Of all the aspects of life Tom Brady at which excels, his quick release from the pocket ranks high.
The quarterback's rapid trigger was in prime form in the Patriots' Divisional Round win. NFL Media Research charted Brady at 2.18 seconds from snap to release versus the Kansas City Chiefs. Others had him even quicker, at 1.9 seconds on his 42 passes. Brady averaged 2.28 seconds from snap to throw during the regular season.
That quick-pass attack helps nullify an opponent's pass rush.
"You said two seconds? Sometimes I only need like one," Broncos linebacker Von Miller said chuckling Thursday, via CSN New England. "It's quick. We have to be tight in the secondary. That little window that we get, we-me, DeMarcus (Ware), (Derek) Wolfe and Malik (Jackson) -- have to get there. Shaq (Barrett), everybody, we just have to get there. This is one of those games where you can't make excuses. We have to get our hands up, bat some balls down and we just have to get there, plain and simple."
DeMarcus Ware, who didn't play in the Week 12 matchup with the Pats, admitted getting off the ball a tick quicker is key versus Brady
"It means that I have to get off the ball a little quicker and I need to get to him in 1.8 seconds, to be honest with you," Ware said.
In that Week 12 meeting, the Broncos sacked Brady three times and held the quarterback under 300 yards.
"If he's getting the ball off in 1.9 seconds, nobody is ever going to get to him," he admitted. "You can see that from the Kansas City game, in which they had Tamba Hali and they had (Justin) Houston and they still couldn't get there. You have to be able to have those corners to buy you just a little more time to get to him."
The Broncos have the corners to take away Brady's first read, but Chris Harris Jr.'s shoulder injury could be a key factor in Denver's ability to slow Julian Edelman and the Pats' quick-pass attack.
