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The funny thing is even with the decline physically, Brady is still physically a better QB than Michigan's Brady, or even the young and underdeveloped Brady during their early 3 out of 4 SB runs. The "game manager" version of Brady in college and early in his career.
I was rooting for him to win the starting job over Drew Hanson at Michigan. I always like those chessmaster, leader, game manager type of QBs, who just clutch and direct the game, play smartly and doesn't make mistake. But even me surprised that he was drafted. He was skinny and looked like a little kid who come straight out of some HS. Some scouting reports even question if that body can last 1 hit in the 1st training camp. It's the NFL after all, not college hitters. Defenders legally launch their helmets to any part of the QB body in those days.
And he was SLOW. Slow release, slow decision making (try too hard to not take risk and be perfect), slow movement, slow running. Everything he did was slow. And he had a weak arm. He was accurate dink and dunk, but the farther he throws, the less accurate it is. The inability to pass deep was one of his weakness coming out of college.
Eldeman, a dinged up Chris Hogan and an aging, slower Gronk are still better than what they had at WR and TE during those early days, where Troy Brown by far was their best receiver, and they won games with the likes of David Givens, Deion Branch, Reche Caldwell, Daniel Graham, Watson etc. They beat us with our castoff Reche Caldwell and the washed up Troy Brown.
This year, whenever they tried to play Brady like it was 2007, 2010, they struggle. Whenever they play Brady like it was 2001-2004, leaning on the running game and defense, they were fine, winning ugly game, grinding and slowly pulled away early in the 4th quarter, just like the way they won in the early days. McDaniel is still kinda young and sometimes still play Brady like his prime-self, still calling high-risk passing plays. I'd be much more concern if Charlie Weis was there, eventhough he less creative than McDaniel, he's more careful and calling game based on the real current ability of the QB, not his former glory.
The difference is early days NE has a better, deeper and more experience, more versertal defense to run Belichick's things on the field. A lot of former all-pro veterans who haven't completely washed up yet, like Bryan Cox, Roman Phifer, even our own Terrence Shaw contributed to that defense. This season they have inconsistent and inexperience young players out there. I count only 5 players who belong to all-Belichick team, the trustee traditional NE Belichick guys like Ty Law, Harrison, Bruschi, Vrabel etc. : McCourty (Devin), Hightower, Patrick Chung (former 1st round bust, successful reclaimation project), Trey Flowers, Duron Harmon (all this guy does is intercepting ball in crucial moments, good student of the game, studies well).
Other defenders have some talents but haven't fit that profile, like Stephon Gilmore, Jason McCourty, Jones, Jackson, Van Noy, Malcom Brown, Derek Rivers.
Overachiever, major contributors type like our Mebane, Philon, Rochell : Guy, Wise, Elandon Roberts.
On offense, they have well-rounded OL and running game / screen game with Michel, the reliable James White, the do-everything Burkhead.
Overall this NE version is still very well-rounded and talented on their starting roster. The difference is the depth they had in their dominant days, which probably will bite them in the ass if the game gets to the 4th quarter when fatigue gets in. Like in 2006 after spending all energy to upset us and shut Manning out all game, their thin Secondary that year didn't have the legs to run with Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne and co. anymore. Manning had an easy time coming back from 21 down in the 4th. Belichick went for 4th down deep in his own territory that game because he saw clearly that his DBs don't have enough legs to run up and down the field with their playmakers anymore.
NE and us, Brady and Rivers are basically the same type of teams, same type of players. Get physical when necessary but we're still 2 finess nerdy teams who won by outsmarting people, by winning the chessmatch, by non-sleep nights of studying and studying like a mad scientist, like a chess grandmaster studying days and nights to be ready for his next opponent. They and us don't win by overpower, out physical teams, like BAL, PIT, CHI, MIN and the likes.
And so far the chessmaster Rivers haven't been able to outwit, out-cun the old foxes of Brady and Belichick. It's like a 2500 ELO player (which is insanely good) still trying to catch up with a 2600 ELO master. Hopefully this Sunday our HOF QB will figure it out like Manning did in 2006. These late career SB runs will have a huge implication on Rivers' legacy as 1 of the all-time best signal callers in NFL history.
