The NFL season begins on Thursday night, with the Chiefs visiting the Patriots. And Chiefs linebacker Justin Houston has a simple plan for the greatest quarterback in league history.
“To hit him,” Houston told reporters on Sunday regarding his strategy for dealing with Tom Brady. “Because the ball comes out so fast, he’s a smart guy. My main thing is the defense, don’t lose confidence in what you got going on because he’s going to make plays -- it’s Tom Brady. Just got to stay together through four quarters.”
It’s far easier said than done, especially since Brady has seen it all and knows what he’s going to do before the ball is snapped. But if/when a defense can get to him repeatedly, the chances of beating him improve, dramatically.
Defenses have a better chance of making it happen early in the season, when the offensive line remains a work in progress thanks to reduced offseason workout time and the absence of traditional two-a-days. Three years ago, the Chiefs caught the Patriots’ offensive early in the year on a Monday night, and it was ugly.
This year, the Chiefs get them right out of the gates, and Houston and the rest of his teammates will be doing everything they can to disrupt the New England offense by getting to Brady.