The Tom Brady were seeing in 2016 isnt at all like the one we were expecting, but maybe we shouldnt be surprised.Popular opinion pushed Brady projections after he missed the first four games of the season into two camps. The pessimistic camp saw a 39-year-old quarterback who would be coming off an abbreviated training camp and a four-week absence from football and reasonably expected Brady to be rusty. The optimistic side expected Brady to be a vengeful, hyperaggressive gunner, something more akin to the screw you Brady of 2007 -- throwing deep into the fourth quarter and racking up points against desperately overmatched competition.In reality, the Brady of 2016 is neither of those guys. He certainly hasnt been rusty, and while hes been wildly effective, there hasnt been a real hint of venom to his performance so far. Against a series of average-or-worse defenses per DVOA, Brady has been extremely efficient. Theres a reason Rex Ryan said that he has [never] seen Brady this hot, after Sundays 41-25 thumping of the Bills in Buffalo. Brady doesnt appear angry, but he does appear close to untouchable.And so the questions mount. Is this as good as he has been, and is he going where no QB his age has gone before? And when all is said and done, is he an MVP??Is this the best Tom Brady weve ever seen?If its not the best four-game stretch Brady has ever put together, it isnt far off. What he has done over the first four games of his 2016 season has been scary: Brady is 98-of-134 for a 73.1 completion percentage, throwing for 1,319 yards and averaging 9.84 yards per attempt. He leads all qualifying passers in both of those rate statistics. Perhaps most impressively (albeit unsurprisingly): Brady has thrown 12 touchdowns without an interception.In all, Brady has posted a passer rating of 133.9 through four games. 133.9! Thats unreal. We would say those are video game numbers, but if the game was that easy, you would raise the difficulty level because it almost wouldnt be fun if you were that good. To compare, you can split Bradys career up into 181 four-game stretches without crossing over seasons. Theres some overlap because Brady put together two incredible six-game runs, but of those 181 four-game stretches, Brady posted a passer rating higher than 133.9 just seven times:During the first four weeks of the 2007 season, when Bradys connection with Randy Moss and Wes Welker in a newly spread-happy Patriots attack took defenses by surprise.Three different times from Weeks 5 through 11 of the 2007 season, as what was then regarded as the greatest offense in NFL history hit its peak around New Englands Week 10 bye. Brady peaked with a 138.9 rating during that stretch, culminating in a 56-10 win over these same Bills. The Pats averaged 41.1 points through that Bills game and a much more reasonable 29.7 points per game afterward.Three more times during a stretch from Weeks 10 through 15 of the 2010 season, when Brady followed up a 20-point loss in Cleveland to Eric Manginis Browns by going 6-0 and throwing for 1,735 yards with 17 touchdowns against zero picks in a six-game span, peaking with a 138.6 passer rating.QBR only exists through the 2006 campaign, but given how Bradys numbers took a dramatic leap during the 2007 season, its safe to use it as a comparison here as well. It agrees with passer rating. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Brady posted 96.4 QBR during a four-game stretch from Weeks 7 through 11 of the 2007 season, which is just absurd; it suggests that an average team with an average defense and average luck would win 96.4 percent of the time if it had a quarterback playing like Brady under center.Brady also had a stretch with a 92.9 QBR that season, and two consecutive 2010 four-game runs with a 92.1 QBR, all of which are adjusted for quality of competition. Through four games this year, Brady has posted a 91.6 QBR, which is the fifth-best run of his professional career. Brady has averaged 11.6 adjusted yards per attempt (AY/A) through these four games; he has had only three previous stretches in his career with a better AY/A -- and they were all in 2010.No matter what broad measure of quarterback play you use, the results are roughly the same: Were looking at one of the best quarter-seasons of Bradys career, and its almost certainly the best stretch since the 2010 season, when Rob Gronkowski was a rookie and only became the fourth option in the passing attack once the Patriots traded Moss away in midseason. Just eight Patriots from that team are on the 2016 roster. Its been awhile since Brady was this great.How is he different from the Brady of the recent past?The biggest difference is volume, which may very well be influencing Bradys efficiency. He may be more effective than he has been in years because Brady is throwing less frequently than he typically would. Brady has thrown 134 passes during his first four games this year, an average of 33.5 passes per contest. Thats remarkably low for the future Hall of Famer: The only previous