Tom Brady Goes All Out to Slam Sports Analytics While Emphasizing Mental Toughness

Tom Brady has seen the game evolve to a degree where a lot has changed for young players when compared to his era.

Tom Brady Goes All Out to Slam Sports Analytics While Emphasizing Mental Toughness

Tom Brady believes mental toughness is more important for NFL players (Image via Imago)

Over the 23 seasons he has played football, Tom Brady has essentially thrown out all the theories and analysis ‘experts’ had about him. Becoming the greatest player of all time, he knows what got him there.

In the past decade and more, the reliance on statistics has changed the landscape when it comes to analyzing performances. Nowadays, it is customary for sports franchises to have analytical teams to help them gauge their opponents.

However, there are many times when those analysis-driven opinions fall flat when human skill comes to the fore. That is where Tom Brady has a problem with statistics-driven analysts.

PFF grading you every week. You are focused on a physical skill… What I really understood, the mental and emotional part. I can bring a consistent, competitive winning attitude to the game every day.

Tom Brady said on The Herd

The 7-time Super Bowl winner claims that when a young quarterback watches these analyzes and grading he receives from analytics websites, it is bound to make them feel bad.

Then, it becomes difficult for the said young QB to regain their confidence, as it takes time to set their mindset in the right direction. Brady understood it well during his first few years in the league.

He claims that now all those analyzes about his physical attributes are making those ‘experts’ look bad. Instead, they did not factor in his mental toughness.

That is what led Brady to play for so long and be the best quarterback to ever play the game. He wants young QBs to try to follow that method if they want to be focused on winning.

Tom Brady believes young QBs should sit and learn

When Tom Brady came into the league, no one expected him to take over as the starting quarterback of the New England Patriots. In his first year, he sat behind Drew Bledsoe, and that is what he wants young QBs to do.

Tom Brady wants young QBs to sit back and learn their 1st year
Tom Brady wants young QBs to sit back and learn their 1st year (Image via Imago)

Patrick flat out said, ‘I can’t thank Alex Smith enough for everything he did for me. All I did was ask him questions.’ When I look at my first year, that’s all I did with Drew Bledsoe… There are a lot of successful players who were not thrown into the fire. You can lose your confidence so fast.

Tom Brady said on The Herd

The FOX Sports broadcaster added that it is important for young quarterbacks not to get confused when they first arrive in the NFL. When they lose focus and then start committing mistakes, they start to question their own capabilities.

Instead of being thrown into the fire, it is essential that those young players sit back, watch film, observe first team practices, and ask questions to their veteran teammates. That way, they get to learn the nuances.

Tom Brady believes the game has become easier for lesser-caliber players

Brady is not one to mince his words, especially when he gets a free run on a platform. When he is calling games for FOX, he has to maintain a certain level of control. On talk shows, the 48-year-old is his usual self and has this opinion about the current state of the game.

We’ve dumbed down the game in so many ways to allow for a lesser caliber developed player to get in there and lead an organization.

Tom Brady said on The Herd

The father of three believes it is easier for underdeveloped players to come in and lead a team. It might not be the best way to start their careers, but teams have no choice.

The desire to become competitive has seen teams throw away the age-old emphasis on building slowly through the draft. Nowadays, the formula has moved towards a more free-agency-driven method.

That is where Brady feels the game has been diluted so that a player new to the system can come in and play well after a few games. But that does not work with young college prospects who need more time to develop their skills to be pro-ready.

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