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Tom Brady has always been a very vocal leader on the sideline and has constantly been praised for his humility and leadership for helping younger players improve.
But this year, the New England Patriots‘ quarterback has grown increasingly frustrated with his team’s lack of production on the offensive side of the ball. Part of that dropoff offensively has stemmed from an ever-changing receiving unit laden with new pieces.
Rookies like Jakobi Meyers have worked hard to earn Brady’s trust this season and have become part of the offensive scheme. Others like N’Keal Harry have seen their targets and playing time shrink to almost nothing.
On Monday, Brady addressed the allegations of his outward frustration, responding to the claim of him refusing to work with or target certain receivers during games. Here’s what he had to say on WEEI:
I think those are, I would never think that way. That’s crazy. A quarterback’s responsibility is to try to lead and motivate and we’re often the voice of a lot of situations. First, we’re calling plays in the huddle, and we have a lot of information because we’re talking to the coaches and coordinators on what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to motivate people and get them to play their best. Guys are trying, I’ve got no problem with it. I love playing with Phillip Dorsett, I love playing with N’Keal Harry. N’Keal is working his tail off and he hasn’t had a lot of opportunities out there but he’s learning as he’s going. To expect someone to go out in their third game of the year and be perfect, that’s unrealistic for anyone. I love what N’Keal’s bringing, we’re gaining confidence every week. I love what Jakobi is doing, we’re gaining confidence every week. Gaining confidence with Mohamed.
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Building Chemistry
Part of the Patriots’ offensive struggles has also been the ongoing development of its rookie receivers as well as the need to build chemistry with some of Brady’s newer targets. Guys like Julian Edelman and James White have benefited from their relationship with Brady, while others continue to gain confidence.
Brady expanded on this, quelling the panic of the masses in New England in the process.
Julian and I, we’ve played together for a long time and that shows itself pretty well. James and I, we played together a long time. James is a spectacular player. From the time that he got here until now, I think our whole offense relies on him to make the plays when his number is called and he’s just doing a great job for us. Part of our sport is dealing with new situations and trying to deal with them the best you can and this team’s facing some unique ones itself. But just like any team, we’re not any different but at the same time, we’re in a decent position here.
The Patriots are in a good position at 10-2. With the defense playing as well as it is, the offense kicking into gear could result in something special down the stretch for the Patriots.
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