Carolina Panthers must make Tom Brady run
The key to beating any quarterback in the NFL is making them uncomfortable. Even Tom Brady is no exception to this rule.
While there were a lot of factors that went into the loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday night, the biggest of all was that Brady never seemed to really get set and into any kind of rhythm. And with his age, the superstar quarterback doesn’t have the mobility to escape speedy defensive ends anymore which showed on a late strip-sack by Cameron Jordan.
When Matt Rhule came to the Carolina Panthers, his first order of business was rebuilding a stagnant and leaky defense. It’s time for all that work to start paying some dividends and what better moment than against the most hated quarterback in the NFL that just so happens to be leading a division rival.
If Brady is given time in the pocket he will make the right decision and carve up even the best of secondaries. Something the Panthers can no longer hold claim to after their own rash of injuries.
We saw what happens when Brady gets flustered on a highly questionable throw late in that Saints loss after he was flushed from the pocket on third down and threw the ball into the hands of the undercutting defender.
So this means that the defensive line is going to have to step up against one of the best units in the league and get some meaningful penetration. Especially up the middle.
This team has to get back to playing at the level that drew comparisons to that vaunted 1985 Chicago Bears defense, make life miserable for the aging Brady, and pressure him into those mistakes that are few and far between.