson is back on the field. However, it was a concern when you saw Brady miss a wide open pass to Edelman late in the 4th quarter last week. I still think Brady is one of the top guys in the league, but this offense needs more balance with Ridley and Vereen to prevent defense from not respecting the run and getting more chances against a mediocre offensive line.