Boomer Esiason: Tom Brady Continues To Raise His Game In Big Moments
BOSTON (CBS) -- Tom Brady had to do pretty much everything in New England's 30-23 win over the New York Jets on Sunday.
With a patchwork offensive line against one of the better defenses in the NFL, the Patriots went in with a game plan to beat New York through the air. Brady threw for 355 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but that wasn't the most impressive part of his performance on Sunday. When New England did run the football Brady was the only one to have success, leading the Pats with 15 rushing yards and a touchdown.
Sunday was just another entry in Brady's Hall of Fame career.
"When you have the greatest quarterback in football history you can do a lot of things. Great players really camouflage a lot of things that are happening in a negative way," Boomer Esiason told 98.5 The Sports Hub's Toucher & Rich during his weekly call into the show on Monday morning. "Brady was unbelievable and great in the fourth quarter. It goes to show you how great he really is and why he is the greatest quarterback of all time. In big spots and big moments he raises his level of play, and the players he enjoys the field with all raise their level of play. It's really something to behold."
Esiason has Brady atop his MVP list, with Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton behind him. Brady's passing numbers on Sunday (completing 34 of his 54 attempts) could have been better if it wasn't for 11 drops by his receiving corps. Brandon LaFell saw the field for the first time on Sunday, and was responsible for six of those drops.
"It's a little unfair to expect LaFell to catch every single one of those throws. Even if you asked Tom Brady himself he would tell you he was a little off at the beginning of game," said Boomer. "Then as the game wore on and in the fourth quarter, he was hitting guys in the middle of the shoulder pads, which is where you really want it.
"I know it was frustrating for LaFell and frustrating for Tom. You just have to forget about it and keep moving forward," said Esiason, adding that Edelman's case of the dropsies is a little more alarming.
Up next for the Patriots is a short week to prepare for the Miami Dolphins, who come to Gillette Stadium on Thursday. The Dolphins destroyed the Houston Texans on Sunday, 44-26, for their second straight win under interim head coach Dan Campbell.
"I do believe it's a different [Dolphins] team in the last two weeks than it was the previous four weeks. Yesterday there was a play where Jarvis Landry catches a pass on the left sideline, and he cut it all the way back to go down the right sideline to score a touchdown. On that play you saw three offensive linemen come flying down the field and get in front of Landry. That shows the extra effort that is now there in the Miami roster that wasn't there with Joe Philbin as head coach," said Esiason. "That's why you make the change at head coach, to see an uptick in effort. Right now there's a significant uptick in effort; that doesn't mean they're a much better team than they were prior to the change, but it illustrates that effort can mean wins.
"With that being said, much like the Jets found out this week, they're visiting a completely different class when the go visit the Patriots in Gillette."
Esiason also touched on Greg Hardy's sideline scuffle at the end of Dallas' loss to the New York Giants:
