Arguably, no one is more proficient at cutting a football through the wind than Tom Brady. The legendary future Hall of Fame quarterback made his reputation by throwing perfect, accurate passes in the harsh New England wind every January for roughly two decades. These days, of course, he’s starting to shine for Fox as a color commentator on its No. 1 NFL broadcast team (while also weirdly cloning his dogs).
Brady’s extensive experience performing in inclement weather made him the perfect person to discuss what it takes to throw a good football in the wind during Sunday’s NFC Wild Card Game in Philadelphia. With winds reportedly swirling at a consistent 13-15 miles per hour all night, it made it imperative that both quarterbacks involved, the Philadelphia Eagles’ Jalen Hurts and the San Francisco 49ers’ Brock Purdy, make a concerted effort to beat the wind with proper throwing mechanics.
The wind also prompted the Fox network to have Brady, who was announcing the game alongside play-by-play person Kevin Burkhardt, explain how to throw footballs well through the wind in layperson’s terms. Let me say that he did a fantastic job while incorporating a small measure of science and physics.
I feel so much more informed:
I never thought about how the position of the ball when you release it would matter in the wind, but Brady’s logic makes perfect sense. You want the ball in a place where it can cut through the gusts, not have its trajectory potentially influenced by them with an underhand placement. I immediately feel a lot smarter as a football fan as a result.
Count another great win for Brady as a broadcaster with this illuminating playoff sequence.
