Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes operate within the same general buildings that governed the NFL for more than a century – playing on a field measuring 360 by 160 feet, accompanied by 21 other players, trying to gain 10 yards on four downhill runs.
Their approaches, however, are an abyss apart, with each quarterback at the height of the styles that define the modern offensive era. Brady, 43, is an extraordinary pocket passer, an archetype that is declining as teams try to build around defenders like Mahomes, 25, who can lead the dynamic attacks that reinvented the way football is played in 2021.
As much as each player seems to be a representative of his generation, a model to be copied, the truth is that his singular brilliance cannot be replicated.
Brady won six Super Bowls – and appeared in three others – destroying defenses with his arm, his eyes, his brain. Mahomes, however, captures what it means to play fun football in 2021. He uses more arm angles than an octopus, deflects defenders with glee and can shoot 60 yards from his back foot, skills he demonstrated in an attempt to become just the second quarterback to win two Super Bowls in their first four seasons.
The other? Brady, of course.
To understand his distinctive art before the Super Bowl LV, we assessed the key points of the difference between how Brady and Mahomes achieved their success this season.
Tom Brady flourishes in his pocket. Patrick Mahomes wreaks havoc outside of it.
Today’s NFL values agile defenders. Gone is the time when a passer could stand behind a protective wall of attackers and not expect to be crushed by defensive attackers.
Defenders who thrive against pressure now either throw the ball quickly and with peephole precision, like Brady, or flee and dodge like Mahomes, extending their moves to create tracks to run or pass, reinforcing defenses with possibilities.
Mahomes’ ability to improvise means that opponents do not know whether he will run or pass – only that he can produce special results with both. Defenses put pressure on defenders to unnervate them and incite them to make mistakes, but with Mahomes, the more chaos is stirring around him, the better he plays.
“Once the play collapses,” said corsair linebacker Lavonte David of Mahomes, “he finds a way to make the play happen again.”
In the regular season of 2020 and in the playoffs, Mahomes posted a passer rating of 126.7 the best in the league when teams ran with at least five players, according to the sports data service Sportradar. Against the blitz, Mahomes completed a higher percentage of passes than Brady (67.3 to 58.9), and also surpassed him in yards per attempt (8.8 to 7.8) and touchdowns (14 to 12) while not intercepted Brady’s six.
Out of the pocket, Mahomes can launch from anywhere on the field, at any time, using a variety of arm slots – lateral arm movements, hidden spirals and even with the left hand. Traced together, the places from which he plays in the course of a game look like an unfinished numbered painting, spread from one side line to another. In contrast, Brady’s release points coagulate in a central location – the pocket, where he feels most comfortable and assertive.
“I’m a fan of Patrick Mahomes,” said Buccaneers quarterback coach Clyde Christensen, “but I don’t want Tom to play like him on Sunday.”
Brady’s moves go a long way. Mahomes receivers do the same.
Brady and Mahomes command the NFL’s two most prolific and explosive passing offenses, targeting their teammates in completely different ways.
Chiefs prefer to maximize their fleet of pass pickers by spreading defenses, creating incompatibilities – and space – for their main recipients, Tyreek Hill and tight end Travis Kelce. Loaded with race pass options, which encourage defenders to hesitate or compromise because they cannot discern what’s to come, the Chiefs’ attack is full of creativity.
Kansas City recipients always seem open, and by placing the ball in space, Mahomes allows them to run – and run and run. His average completion yielded 5.8 yards after receiving (YAC), fourth place in the league, and no matter what position Mahomes played for, or how long the pass itself went, according to Football Outsiders and Sports Info Solutions, his passes took significantly more YAC than Brady’s.
One reason? Chiefs are excellent at breaking tackles. Kelce – who came in second in the league at YAC – had 26 points at the receptions, while Hill had 17, according to Football Outsiders and Sports Info Solutions. The Buccaneers’ best receiver, Mike Evans, broke just seven tackles.
The Buccaneers’ tallest and most refined receivers execute their routes and beat their defenders just as they are about to catch the ball, so a significant portion of Brady’s passing yards are accumulated when the receiver himself receives. His 7.3 yards per reception at the reception was second in the NFL, according to Sportradar, echoing Coach Arians’ “no risk, no cookie” philosophy.
Brady signed with Tampa Bay in March amid conjectures that he could no longer play regularly. When Christensen, his new quarterback coach, watched a movie of himself before the Buccaneers chased him in freedom of action, he was sure that Brady had the strength of the arm and the precision of the field to thrive on his extension attack. field.
Improving as the season progressed, Brady led the league in attempts, conclusions and touchdowns – and interceptions – in passes that covered at least 20 yards in the air, according to Sportradar. However, Mahomes was more efficient in the downfield than Brady, completing a higher percentage of passes (36 to 34.1) with nine touchdowns and no interceptions.
“We face so many deep coverings with the teams, where they are taking all of our deep shots,” said Mahomes. “I had to learn when to just take what’s underneath, and that’s something where I kind of grew up and matured.”
Both Brady and Mahomes can change the game quickly.
Three tenths of a second. The difference is imperceptible to the naked eye, but the longer it takes Mahomes, on average, than Brady to launch the ball.
Brady’s average release time of 2.4 seconds, according to Pro Football Focus, reflects what Aryans call his “fast twitch reactionary” brain. Before the snap is made, Brady anticipates defenses so well and obtains excellent protection from his offensive line, which is able to get rid of the ball with the third fastest rate in the NFL among qualified quarterbacks (those who have taken half of their team backtracks) even when he regularly launches deep passes.
Mahomes ‘average throw takes 2.68 seconds, but the Chiefs’ attack is loaded with moves made for him to launch the ball in less than 2.5. When he does this, Mahomes completes 78.9 percent of his shots (for Brady’s 55.9) with a pass rating of 119.9 (for Brady’s 98.4).
These differences in delivery tell which routes Brady and Mahomes connect in the pass game. The two share the same three most frequent routes for shooting, according to Football Outsiders and Sports Info Solutions – curls, flies and outs – only in different incidences. Mahomes has played curl routes 111 times this season, with Brady showing less impartiality between the three.
But they disagreed, with Brady preferring digging and finding a wider variety of deep routes, while Mahomes enjoyed chaos, completing 45 passes when the projected move was eliminated and he had to work freelance. For Brady, broken plays didn’t even break his ten favorite routes.
“There is no bid he cannot make and there is no bid he will not make,” said Buccaneers cornerback coach Kevin Ross of Mahomes. “You think it won’t happen your way and it will come your way.”
Made by Meg Felling and Dave Horn.