Tom Brady No. 9 On Pro Football Focus' '10 Most Unstoppable Forces'
By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- Pro Football Focus, the enigmatic, Jedi council-like secret society of NFL analysts, is in list-making mode. They posted the league's "10 most unstoppable forces" on Monday, ranking the NFL's best "signature moves." Thankfully, they didn't blatantly troll New England like a lot of outlets might do with their lists - Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski both made the cut.
You may be surprised that Tom Brady is "only" ninth on the list, with his "quick decisions" ranking ahead of only the "power" of Vikings nose tackle Linval Joseph. Brady finished behind the likes of Von Miller's "spin move" at No. 5, Richard Sherman's "press" at No. 6, Tyron Smith's "cut blocking" at No. 7, and Le'Veon Bell's "plant leg" at No. 8. This may appear as a slight to Brady to rank him below a left tackle or a running back, but he is the only quarterback on the list so PFF is essentially calling him the most unstoppable QB in the league. They could have easily sparked outrage in New England by going for Russell Wilson's mobility or Aaron Rodgers' deep-ball accuracy, but did not.
Brady is certainly very difficult to blitz because of that impeccable decision-making ability, which Brady showcased for much of the 2015 season as he consistently got rid of the ball in around two seconds while under constant pressure. PFF notes that from Weeks 1-5 last season, Brady got rid of the ball in an average of 2.05 seconds, well below the league average of 2.5. That extra half-second played a big role in Brady's dismantling of the Seahawks defense in Super Bowl XLIX, and can often mean the difference between a broken play and a touchdown.
At No. 4 is Gronk's "catch radius," which is undoubtedly the biggest in the league now that Calvin Johnson is retired. Gronkowski ranked behind only J.J. Watt's swim move at No. 1, Antonio Brown's route-running at No. 2, and Luke Kuechly's "reading keys" at No. 3.
They used Gronk's incredible one-handed catch from 2014 against the Denver Broncos as the shining example, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a better one:
Is Brady high enough on the list? For that matter, is Gronk? Hey, at least they didn't shamelessly bait Patriots fans by leaving them off entirely. Hopefully, the team can wring some extra motivational material out of this.
Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. His opinions do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Have a news tip or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.
