Tom Brady Explains “The Chess Game” in Football That Makes it Unique From Other Sports

Football is as much a game of strategy, as it is of physical strength. Coordination and cooperation are the name of the game. And one of the best field generals to ever grace the gridiron, Tom Brady, thinks so too, likening the game to chess.

For more than 2 decades, Brady showcased field awareness that has been a masterclass for other QBs. While some sports are reactionary like soccer and basketball, football has elaborate set pieces, he detailed. What sets football apart from other games, according to him, is the strategizing and each piece having a pre-decided set purpose. He explained to Colin Cowherd,

“That’s what the beautiful part about the sport is that’s the chess game in football. It’s not checkers it’s not soccer where everything’s reaction. It’s not hockey, it’s not basketball they’re all set pieces there’s a play.”

And when it came to his own position, Brady likened the QB to the player who moves the chess pieces around. Citing the examples of field generals that he saw growing up, like Don Marino and John Elway, and his contemporaries like Peyton Manning and Drew Brees, he explained how good field generals are able to maneuver all their pieces in an effective manner.

As QBs, he says, their jobs were always to read and break the defenses of the other teams. Going even further, Brady explained the mindset of a QB through one of his best plays against Chicago.

How Tom Brady Strategized and Improvised

Tom Brady is the quintessential example of how a QB’s mindset should be. The best example was a game he played against the Chicago Bears in the blistering cold. Throwing in the cold has always been one of Brady’s strengths and it reflected in his mindset while they were setting up a play just before half-time. A suggestion that came from the staff was to pull a play that would draw the score. However, Brady persevered and made a field call to go for a play that would bring a full-blown touchdown.

Brady refused to make the safe play because, in that situation, his field general awareness kicked in and ensured that he would make the right play. And this incident encompasses what it means to be a QB. Brady’s attitude to read a situation correctly on the field to bring about the optimum outcome, at the end of the is what being a field general means.