four-game stretches in which his attempt totals were that low include runs from 2014, including the Chiefs game (in which Brady was removed in the fourth quarter for his own safety behind a porous offensive line) and the final four weeks of 2014 and 2015, when Brady took limited snaps in Week 17.2010 is really the last time the Patriots put this little stress on Brady. He has averaged 616 pass attempts per 16 games over the past five years and never posted fewer than 582 passes over that span. If Brady averaged 33.5 pass attempts per game over a full 16-game season, he would hit 536 tries. You might imagine that low total is due to the fact that the Patriots are blowing teams out and just running the ball more frequently, but they were beating other teams up and still throwing the ball a ton in years past.The answer is more complex. First, they are definitely running the ball more frequently in passing situations. From 2013 to 2015, on first-and-10, Bradys Patriots threw the ball 53.1 percent of the time, the eighth-highest rate in the league. This year, since Bradys return to the lineup, theyre throwing the ball on only 45.5 percent of first-and-10 plays, which ranks 24th.The Patriots are also operating at a slower tempo than they did under Belichick and Josh McDaniels in years past. From 2013 to 2015, again with Brady at the helm, they used 26.6 seconds of possession per play, which was the third-highest rate in the league behind the Eagles and Jaguars. This year, since Bradys return, theyve run a play once every 28.3 seconds of possession, which is right around the league average (28.4). Theyre slower and more methodical, but when Brady throws, hes staggeringly effective.By emphasizing the run, the Patriots also may have opened up an avenue which seemed lost and should terrify opposing teams: Brady suddenly has been able to throw downfield again this year. Hes throwing downfield about as frequently as he has in years past, but this year those throws are far more effective. From 2013 to 2015, on throws which traveled 16 or more yards in the air (the NFLs definition of a deep pass), Bradys 80.0 passer rating was only good for 22nd in the league, while his 76.5 QBR was a similarly middling 23rd. Brady completed just 38.3 percent of his deep throws for 17 touchdowns against 13 picks.In 2016, Brady has been nearly flawless on those same passes. He has thrown only 21 of them so far, but his QBR on those deep throws is a nice, neat 100 (a perfect QBR score). Brady is 13-of-21 on those passes for 521 yards with four touchdowns and zero picks. He has posted a 145.3 passer rating on those attempts. Nobody in the league has been better on deep passes this season than Brady, to which Chris Hogan can attest. Most 39-year-olds dont pick up fading arm strength and return the deep pass to their repertoire. And hey, speaking of age ...Has anybody Bradys age ever played this well?The short answer is no. The vast majority of Hall of Fame-caliber quarterbacks were done by their age-39 season. Peyton Manning just finished his age-39 campaign and was suddenly a sub-replacement quarterback, albeit one who was dragged by his defense to a Super Bowl title. Dan Marino, Joe Montana, Steve Young and Kurt Warner retired at 38. Johnny Unitas and Sonny Jurgensen were part-timers.There are only three quarterbacks in league history who have started 10 games or more during their age-39 season, as Brady likely will if he stays healthy. One was Doug Flutie, who split time with Drew Brees and threw more interceptions than touchdowns for the 2001 Chargers. The second was Brett Favre, who was playing his lone year (2008) in New York with the Jets and threw as many interceptions (22) as touchdowns in a frustrating, injury-affected season.The best age-39 passer was Warren Moon, who racked up numbers for the Vikings. Moon led the league in completions and threw 33 touchdowns against 14 picks while posting a 115 AY/A+ (in which league average is 100). Brady, through four weeks, has?posted a 159 AY/A+. Moon played well and made the Pro Bowl, but nobody was suggesting he was the best quarterback in football. Bradys quite clearly in that discussion.Is he the best quarterback in football right now?Not only is Brady the best quarterback in the league, but I dont think its particularly close. Ill get to the idea of which quarterback has accumulated the most value in a bit, but in terms of rate statistics, Bradys significantly ahead of all other qualifying passers in every major category:Ive seen arguments suggesting that Bradys performance should be taken with a grain of salt by virtue of the players around him and the success of Jimmy Garoppolo earlier this season, and thats just nuts. Garoppolo did have a similarly impressive QBR, but Bradys rate statistics are otherwise well ahead of Garoppolos in the backups two starts earlier this year.In addition, it shouldnt seem like a coincidence that the offense has clicked even more with Brady at the helm. Hes being pressured quite frequently -- 32.2 percent