Brady’s Former No. 1 WR Details Work With O-Line

Much has been made about the Bucs interior line this offseason and the protection it will afford quarterback Tom Brady. With the loss of center Ryan Jensen it thrust second-year center Robert Hainsey into the starting role. Already replacing players at both guard spots, attaining chemistry along the line has been a point of emphasis this summer.

Brady’s former teammate Julian Edelman is among those more concerned about the interior line than any time the quarterback missed during camp.

“They should be worrying about those three interior linemen,” Edelman said. “With those three interior linemen, we all know Tom Brady likes that spot – seven yards behind the center – and that’s more concerning than Tom Brady not practicing.”

Brady The Coach

Of course there are some concerns about the younger guys on the line like Hainsey and rookie Luke Goedeke. Though it’s not a road the veteran quarterback hasn’t been down before. In his time in New England, Brady often played with undrafted linemen or players picked in the later rounds of the draft and somehow always found team success. Part of the reason as Edelman explained is because of Brady’s ability to act as almost an extra coach on the field.

Bucs QB Tom Brady – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“When you have a guy like Tom Brady playing quarterback, you basically have a coach on the field,” Edelman said. “He’s going to be able to explain to them if they’re over here talking Mike point pre-snap, he can veto something and say. “Hey no, he’s the Mike. Linda that”, meaning he’s changing the protection because he knows the matchup he’s got over here on this left side against one of the Bosa brothers is not looking good.

“So, he’ll slide that [protection]. There’s a bunch of little tricks that Tom can do and that’s why he’s the best, because he can get himself protected. But it’s going to take reps and it’s going to take some time.”

Brady’s Pocket Presence Is Elite

We’ve seen Brady do some incredible things over the years but one of the strongest aspects of his game is his ability to feel pressure before it get there. His pocket presence is one of the best the NFL’s ever seen with his ability to buy extra time to let plays develop and get the ball to his receiver. As former quarterback and CBS analyst Phil Sims points out he’s also not afraid to take a hit while delivering throws as well.

“Yeah he’s not a mobile quarterback, but he runs a 4.5 when it comes to working the pocket,” Sims said. “Why is he so great at it? Well, it’s because he had no other option. He wasn’t going to run in high school or college or even in the Pros to get extra yards. So, he knows how to avoid rushers, where to step up, and he has an unbelievable feel for that.

Bucs QB Tom Brady – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

He can stand in there and he’ll take a hit and still fire a missile down the field too. The line may not be what it was last year, but man you’ve got a veteran quarterback, veteran playcallers, coaches and guys around him. They’ll find a way to work this out to have success this year.”

It will take a bit of time to get everyone on the same page and their may be struggles early on but when the football season starts to ramp up, this will be a different team.

“They’ll be a different team Week 1 to Week 8,” Edelman said. “And I think for the better.”