Tom Brady doesn’t care about looking tough in the pocket

Tom Brady sits on the gridiron after being sacked during the first half of the NFL American football game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA, 06 December 2015. EPA/CJ GUNTHER EPA

By Henry McKenna @McKennAnalysis

December 31, 2015

2 minutes to read

Tom Brady takes a lot of hits — the New England Patriots have allowed a 89 quarterback hits, 13th-most in the NFL this season. But the Brady usually avoids direct contact, at times crumbling into a ball in the pocket and spurring criticism.

Opposing fans cue the jokes: “If the Ugg boots fit…’’

But Brady cares about self-preservation for winning’s sake.

“Some of it is knowing the journey is over and going down and not taking a – you know you stand in there and take a huge hit and look tough and then be out for four games and not help your team win,’’ Brady told reporters Wednesday. “It’s a long season and I think you’ve got to try to be smart about which ones you take and which ones you don’t. You’d love to stand in there every throw and step into it and get blown up and act like it’s no big deal, but I think sometimes those things do end up being big hits.’’

During his 16-year career, Brady has missed 15 games, all due to an ACL injury in 2008. Brady said the decision whether to take a big hit is similar to a decision about where, when, and whether to throw the football.

“So you’ve got to try to do what you can to help the team win on that particular play, and if its fourth down you’ve got to try to make the play, but if its first-and-10 in the middle of the second quarter – coach talks all about risk-reward with throwing the ball. Even if you complete that pass it’s a two-yard gain. If you don’t complete it, it’s an interception. Is a two-yard reception worth the risk of the interception? I mean it’s really not. It goes along with other decisions in the pocket and so forth as a quarterback.’’

Peyton Manning entered the NFL one season before Brady did in 1999. The Broncos quarterback has struggled with injuries during the last two seasons, and has been demoted to backup — for now. His decline has made Brady’s relative health look all the more lucky and impressive.