of the time, with just four passers bothered more often -- but Bradys taking an average of only 2.35 seconds to get the ball out for a safe throw, which is the sixth-quickest rate in football. Some fans suggest that Brady needs Gronkowski ambulatory to succeed, but it also should be pointed out how Gronk immediately got going once Brady returned to the lineup.After the game, despite torching the Bills for 109 yards and a touchdown, Gronk didnt receive any praise from the Bills defense:?One player said that Gronk needed Brady to unlock the massive tight ends size for mismatches while another suggested that Martellus Bennett was the better tight end of the two. Sour grapes, perhaps, but Brady and Gronkowski do certainly make one another better without pushing either into some sort of fraud category.Should he be in the running/a favorite for league MVP?Lets finish with this one, because I think its fascinating. Ill get into the other candidates in a week or two, but when I ran through MVP choices at the beginning of October for my quarter-season awards, my pick was Matt Ryan. Ryans now second to Brady in many rate categories and, by virtue of having played eight games, leads the league in passing yards (2,636) and passing touchdowns (19). Ryans the quarterback for an undeniably successful team with an 80.3 percent chance of making the playoffs, per ESPNs Football Power Index.Chase Stuart of Football Perspective wrote about the idea of winning an award despite?failing to play a full slate because of an injury or suspension. The only player to win the APs Most Valuable Player award while missing a notable amount of time was Joe Montana in 1989, who played 13 games and still managed to get the nod. (It helped that Steve Young happened to be the backup in San Francisco at the time.)Montana was head-and-shoulders above the pack that year: He completed 70.2 percent of his passes when nobody else was above 63 percent, averaged 9.1 yards per throw when nobody else was above 8.3, and finished 20 points ahead of everyone else in passer rating. No other competitive player emerged, as the top running backs were in a narrow battle, while the top receiver was Jerry Rice, who was overseen for his quarterback. Chris Doleman had 21 sacks but didnt receive serious MVP consideration, apparently. And, crucially, the 49ers went 11-2 in Montanas starts and finished 14-2 in a league in which only one other team won as many as 12 games. They were clearly the best team in football.Could Brady and the Patriots fit that bill? Absolutely.Theres no obvious counter candidate at a different position. Running backs are less important than ever before, and Ezekiel Elliott is more likely to be an Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate. Theres no otherworldly defender like J.J. Watt suiting up this season, while there are so many incredible wide receivers that it would be almost impossible to vote for, say, Julio Jones over Antonio Brown and A.J. Green.The dominant leads in various rate statistics are already in play, as I mentioned earlier, if Brady can keep them up over the course of the season. He might also need the Patriots to stand out as the best team in football, which is hardly likely to be a problem. The Pats have the the leagues best record at 7-1, and with the AFC East looking limited at best, New England has a far easier path to postseason comforts. The Football Power Index gives the Patriots a staggering 78.8 percent chance of coming away with the top seed in the AFC.The FPI also gives the Patriots a 9.9% chance of running the table, which would likely create an irresistible case for Brady. The Patriots would finish the year at 15-1, and Brady would have gone 12-0 as the teams starter. If Brady also led the league in every meaningful quarterback rate statistic, theres no way the electorate would vote for somebody else. Even if voters are typically exhausted of giving the award to prior winners and dont want to read or write another article about Deflategate, Brady would be too valuable of a passer to ignore.He was gone, but after one month, Bradys service has been more than restored. It has been upgraded. http://www.authenticshoptitans.com/eric-decker-jersey/ . The 20-year-old Pelicans big man glanced up and smiled widely at the well-wishers -- a fitting end to a day he wont soon forget. Davis responded to his selection earlier in the day as a Western Conference All-Star with 26 points and 10 rebounds, and the New Orleans Pelicans overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves 98-91 on Friday night. http://www.authenticshoptitans.com/hats/ . The home side created most of the chances but struggled to break down Braunschweigs resilient defence, resulting in the Bundesligas 1,000th scoreless draw. http://www.authenticshoptitans.com/daquan-jones-jersey/ . But by the time the game started, the Toronto Raptors forward felt even worse. And, for three quarters, it showed as Gay shot a woeful three-for-13 from the field. http://www.authenticshoptitans.com/corey-davis-jersey/ . The Redskins announced Monday that the quarterback who led the team to the Super Bowl championship in the 1987 season will serve as a personnel executive. http://www.authenticshoptitans.com/eddie-george-jersey/ . