Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady is still playing at an elite level at the of 43. On Thursday, Brady was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Month. In October, Brady completed 105-of-159 passes (66.0 percent) for 1,157 yards and 12 touchdowns, with just one interception, earning a 110.0 passer rating. Brady led all quarterbacks with his 12 passing touchdowns and a 12:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio in the month while leading all players with 13 total touchdowns.
On Monday night, the Buccaneers(5-2) travel to MetLife Stadium to battle the Giants(1-6). Obviously, if the Giants want to slow Brady and the Buccaneers’ high powered offense, which is third in the NFL in points per game(31.7), they are going to have to find a way to get after the quarterback, and according to Giants DT Leonard Williams, it’s hard to get after Brady because he gets the ball out quickly.
“Every time I’ve played against Tom Brady, even back in my early career against him, he’s known for getting the ball out really quickly,” Williams said on Friday. “He’s also not a scrambling type of quarterback; he doesn’t want to roll out of the pocket and stuff like that. He can if you allow him, but he doesn’t want to run the ball. He wants to step up in the pocket, he wants a clear step up lane, and he wants to get the ball out quickly. For a d-line, we want to get that middle presence, that middle push, and not allow him to step into his throws. Get him throwing off of his back foot and stuff like that. Just getting pressure in his face.”
In two Super Bowl victories over Brady and the Patriots, the Giants found a way to get after Brady, which ultimately helped New York. Williams feels New York needs to do the same thing on Monday night.
“Yeah, I think anybody can get rattled,” Williams said. “Any quarterback can get rattled if you’re affecting him enough. But he’s obviously been in this game long enough where he can get hit; he can get back up and keep playing. He’s obviously been doing it for a long time. But for our defense to be effective, that’s what we’re going to have to come in handy, is not allowing him to step up and hitting him as much as possible.”
It won’t be easy to slow down Brady, but if the Giants want to make that happen, they have to put Brady on the ground. Easier said than done.
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