Teams that aren’t the Patriots often get caught up in the urgency to throw the ball to a specific receiver. Teams that are the Patriots have a much more simple approach, one that isn’t tied to feeding any one specific pass-catcher.
That’s the gist of quarterback Tom Brady‘s comments after Monday night’s 33-0 win over the Jets regarding the emergence of undrafted rookie receiver Jakobi Meyers.
Meyers, from North Carolina State, had four catches through the first five weeks of the season. In the past two games, he’s had four receptions for 54 yards and five for 47, respectively. While not eye-popping stats, Meyers is following the “do your job” mantra by running routes, getting open, and catching the ball when Brady decides Meyers is indeed the open man.
“He’s done a great job taking advantage of his opportunity,” Brady told reporters on Monday night. “I’ll keep throwing it to him. He does a good job of getting open. I’ll just keep trying to go to the open guy.”
That’s the way it should be. Not “I’m going to try to get Julian Edelman involved early because if he doesn’t have multiple catches by the end of the first quarter he starts whining,” but “I’ll just keep trying to go to the open guy.”
It’s a simple concept, but plenty of teams struggle to master it. The Patriots’ success flows in large part from their ability to master all of the simple concepts, while doing just well enough with the complex areas of coaching and execution to keep winning and winning and winning.