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt said he hit it off quickly with Ruston Webster when interviewing for the job Friday night. PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns veterans are sometimes forgotten on a team with several players in their teens and early 20s. It was experienced players who made the difference Wednesday night, though.Brandon Knight scored 23 points off the bench and Phoenix reserves combined for 54 as the Suns held off the slumping Atlanta Hawks 109-107 thanks to a key fourth-quarter run.Jared Dudley and P.J. Tucker added 17 points apiece for the Suns, who had lost four of five. Leandro Barbosa made three important baskets in the fourth.Thats what we need from them, is stability, Phoenix coach Earl Watson said. Our young guys are going to have ups and downs, trying to make it as consistent as possible.Eric Bledsoes bank shot with 28.4 seconds left gave the Suns a 104-99 lead and all but sealed Atlantas fourth consecutive defeat. Bledsoe, who shot 5 for 17 from the field, pounded the scorers table in celebration.Eric claims he called bank on the shot. I dont believe it, Watson said with a smile.Barbosa made baskets on three straight possessions midway through the fourth to give Phoenix an 89-84 advantage, part of an 11-0 run.I like that, Barbosa said. Thats what were supposed to do. Were supposed to show some things to these guys. Hopefully I give some spark to the team and some energy.The Hawks cut it to 96-95 with 2:50 to play on Thabo Sefoloshas 17-footer, but Phoenix held on. Dennis Schroder scored 14 of his career-high 31 points in the fourth.Kent Bazemore had 22 points, Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 21 and Dwight Howard added 17 points with 14 rebounds for Atlanta.We are playing the right way, trying to do the right things, but we just cant get it to go our way, Bazemore said.The Suns turned a five-point deficit at the 5:12 mark of the first quarter into a 36-27 lead to start the second.Knight scored 14 points in 5 minutes off the bench in the first quarter and Tucker had nine -- seven in the first 2 minutes of the game.The Suns took a 47-33 lead, their largest of the game, when Tucker scored and made a free throw in the second quarter. But the Hawks responded, going on a 10-0 run over the final 2:37 of the period. Hardaway hit two 3-pointers and flew in for a dunk during that stretch, finishing the first half with 12 points.The teams tradeed leads for about 4 minutes of the third quarter before the Suns ended it with a 77-75 lead.dddddddddddd.We just didnt get that stop that we needed to in the last couple of minutes and we didnt get the basket, Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said.You never feel good when you have a tough road trip and you have lost a few in a row, but I think we are looking forward going home.TIP-INSHawks: F Paul Millsap was held out with a left hip injury, and F/C Tiago Splitter (right calf strain) also did not play. Mike Muscala started in Millsaps place. ... The Hawks shot 10 free throws to 25 for the Suns. ... Hardaway was knocked into the scorers table chasing down a loose ball in the fourth quarter but stayed in the game.Suns: F T.J. Warren (minor head injury) did not play and has missed the past six games. ... Dudley crashed to the floor in front of the Suns bench after a hard foul on Sefolosha in the third quarter, but got up and made two of three free throws right afterward.DUDLEY DOES JOKESDudley made sure Tucker was within earshot in the locker room when responding to a question about the veterans playing well. P.J. started it off, he hit a couple of pull-up jumpers, which he hasnt done since Texas, Dudley said, referring to Tuckers college days.BLEDSOES BURDENBledsoe had earlier expressed that its his fault the Suns are not winning much, despite his most recent stretch of five games before Wednesday in which he averaged 26 points, seven rebounds and 6.6 assists. Phoenix had one win in that span. Bledsoe takes a lot of things to heart, Watson said. Hes very purposeful with his words. ... Its going to be transparent. We understand Bleds purpose, and his commitment to this team is second to none.BUDENHOLZERS BACKBudenholzer is from Holbrook, Arizona, a town of around 5,000 about 185 miles northeast of Phoenix. He wasnt expecting a big turnout of townsfolk Wednesday night, citing a midweek game after a holiday and no bus service.UP NEXTHawks: Host the Detroit Pistons on Friday night and play three of the next four at home.Suns: At the Golden State Warriors on Saturday, the first of a two-game road trip. Wholesale Hoodies NFL Shirts Outlet Jerseys NFL Wholesale Cheap NFL Jerseys Free Shipping Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Cheap NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '