Tom Brady Looking to Improve on Buccaneers' Recent Deep Ball Woes
Bruce Arians has long been known as a coach who likes to attack defenses vertically. So, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed 43-year-old quarterback Tom Brady this offseason, who has some deep ball zip and accuracy left in his throws but not to the level he once did, many wondered just how the two would be able to find a balance.
So far, things have been just fine. The Bucs own the No. 9 passing and No. 14 total offense in the NFL. Brady is playing soundly within the scheme, completing 66% of his passes for 2,739 yards, 23 touchdowns, and seven interceptions.
Brady ranks tied for sixth in the league in average depth of target at nine yards per attempt, per NextGenStats. Arians' vision to stretch the field is coming together within the playcalls, no doubt. However, execution has been lacking as of late.
"Our guys are doing a great job of getting open down the field and it’s my job to find him and hit him," Brady said on Thursday. "If you don’t hit them, they’re just long foul balls. We had a few of those last game."
Over the last two games, NextGenStats has Brady down for 0-of-9 passing on throws of 20+ yards, tossing an interception against the New Orleans Saints.
When Brady and receivers are connecting on the deep ball, the Bucs are extremely explosive. On the season, Brady is 18/52 for 627 yards on such passes - going for 12 yards per attempt on average, and 34 yards per completion.
"[If] we take those shots, we’re going to have to be accurate with them and I know our guys are going to come up with them when I give them a good chance to catch the ball,” said Brady.
While the Bucs are averaging over five deep shots per game, connecting on under two, offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich said the team would strive to improve on the issue like they would any other.
Leftwich wasn't as concerned about the deep ball as Brady on Thursday, and it's a bit hard to blame him when the Bucs scored a season-high of 46 points against the Carolina Panthers this past Sunday.
"Obviously, we’re trying to hit every pass that we throw – short, medium and long. Obviously, we’re trying to get every run – short, medium and long – that we can get," Leftwich explained. "Sometimes when plays don’t work, it doesn’t mean there’s not an issue. Sometimes when plays are not converted it doesn’t mean that there is an issue."
It remains to be seen, in that case, if the deep ball is a legitimate issue or not. We may find out as soon as Monday when the Buccaneers face the NFL's No. No. 3 passing and No. 2 overall defense in the Los Angeles Rams.
Leftwich isn't digging into the in-depth numbers in preparation for the game, basically admitting as much in his press conference. Rather, he's focused on making sure Brady and Co. execute on every play-call.
"That’s just the next-gen stats and all that, and all the things that come in week in and week out. We’re going to try to do a better job of making all our plays and converting all our plays.”
