Tom Brady is playing football at a new elevation

New England Patriots Tom Brady is pretty damn good, and he’s dominating the NFL in a way we have never seen before.

Joe Montana and Johnny Unitas usually get the reverence of being the greatest quarterback in National Football league history. It might be time to add Tom Brady onto that list.

You can talk about him as a cheater if you are so inclined. You can ramble on about air pressure, smashed cell phones and dismissive attitudes emanating from the cells of Foxborough and more directly, Gillette Stadium.

I choose to talk about Brady’s statistics, which happen to be absurd to the umpteenth degree. In his 17-year career, Brady has thrown for 440 touchdowns and 150 interceptions. He’s completed 63.7 percent of his throws with 59,347 passing yards. Before it’s all set and done, he could very well own the yardage record currently held by Peyton Manning.

This season, Brady was forced to sit for the first quarter of the season due to DeflateGate. When he came back, he decided to tear up the league with vengeance. In four games since returning, Brady is hitting on 73.1 percent of his throws at 9.84 yards per attempt. Both of those are league-bests if he qualified. The 39-year-old has also tossed 12 touchdowns without an interception, and has a QBR of 92.9.

Simply put, he’s lighting the league on fire in a way we have never seen before. How? Let’s look at a few plays from New England’s 41-25 win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday to get an idea.

Play #1

It’s 3rd and 10 midway through the first quarter. New England is on the Buffalo 45-yard line, trailing 3-0. The crowd is in full throat, and the Patriots are in their “11” personnel with three receivers. Rob Gronkowski is in the slot to the right, with Chris Hogan isolated on the left side against Stephon Gilmore.

Buffalo is in its nickel package. Typically, Rob and Rex Ryan makes their bones by blitzing on third down and long. Against Brady, they back up. It’s man coverage all the way with a Cover 2 shell.

Look at the coverage as Brady hits the top of his drop. He has three receivers all in the same vicinity, with Hogan in man coverage on the left side of the formation. At this juncture, he has nowhere to go with the ball.

It’s also worth noting that the safety is coming now to squeeze Gronkowski’s. He’s willing to leave Hogan on an island.

This is the quiet quality of Brady. He’s never going to run for much yardage, but his movement within the pocket is elite. Look at the pocket, and you will notice that outside linebacker Jerry Hughes got some nice pressure off the edge. Brady moves up beautifully, eliminating the threat.

Meanwhile, Brady has locked onto Hogan. He watched the safety rotate towards Gronkowski, and now sees Gilmore turn his hips inside. He knows that Hogan is running a deep out, and that he’s about to break wide open.

Look at Brady throwing this ball. He’s getting immense pressure up the middle, to the point where he can’t step into the pass. Regardless, he cuts it loose right on time. Hogan is making his break toward the boundary, and the corner is facing the end zone. It’s easy money with a good throw.

Shockingly, the throw is perfect. First down.

Play #2

The Patriots are leading 14-10 midway through the second quarter, and face a 2nd and 6 at their own 48-yard line. New England is going with an empty set, while the Bills are showing Cover 0 (no safety help). Ryan is showing an all-out blitz, bringing more people than the Patriots can handle.

On the snap, the middle linebackers both bail out into zone coverage underneath. Buffalo is hoping to create confusion across the offensive line in terms of assignments, but fails to do so. Meanwhile, the Bills are going full man-coverage (although Gilmore thinks it’s zome, and leaves his man wide open).

Brady knows that there is no help on Gronkowski, who is lined up in the mid-slot on the right side (straight line behind he and defender).

It’s impossible to see here, but Gronkowski gives a little wiggle at the top of the route. He faking like it’s a corner instead of a post, and the corner plants his feet and stops his hips. At this point, Brady begins to coil his arm. He knows that with a good throw, it’s six.

And there’s the best throw you’ll ever see. Down the hasmarks, on the numbers, just out of Leodis McKelvin’s reach. It’s perfect, and it ends up as a 52-yard touchdown.

Call him a cheater. Call him a fraud. Maybe it’s time to start calling him the GOAT.