In the last three weeks, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has found himself playing other roles in the offense on occasion.
He found himself in position to be a blocker against the Bills and Packers, although he didn’t wind up trying too hard to pancake anyone. Brady also caught a pass from Julian Edelman against the Titans last Sunday and those developments were the focus of a question for head coach Bill Belichick on Tuesday.
Belichick was asked on a conference call if he’s concerned about an added risk of injury to Brady when the team calls plays that put him in those kinds of positions.
“I think we’re certainly aware of that, but there’s certain things that I think you have to do sometimes to win the game — and if quarterback sneaks in short-yardage, something like that where the quarterback’s going to get hit on a play like that, but it’s an important play and he’s very good at it,” Belichick said. “So, yeah, we’ll just have to evaluate those things going forward. Not looking to do an excessive amount of them, that’s for sure, but if there’s a situational play or something that comes up, then I think we’d consider it. But, I mean, look, it’s a contact sport out there. Quarterbacks get hit in the pocket and quarterbacks scramble and a lot of people converge on them in a hurry. So, nobody knows that better than Tom does.”
Belichick also noted that if they throw a pass to Brady “once a year it’s a lot” and Brady has only been targeted for four passes — including the one in Super Bowl LII — over the course of his career.