Forget all the drama about Deflategate for a second and focus on Tom Brady as a player. Even at 38-years-old, the guy doesn't seem to be slowing down one iota. He's coming off a Super Bowl winning season in which he threw for 4,109 yards with 33 touchdowns and nine interceptions while completing 64.1 percent of his passes. He was even better in the post-season, bumping his completion percentage up to 68.9 and setting a career high in playoff QBR at 78.6. More than that, Brady just makes plays when he has to. He consistently passes the eye test.
But ESPN NFL Insider KC Joyner believes Brady and the New England offense are headed for a decline in 2015.
"The Patriots offensive calling card for most of the Brady era has been the ability to do whatever was necessary to take full advantage of any defensive weakness," Joyner wrote. "That will be tested this year as the Patriots offense is starting to show signs of being quite limited in some significant areas.
"Prime among these is vertical passing. Last season, Brady ranked 19th in Total QBR on vertical passes (throws traveling 11 or more yards downfield) and 29th on stretch vertical passes (attempts thrown 20 or more yards). And this can't be blamed all on the Patriots wide receivers; Brady also ranked 18th in Total QBR on vertical passes to tight ends. He simple isn't as adept on downfield throws as he was in past seasons."
Brandon LaFell filled in admirably as a deep threat for the Patriots last season, but it's true that New England has emphasized the intermediate passing game more in recent years. Although that may limit the big plays this offense produces, it doesn't necessarily mean that Brady is headed for a decline.
As Peyton Manning has shown, you can dink-and-dunk your way to the playoffs every season if you have the right pieces in place. As long as tight end Rob Gronkowski is healthy and receiver Julian Edelman keeps doing his best Wes Welker impression, Brady doesn't need to be a gunner to win games. He just needs to make the right play at the right time.
