New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has collected a long list of accomplishments during his 14-year National Football League career. Just to name a few of his accolades in the NFL, Brady is a three-time Super Bowl Champion, a two-time Super Bowl MVP, a two-time NFL MVP, and an eight-time Pro Bowl selection. Brady has also played with some great NFL players during his career. In 2007, Brady and wide receiver Randy Moss re-wrote the NFL’s passing and receiving record books as Brady threw 50 touchdown passes and Moss was the recipient of 23 of those. Brady and current Denver Broncos wide receiver Wes Welker were always on the same page as Welker tallied 100 or more receptions in five of his six seasons with the Patriots.
This season is a little different for Brady as he doesn’t have those household names to be on the receiving end of his long passes, but he has still found a way to help the Patriots start this season off with a record of 4-0.
Brady is 36-years of age and he now appears as the father figure to his young receivers. Wide receiver Matthew Slater who is primarily used on special teams is a six-year NFL veteran and he is the longest tenured wide receiver currently on the Patriots roster.
Wide receivers such as Kenbrell Thompkins, Josh Boyce, and Aaron Dobson have all caught passes from Brady who has rolled with the punches. With Welker now with the Broncos, former Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez currently in jail, and tight end Rob Gronkowski still recovering from off-season back surgery, Brady has had to improvise. Wide receiver Danny Amendola was signed this past off-season to fill Welker’s void, but he has been sidelined since Week 1 with injuries to his hip and groin. The Patriots recently scrambled to sign former Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Austin Collie to fill a void at wide receiver, but he comes to Foxboro with a history of concussions.
What has made Brady one of the all-time greats at the quarterback position is that he strives for perfection on every single play. Brady also demands the same thing from each person that puts on a Patriots uniform. Brady didn’t care if it was Moss or Welker, he would let them have it if they didn’t do what he expected them to do on the football field. That frustration has boiled over from time to time on the football field in the early parts of this season with the youngsters at receiver. This season the Patriots have played four games and they have only scored 89 points. This is a far cry from the Patriots team in 2007 that Brady quarterbacked in which they racked up 589 points which set an NFL record. Brady currently has 1,014 passing yards on the season as it will be a little tougher for him to eclipse the 4,000-yard passing mark for the sixth time in his NFL career.
When the season began you saw Brady the screamer. Now it is more of Brady the comforter. In last Sunday’s 30-23 victory over the Atlanta Falcons, Thompkins had 6 receptions for 127 yards and a touchdown. Throughout the game Brady could consistently be seen instructing his young receiver instead of giving him a scolding which we had seen earlier in the season. Brady is beginning to exude the patience that is needed to be a leader; not to say that he isn’t already a leader. Brady must build the confidence of Thompkins up because if the Patriots are going to contend for a Super Bowl Championship this season the combination of Boyce, Thompkins, and Dobson are going to have a hand in it. Brady’s guidance of his young receivers has become pivotal as the Patriots are once again on their way to winning the AFC East and contending for the Super Bowl.
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