I was rooting for him to win the starting job over Drew Hanson at Michigan. I always like those chessmaster, leader, game manager type of QBs, who just clutch and direct the game, play smartly and doesn't make mistake. But even me surprised that he was drafted. He was skinny and looked like a little kid who come straight out of some HS. Some scouting reports even question if that body can last 1 hit in the 1st training camp. It's the NFL after all, not college hitters. Defenders legally launch their helmets to any part of the QB body in those days.
And he was SLOW. Slow release, slow decision making (try too hard to not take risk and be perfect), slow movement, slow running. Everything he did was slow. And he had a weak arm. He was accurate dink and dunk, but the farther he throws, the less accurate it is. The inability to pass deep was one of his weakness coming out of college.
Eldeman, a dinged up Chris Hogan and an aging, slower Gronk are still better than what they had at WR and TE during those early days, where Troy Brown by far was their best receiver, and they won games with the likes of David Givens, Deion Branch, Reche Caldwell, Daniel Graham, Watson etc. They beat us with our castoff Reche Caldwell and the washed up Troy Brown.
This year, whenever they tried to play Brady like it was 2007, 2010, they struggle. Whenever they play Brady like it was 2001-2004, leaning on the running game and defense, they were fine, winning ugly game, grinding and slowly pulled away early in the 4th quarter, just like the way they won in the early days. McDaniel is still kinda young and sometimes still play Brady like his prime-self, still calling high-risk passing plays. I'd be much more concern if Charlie Weis was there, eventhough he less creative than McDaniel, he's more careful and calling game based on the real current ability of the QB, not his former glory.
The difference is early days NE has a better, deeper and more experience, more versertal defense to run Belichick's things on the field. A lot of former all-pro veterans who haven't completely washed up yet, like Bryan Cox, Roman Phifer, even our own Terrence Shaw contributed to that defense. This season they have inconsistent and inexperience young players out there. I count only 5 players who belong to all-Belichick team, the trustee traditional NE Belichick guys like Ty Law, Harrison, Bruschi, Vrabel etc. : McCourty (Devin), Hightower, Patrick Chung (former 1st round bust, successful reclaimation project), Trey Flowers, Duron Harmon (all this guy does is intercepting ball in crucial moments, good student of the game, studies well).
Other defenders have some talents but haven't fit that profile, like Stephon Gilmore, Jason McCourty, Jones, Jackson, Van Noy, Malcom Brown, Derek Rivers.
Overachiever, major contributors type like our Mebane, Philon, Rochell : Guy, Wise, Elandon Roberts.
On offense, they have well-rounded OL and running game / screen game with Michel, the reliable James White, the do-everything Burkhead.
Overall this NE version is still very well-rounded and talented on their starting roster. The difference is the depth they had in their dominant days, which probably will bite them in the ass if the game gets to the 4th quarter when fatigue gets in. Like in 2006 after spending all energy to upset us and shut Manning out all game, their thin Secondary that year didn't have the legs to run with Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne and co. anymore. Manning had an easy time coming back from 21 down in the 4th. Belichick went for 4th down deep in his own territory that game because he saw clearly that his DBs don't have enough legs to run up and down the field with their playmakers anymore.
NE and us, Brady and Rivers are basically the same type of teams, same type of players. Get physical when necessary but we're still 2 finess nerdy teams who won by outsmarting people, by winning the chessmatch, by non-sleep nights of studying and studying like a mad scientist, like a chess grandmaster studying days and nights to be ready for his next opponent. They and us don't win by overpower, out physical teams, like BAL, PIT, CHI, MIN and the likes.
And so far the chessmaster Rivers haven't been able to outwit, out-cun the old foxes of Brady and Belichick. It's like a 2500 ELO player (which is insanely good) still trying to catch up with a 2600 ELO master. Hopefully this Sunday our HOF QB will figure it out like Manning did in 2006. These late career SB runs will have a huge implication on Rivers' legacy as 1 of the all-time best signal callers in NFL history.
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