The strengths of Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady have always been the ability to separate defenses from the pocket and their quick release to his open recipients, making him one of the most difficult QBs to fire.
In 2020, Brady was fired only 21 times, which was the eighth lowest among QBs with at least 300 attempts at approval, according to Next Gen Stats. In fact, Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes was more dismissed than Brady, despite being almost 20 years younger.
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The Chiefs’ defensive side, Frank Clark, knows he will have a tough job on Super Bowl Sunday, trying to take Brady down. He credited the legendary quarterback for his elusiveness in his pocket while destroying defenses.
“Have you ever seen Tom Brady’s shoulders when he’s in his pocket? You need to pull the movie out for this one,” Clark told the Tampa Bay Times. “His shoulders sometimes go crazy. Like, I don’t know. Tom Brady is what, 43 years old? I have nothing against anyone 43 years old, or about that age.
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“Man, being able to move his shoulders like that, playing in the league for 20, 30 or so years, so he can move his shoulders like that, it’s incredible. Me and [defensive tackle] Chris Jones talks about it all the time. I think Chris lost a bag because [Brady], like, shook his shoulders in a certain way. Chris, like, missed him completely. “
Clark compared Brady to the current Houston Texans quarterback, Deshaun Watson, who is one of the best NFL quarterbacks when it comes to shuffling and extending plays. It’s quite a comparison, especially since Watson is more athletic than Brady.
“I think Deshaun Watson is the best,” said Clark. “You watch Tom Brady sometimes in that pocket. You can’t tell the difference.”
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Meanwhile, Clark is not the only member of the Chiefs’ defensive unit who marvels at Brady.
“He has been doing this for 21 years or so, so he knows how not to fall,” added the Chiefs’ defensive side, Tanoh Kpassagnon. “He shrugs and gets out of his way. Not in the same way as Pat – Pat is a totally different beast – but Tom is very skilled in that pocket. So it’s really [a matter of] crushing that pocket so it has nowhere to go. “
It will be interesting to see how defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo attacks Brady in the Super Bowl on Sunday. What makes it worth watching is that the veteran coach is no stranger to devising schemes to try to stop Brady. Spagnuolo led the New York Giants’ “Big Blue” defense in 2007, when they defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.