Tom Brady has shown through two playoff games this year that he is still more than capable of leading his team to victory, but at least one Los Angeles Rams player believes the 41-year-old version of Brady is hardly Brady at his best.
In a lengthy interview with Bleacher Report’s Tyler Dunne, Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman stressed the importance of not being intimidated by the New England Patriots and all the success they have had. He said he believes the Rams will be able to pressure Brady and get him to “slowly start to reveal himself,” which led to a question about whether or not he believes the five-time Super Bowl champion is not the player he used to be.
“Yes. Yes. Age has definitely taken a toll. For him to still be doing it, that’s a great compliment for him. But I think that he’s definitely not the same quarterback he was,” Robey-Coleman said. “Movement. Speed. Velocity. Arm strength. He still can sling it, but he’s not slinging it as much.”
Some of that is stating the obvious. Even Brady must know he is not the same player who threw 50 touchdown passes in 2007, and there have been plenty of throws this season when he was uncharacteristically inaccurate. However, you can guarantee he will take what Robey-Coleman said and use it as motivation.
“Whatever he was doing — because of his age and all that — he’s not doing as much of that anymore,” Robey-Coleman added. “He’s still doing the same things; he’s just not doing as much of it. And sometimes, it’s not the sharpest. But it still gets done.”
Robey-Coleman, of course, is the player who committed the pass interference penalty that was not called in the NFC Championship Game. He had no problem admitting after the Rams beat the New Orleans Saints that he got away with one.
Brady seems to have added motivation this season from the critics who have said the Patriots’ run is over and he is finally showing signs of age. If you want to get a sense of how big the chip on his shoulder is, look no further than the quote he had leading up to the AFC Championship Game. If doubters truly are motivating him to win a sixth Super Bowl, Robey-Coleman may have just done Brady a big favor.
