Tom Brady, 517 yards

[from_the_NEK]

true

but several times a game, a QB does his job and puts the ball right on a WRs hands and they drop it. The QB did his job, but doesn't get the stat.

There are also times in games where the WR tries to cut back and actually gains less yardage than the point where he caught the ball. QB loses in that situation.

On that 99 yard play, Welker deserves credit for getting open and the stiff arm, but the only reason it went to the house is because of the defensive scheme and Brady reading it correctly. If Miami was playing a cover 2, Wes likely gets tackled by the safety rolling over. It was an exploitation of the safeties cheating up on Brady's part. Watch the replay and you'll see that he is looking for the 1 on 1 on both sides and audibles the Tight End into protection off route to cover a strong side blitz and then makes the read on which safety is out of position to help.

I think the stat is measured correctly. WRs in the Patriots offense (or the Colts where Manning is equally as smart) only get the catches and YAC they do because of the QB calling audibles and making the right checks to get the man the ball in space.

Brady was WAY more responsible for those 99 yards than Welker was.

Completely correct. The other thing I might add is an accurate pass from the quarterback that hits a receiver in stride can do wonders for breaking a long run after the catch.

 

[St. Bear]

Yeah, I saw that. My question is: Did random big plays create those numbers? Henne had basically the same passing yardage (416) as Brady last night....except for the one 99yard play. So it was really that one big Welker play that bumped Brady into the top 6 and left Henne in obscurity.

How do you know that Brady doesn't complete 6 passes for 99 yards on that drive, rather than a single pass for 99 yards? You can't arbitrarily leave out plays that happened on the field.

 

[Cannonball]

How do you know that Brady doesn't complete 6 passes for 99 yards on that drive, rather than a single pass for 99 yards? You can't arbitrarily leave out plays that happened on the field.

He probably would have. I wasn't suggesting leaving anything out, wasn't deriding the performance, wasn't implying anything about what should count or not, wasn't dismissing the stats. I was asking a simple question: Does anyone know if the other 500+ yard games were reached in part because of a few huge plays?

 

[jack97]

I'd say the big hit syndrome is a consequence of the rules that have turned it into a passing league. If you're not allowed to touch the receiver or disrupt their route until they catch the ball, about all you have left to stop them is making a big hit to make them drop the ball, or intimidate them from making the catch. Now they are trying to stop big hits, so what's left for the secondary to do? Not much, so teams are running up record passing yards and high scores. I think they should loosen up the pass interference rules a little.

IMO, safety for the players is a high priority .... so taking the big hits like heads or knees shots out the game is ok.

I just hate the judgment calls on the pass interference rule, imo make the penalty like the college ranks, a 5 or 15 yard w/ first down and not at the spot of the infraction. Yes it makes the DBs more aggressive but that makes the passing play so exciting. Otherwise you will start seeing more teams just chuck it down field hoping the penalty... a couple years back, that was the Bears basic game plan.

 

[darent]

AWESOME!! 'nuff said!

take away one play and it was a 400 yard night, the other quarterback had more passing yards, doesn't say much for the pats passing defense!!

 

[4aprice]

Had a good laugh this morning. Warner Wolf on the Imus program played a clip of Tom Brady saying that This weekends game was a 4:15 start and that the fans should have plenty of time to get good and "lubed up" for the game (Dr Jeff?), He (Wolf) went on to say that the Patriot PR department later came out and said Brady meant on water. Imus had a field day with that one. It was pretty funny.

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ

 

[wa-loaf]

Had a good laugh this morning. Warner Wolf on the Imus program played a clip of Tom Brady saying that This weekends game was a 4:15 start and that the fans should have plenty of time to get good and "lubed up" for the game (Dr Jeff?), He (Wolf) went on to say that the Patriot PR department later came out and said Brady meant on water. Imus had a field day with that one. It was pretty funny.

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ

Imus is still alive? :lol:

 

[Riverskier]

take away one play and it was a 400 yard night, the other quarterback had more passing yards, doesn't say much for the pats passing defense!!

The yardage from the long pass counts, just as it does for every pass every QB makes all season. Given that, looking at Brady's total yardage for anything other than what it is, is just plain silly. That said, I do think you bring up a good point about the pass defense, and I think many fans are a little more excited about this game than perhaps they should be. Sure, the win is great, and Brady's performance was amazing. However, I sort of expected that, and to me, the big question this year is their defense. The run defense was good, but Henne pretty much threw at will. I think the offense is good enough to make them a virtual lock to make the playoffs, but I don't think without a much improved defense that they will make it very far. It is only week 1 though and often times as the season progresses, especially with the Patriot's, thinge really start to come together.

 

[drjeff]

Had a good laugh this morning. Warner Wolf on the Imus program played a clip of Tom Brady saying that This weekends game was a 4:15 start and that the fans should have plenty of time to get good and "lubed up" for the game (Dr Jeff?), He (Wolf) went on to say that the Patriot PR department later came out and said Brady meant on water. Imus had a field day with that one. It was pretty funny.

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ

Fans at ANY professional sporting event that starts late afternoon (ok let me alter that a bit).

Take 2: Fans at ANY professional sporting event, reguardless of starting time, been "lubed up" to for the start of a game?? Blasphemy! :lol:

On a serious note, from the crew that I tailgate with at Patriots games, we bring just as many beverages (beer, vodka + cranberry, other assorted adult beverages) whether its a 1PM kick off, a 4:15 kick off or an 8:15 kick off, and we still always get there 4 hours prior to kick off (and we're far from the only ones that do that, and I think that's a pretty "normal" occurrance at all 31 NFL stadiums around the country :beer:

 

[John W]

Tom Brady is the Best QB in the NFL. I say this and I HATE him. I am a die-hard Jets fan. Brady does the most with the least. He works the hardest and it pays off. He is what Derek Jeter is to Mets fans....

The Pats Offense is going to be exceptional this year and improved on defense.. They took care of business against a very poor dolphins defense. If they keep giving up points like that they will lose more then 5 games this season...

 

[drjeff]

Tom Brady is the Best QB in the NFL. I say this and I HATE him. I am a die-hard Jets fan. Brady does the most with the least. He works the hardest and it pays off. He is what Derek Jeter is to Mets fans....

The Pats Offense is going to be exceptional this year and improved on defense.. They took care of business against a very poor dolphins defense. If they keep giving up points like that they will lose more then 5 games this season...

It's the age old dilemna. If your offense is on, and can put up 30 points a game, your defense can give up 24. If the offense isn't on, and your defense gives up 24, hello loss column. This has seemed to be the Patriots trend at the start of the last few seasons. Their defense has some issues and their offense carries the team. But, what has also happened, is that same defense that is suspect the 1st 1/2 of the season has tended to gel together and become a strength for the 2nd half of the season. So in one sense as a Pats fan, am I concerned about their defense right now, yes, but not too concerend based on what I've seen happen time and time again over the last few years.

As for the Jeter analogy - perfect! And i'm saying that as a Red Sox fan! Nothing but respect for what he does, and has done on the field, even if it is/has been, for my least favorite team in baseball