Monday, May 20, 2013

Tom Brady: If you're done learning, move on

BY NICK ST. DENIS

Tom Brady is arguably the greatest quarterback of all time, but he's not done yet. And not because he hasn't accomplished enough already -- he still has a lot to learn.

"Once you feel like you're done learning, you might as well move on," Brady recently told SI's Peter King. (photo: Keith Allison, Flickr)

Brady, a three-time Super Bowl winner who has thrown for 44,806 yards and 334 touchdowns, is rejuvenating his mechanics this offseason and working on being more "efficient" with his throws.

"Over the years, I was a little inefficient and I learned how to get away with it," the New England Patriots signal-caller said. "I've been working with (throwing coach) Tom House on what's called ground-force production ... Kinetic sequencing, getting the power from the ground, which translates from the ground to your legs, to your hips, to the shoulder, and all the energy is going toward the target.

"I've always had confidence throwing the football, but you have to stay on top of it. That's going to be a never-ending quest for me."

Brady added that "98 percent" of what he's reinforcing is what his late coach Tom Martinez taught him, and that he's still always learning from Bill Belichick "about what to expect from defenses" while going over offensive plays and drops with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.

Brady is under contract with the Patriots through 2017 thanks to a contract extension this offseason and will almost certainly never have to don a another jersey in his career. His staying power has paid dividends for both Brady and the franchise, and his work ethic clearly has a lot to do with it.

Follow Nick @NickStDenis
Follow AFC East Daily @AFCEastDaily