National Football League

Tom Brady's philosophy as QB: 'I want to see the best players touch the ball early'

Published Jun. 19, 2024 10:12 p.m. ET

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How important is it to get top NFL playmakers involved in the game early on? According to the newest NFL on FOX analyst, Tom Brady, very.

During his appearance Wednesday on "The Herd" with Colin Cowherd, the seven-time Super Bowl Champion-winning quarterback — who knows a few things about connecting with a star receiver or two — explained the importance of scripting the start of a game to help get a team's top playermakers heated up early on.

"I want to see the best players touch the ball early, so they can break a sweat … and can get into the flow of the game. And good coaches do that," Brady said.

"When you script plays at the beginning of the game you're saying: OK, you’re the Niners coach … I'm going to make sure [Christian] McCaffrey … [OR] … Deebo Samuels touches it first or second in the game. Somehow, I know the ball's going to be in his hands, so he can do something with it. I want to get him into the flow."

Brady went on to explain how not connecting with those top players to start a matchup could affect their game. 

"You always felt like you had to do something to get them the ball," Brady continued. "[Be]cause I want him to keep running hard. I want him to be ready for when the ball does come." 

"The last thing you want is your No. 1 receiver to go two-and-a-half quarters into a game and not see a ball … [be]cause he's going to get discouraged."

The former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB also feels it's important to reward the effort of the top perimeter receivers as soon as possible to keep them fired up — but they might not always be the easiest target – which should be understood.

"He's got to go out there and break the huddle … run out 25-yards to his alignment … run down the field as fast as he can and try to get open … then back to the huddle," Brady explained. "It's a lot of effort that he's putting in to not getting the ball … reward that guy earlier in the game."

[Read more: Tom Brady on Belichick, Patriots career, NFL on FOX job: 'I don't want to let anyone down']

"There are certain guys that are really easy to get the ball to. Certainly, the guys who line up closer – the tight ends and the slot receivers. There's way more route options for them," Brady continued. 

"That perimeter receiver has that sideline to deal with … It wasn't hard to get [Wes] Welker … [Julian] Edelmen … [Rob] Gronkowski the ball. It was hard to get a perimeter receiver the ball," Brady said.

All-in-all, the three-time NFL Most Valuable Player strongly believes in getting a team's top playmakers going early on in the game is the way to go. And, who are we to argue with Tom Brady?

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National Football League

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Colin Cowherd

The Herd with Colin Cowherd