Tom Brady showed the Detroit Lions the one thing their next QB needs

Jeff Seidel
 
| Detroit Free Press

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Sometimes, you have to sit back and just appreciate greatness.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady dropped back to pass on Saturday at Ford Field and it was like watching Aretha Franklin step on stage, grab the microphone and start a concert.

Just an amazing, undeniable thing of beauty.

Brady threw a pass to tight end Rob Gronkowski — his old friend from New England — and the ball dropped perfectly into Gronk’s hands for a 33-yard touchdown.

Yes, it was against a horrible Lions defense — a pathetic, depleted defense that had no chance — and it was the first step to a ridiculous 47-7 Tampa Bay win.

So be it.

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Watching Brady play in his 300th NFL game was still mesmerizing.

A short time later, Brady hit Mike Evans perfectly in stride for a touchdown. And it was like watching Ernest Hemingway sit down to write, the words flowing crisp and clean.

It was Brady’s 34th passing touchdown of the season — a Buccaneers record — and he was just warming up.

Again, let me offer some perspective:

Yes, it came against a secondary that was unable to cover anyone.

Yes, the Lions looked like they were playing pickup ball without any coaches, because, well, several coaches were missing because of Covid-19.

But Brady’s performance was still a thing of beauty. And so was this: A short time later, Brady hit Chris Godwin for a beautiful, one-handed touchdown.

[ Buccaneers running up the score on the Lions was bush league ]

And it was like watching Louis Armstrong pick up a trumpet and start playing some jazz. All the notes were perfect and pure.

Brady, this 43-year-old man, looked like a kid again, celebrating with Godwin.

“We played pretty good in the first half today,” Brady said. “We played pretty good the whole game; Blaine went in and did a great job. It was great to see. A lot of guys made plays.”

[ Remembering Brady’s NFL debut in  2000: Why wasn’t he wearing Honolulu Blue & Silver? ]

Still magic in Brady’s arm

There was a time when people thought that Brady was washed up, when they said he couldn’t win without New England coach Bill Belichick.

But it was Brady who led his team to its third consecutive win and secured a spot in the playoffs.

It was Brady who looks rejuvenated and is getting better every week.

It was Brady, who was toying with the Lions defense, moving safeties with his eyes — the tricks of an old veteran.

“I think we’ve attacked more,” Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians said. “We are an explosive football team and we can keep Tom standing, he’s gonna deliver for us.”

Brady showed that he still has some magic in his old arm, throwing a frozen rope with incredible precision to Antonio Brown for a touchdown.

And it was like watching Jimi Hendrix (or, OK, Eddie Van Halen) picking up a guitar and doing a tight, perfect solo.

You just wanted to savor every moment.

 “I never want to let (my teammates) down,” Brady said. “It’s been that way for about 21 years of my career.”

A perfect half

Brady was simply perfect in the first half. He had a 158.3 passer rating — the highest possible in the NFL’s system — while throwing for 348 passing yards, the most of his career for a first half.

Yes, the Lions stink, that can’t be stated enough. But the efficiency was a thing of beauty — the precision of the routes, the timing with the receivers.

“It was great,” Arians said. “Anytime you have a 158 quarterback rating and throw for over 300 yards in a half, back to back, it’s pretty special. And he’s a pretty special player.”

Brady looks different in a Buccaneers uniform, to be sure. But his game has changed as well. He has moved away from dink-and-dunk passes, throwing more deep balls — and it was like watching Michael Jackson reinvent himself, a steady evolution from the Jackson 5 to the King of Pop.

Back where it started

In many ways, Brady was returning to where it all started.

Back in the state where he played his college ball at Michigan.

Playing against the team against whom he made his debut in 2000.

Since then, he has turned into the greatest quarterback of all time — this guy who was drafted 199th overall in 2000. Clearly, the Patriots saw something in Brady; but not everything, or they wouldn’t have waited until the sixth round.

[ Lions sink to new low as Stafford hurt: ‘We got our pride crushed today’ ]

They questioned his athleticism. They questioned why he didn’t start every game at Michigan. And every team but the Patriots, passed on Brady.

That’s something to remember, as the Lions prepare to enter an offseason in which they need to draft a quarterback.

Forget about Trevor Lawrence — the Lions have no shot at getting him.

But other prospects will be dissected and questioned.

Some will doubt the arm strength of Ohio State’s Justin Fields. Others will discount North Dakota State’s Trey Lance for the level of competition he faced in college.

They will find problems with the risky tendencies of BYU’s Zach Wilson.

Or they will find fault with the mobility and arm strength of Florida’s Kyle Trask.

Others will question Alabama’s Mac Jones: “Of course he’s good, look at the talent ‘Bama has.”

So remember that, over the next few months.

Remember how people discounted Brady.

The Lions should be looking for a quarterback who is tough and smart, makes great decisions and is accurate, and is a fierce competitor and leader.

But there is something else. Something that can’t be measured at an NFL combine. The it factor.

And that’s what Brady has, more than anything.

It’s the thing that makes a quarterback become the G.O.A.T. and lifts an artist to greatness. That’s what the Lions should be searching to find. Of course, it’s also the hardest thing to find. And sometimes, when you are in its presence, you just have to sit back and appreciate it.

Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @seideljeff. To read his recent columns, go to freep.com/sports/jeff-seidel.