NFL legend Tom Brady has been labelled ’a shell of himself’ whose alleged split from Gisele Bundchen is negatively affecting his performances on the field.
Brady’s performances this season have been a far cry from his 2021 form, where he led the NFL in passing yards with a career-high of 5,316 at age 44. He also threw 43 touchdowns and secured a passer rating of 102.1 - but Brady is struggling in 2022.
Amid a number of key injuries to his offensive line, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback has failed to build momentum and Sunday’s loss to the hapless Carolina Panthers was perhaps the lowest moment of Brady’s career since joining the franchise in 2020. The Bucs were awful as they fell 21-3 to the Panthers to drop a fourth loss in five matches.
Brady’s offence managed just three points - the sixth time in seven matches they’ve scored 21 points or less. According to The Athletic, Tampa had scored 21 points or less in a combined five games over the previous two seasons, so the fears are very real that Brady is either on the decline or distracted by events off the field.
The troubles in the seven-time Super Bowl champion’s life are well-documented with reports of disharmony with supermodel Bundchen. After the Bucs suffered the embarrassing 21-3 to the Panthers to slip to a losing record of 3-4, ESPN analyst Rex Ryan suggested the potential divorce is affecting Brady’s performances.
“This team is searching like crazy,” Ryan said on ESPN’s ‘Get Up’ on Monday morning. “At least they’re trying, they’re searching, but Tom Brady looks like a shell of himself.
“You look at him even physically. His personal life, obviously, is having an effect too. I get it. I don’t want to minimise this. It’s a factor. Obviously it’s something. This looks like there’s no answer because there’s no speed on the field.”
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No players have ever come close to performing at the level Brady is at his age as only four players have even attempted an NFL pass aged 44 or older: Vinny Testaverde, Warren Moon, Steve DeBerg, and George Blanda. Blanda is often recognised as the oldest quarterback ever when he retired at 48, but he was a full-time kicker, no longer a QB at that stage in his career.
However, Father Time is undefeated. Ryan declared the Buccaneers are old, slow and unwatchable, citing that they are the second-slowest offence in the league behind the Indianapolis Colts - who announced they were moving on from veteran quarterback Matt Ryan earlier today.
Remarkably though, the Bucs still lead the NFC South in a tie with the Atlanta Falcons and are still considered the favourites to reach the playoffs from their division. Brady and co. are next in action when they welcome the Baltimore Ravens to Raymond James Stadium on Thursday Night Football.
