Tom Brady Explains Why Back Shoulder Throws Are So Difficult

FOXBOROUGH — Timing, chemistry, accuracy, deception, trust.

All of these things go into a well-executed back shoulder throw, one of the most difficult throws and catches in football. It’s also one of the most difficult to defend, if everything goes right.

If a quarterback and receiver can get on the same page to master it, they have a deadly weapon on their hands. But good luck getting to that point.

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and wide receiver Brandon LaFell are not at that point yet, but they have shown some signs of progress in hooking up on a few back shoulder throws this season.

“We’ve been working pretty hard at it for awhile, Brandon and I,” Brady said on Wednesday at a press conference at Gillette Stadium. “I think it’s a big trust thing. You’ve got to trust that when the ball is in the air, that [the defense is] not going to make a play on it. When you’re in those one-on-one situations, as a quarterback, you can only really control it until it leaves your hand. Even though the outcome may not be good, sometimes you may have made the right decision but as a quarterback, when you’re decisive and you trust that someone’s going to make a positive play, it’s much easier just to let it rip. He’s really allowed me to do that.”

A back shoulder throw attacks a defensive back at the core of what he is taught to do: stay in front of his assigned receiver. With the receiver running straight downfield, the defensive back has no choice but to run downfield with him, thereby turning his back to the ball.

The quarterback must throw the ball to the outside, away from the defensive back, to prevent the pass from being broken up.

With the ball in flight, the receiver must then time it just right so that he turns around when the ball arrives, preventing the defensive back from having enough time to simply react to the movements of the receiver.

When all those things go right, you have a completed back shoulder throw. Good luck finding anyone who can make all that happen on a consistent basis.

“You see certain quarterbacks play with certain receivers — I see [Packers quarterback] Aaron Rodgers and [wide receiver] Jordy Nelson — they’re probably the best at it,” he said. “It’s the timing of when to throw, it’s how hard to throw, it’s when to look, it’s if you look too early, if you slow down as a receiver, it’s a low percentage play. If you throw it too hard or too high, it’s a low percentage throw. So it’s just a big trust throw and both people really have to be on the same page. We’ll just keep working at it. Those are big plays. You’ve got to throw to the perimeter of the field, and it’s 25 yards down the field. When you make plays like that where you can gain a quarter of the field in one throw, it’s a big momentum play.”

The Patriots have not had a consistent and reliable boundary threat like LaFell who can give Brady an option on back shoulder throws down the sideline. This season, Brady has hit LaFell on seven of 17 passes that traveled 20 yards or more downfield and were thrown outside the numbers, according to stats website Pro Football Focus.

The Patriots have always been a threat to throw over the middle and between the hash marks, but with a legitimate boundary threat at their disposal, this offense could be more well-rounded than any we’ve seen from them in recent years.

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