Kansas City Chiefs’ Frank Clark explains why Tom Brady is more elusive than he looks
Tom Brady is not a fast quarterback.
And yet, Kansas City Chiefs pass rusher Frank Clark thinks Brady is one of the most elusive scramblers in the NFL.
How can this be? Clark has a theory.
“He’s got these shoulders,” Clark said. “Have you ever seen Tom Brady’s shoulders when he is in the pocket? You need to go watch the video. His shoulders are crazy sometimes. He’s 43 and I’ve got nothing against a player in that age range, but for him to be able to move his shoulders like that after playing in the league for 20 years is amazing.”
So much so that Clark said he has regular conversations about Brady’s sack-evading skills with fellow Chiefs defender Chris Jones.
In one of their most recent matchups against Brady, there was a play in which it appeared Jones was perfectly positioned to bring down Brady behind the line of scrimmage only for him to miss in embarrassing fashion.
“He shimmied his shoulders in some kind of way and Chris completely missed him,” Clark said. “He got up and was like, ‘Man, I don’t know how I missed Tom Brady.’”
That makes Kansas City’s game Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV a unique challenge for Clark and every other member of the Chiefs’ front seven.
Instead of going up against mobile, athletic quarterbacks like Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson and Deshaun Watson who sprint out of the pocket and force pass rushers to chase them down in the open field, they must now corral a steely veteran like Brady who knows every trick about dodging tackles without leaving the pocket.
“He’s not an escape artist,” Clark said, “but, honestly, sometimes he is as good as Deshaun Watson, and I think Deshaun Watson is the best.”
Clark has recorded eight sacks this season, including two last week against the Bills. But he came up empty against Brady when the Chiefs played the Buccaneers in November.
He has a plan for more success this time around.
“You have just got to be a dog and fight for everything you do,” Clark said. “You just have to go out there and do it to the best of your ability, because Tom Brady knows what time it is. It’s the Super Bowl and he’s won more of those than anybody else.”
This story was originally published February 3, 2021 at 3:12 PM.