As great as new Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady is, there are always those who choose to nitpick.
From calling Brady a “system quarterback” to discrediting his arm strength, the detractors salivated last season during a year in which Brady struggled to deal with steady pressure and an underwhelming receiving corps.
Brady ranked 23rd in intended air yards last season, often reverting to check-downs and crossing routes with limited time in the pocket.
However, Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians expects things to change for Brady as he joins the Buccaneers, who have multiple deep threats. Moreover, Arians said Brady carved opposing teams up with the deep ball in play-action, also noting he simply makes the right reads (via Jenna Laine of ESPN):
Article Continues Below“I think the perception is just wrong,” Arians said Wednesday. “I thought his deep ball was outstanding last year. Through their play-action game, they hit a lot of deep balls. And our quarterback — I thought he put it as good as anybody — throw it to the guy who's open.”
Arians seems to be in the know, as Laine also reported Brady's 2019 was one of his strongest when throwing deep:
Brady's 43% completion rate in 2019 on passes of 20 or more air yards was his third-highest since it has been tracked and the seventh-highest in the league, according to ESPN Stats & Information. The league average was 38%.
He also threw seven touchdown passes of 20 or more air yards last season, his most since 2006. His 3.50 touchdown-to-interception ratio on passes of 20 or more air yards was his third-highest since 2006.
Those numbers are more impressive considering Jakobi Meyers and Josh Gordon (who played six games with the Patriots) were probably Brady's best deep threats last season.
Now, Brady has the opportunity to work with Mike Evans (17.3 yards per reception) and Chris Godwin (1.5 yards per reception). The results could be explosive, similar to how Brady thrived with Randy Moss split out wide in 2007.