Patriots' pass catchers not buying into 'wet noodle' theory regarding Brady's arm strength

FOXBOROUGH — Ask Phillip Dorsett if Tom Brady’s velocity has changed for the worse this year, and he makes a face like you had waved a week-old tuna sandwich under his nose.

ESPN analyst Max Kellerman claimed this week the Patriots’ quarterback had a “wet noodle for an arm right now,” saying the throws he made against the Titans last weekend were proof Brady was suffering from something.

"Let's just say what it is," said Kellerman on Monday. "They're dinking and dunking teams to death. … If we're going to sit here and pretend that arm looks the same to us, come on. Why is he off target so often? Look at the throws when he tried to put mustard on it yesterday. I'm not inventing this."

When told of Kellerman’s statements’ late this week, Dorsett was surprised.

“Well, that’s a lie,” Dorsett said plainly.


“We play with him every day. Velocity and arm strength aren’t an issue,” added Dorsett. “I’ve been here for a little over a year, and there’s no difference from last year to this year. I mean, he won MVP last year. The results speak for themselves. There’s no difference from last year to this year. I don’t see any difference.”

It was a point that James White echoed. No one has caught more passes from Brady over the last year-plus, and he was wide-eyed when he was asked whether or not the New England quarterback was having issues with his arm.

“That’s crazy. That has never been an issue,” White said with a disbelieving smile. “It’s the same ball he was throwing last year and the year before that.”

While there could very well be something to the idea of a nagging health issue causing problems with his mechanics — as Greg wrote here — basic arm strength doesn’t appear to be an issue. A quick look back at last Sunday’s film reveals the truth: Brady had 20 incompletions, and many of them were flat-out drops, including ones from Josh Gordon and Julian Edelman. (Granted, while the strict definition of drops can be debated, the New England coaching staff says that any ball a receiver gets his hands on but can’t bring it in is classified as a drop.)

And while there were misfires and some ill-advised tosses into coverage at the expense of an open receiver, there was maybe one second-quarter throw to White that could be linked to arm strength … and even that was debatable as a possible throwaway. (Asked about that throw, White seemed to suggest it was a throwaway ball.)

Brady was asked Wednesday how he felt, 10 games into the regular season, and he gave a thumbs up.

“(I feel) pretty good, pretty good,” he said. “Some bumps and bruises, but I think that’s part of football season and I feel pretty good.

“I study my mechanics every day, so I feel like I look like my normal self out there.”

Could he potentially use the bye week to sharpen some things up? In year’s past, he’s taken the extra time to work with some of his personal throwing coaches. While he’s worked with Tom House the last several years, he frequently connected with his old throwing guru Tom Martinez during the bye week, always looking to take advantage of the extra few days to refine his approach.

He wouldn't tip his hand as to what specifically he might be doing -- "I certainly have a routine that I would never give away," he said when asked about what self-scouting might entail during the bye week -- he did say the focus will be simple.

“I’m trying to evaluate the different physical errors, mental errors,” he said. “The less errors you can make the better. Could be a read, could be a decision, could be a throw. Ultimately, it’s just (about) trying to be productive.”

So who to believe? The New England pass catchers clearly have a stake in the game — it’s no surprise they took up for their quarterback. But the truth of the matter is they are the ones who seem to know best. And if you doubt them? Just spend some time on the sidelines warming up with the quarterback, said Dorsett.

“When I’m warming up with him and he’s throwing on the sideline, that ball is coming in with some heat,” he said with a grin. “You stand in there and try and catch it.”