When the Patriots are rolling on offense, the game looks more like basketball than football.
By turning up the tempo, Brady can find and exploit weaknesses in the defense — and force them to stay that way.
As Deadspin writer Chris Brown detailed:
Modern defenses want to match offenses in terms of strength and speed via personnel substitutions. They also want to confuse offenses with movement and disguise. The up-tempo no-huddle stymies those defensive options.
The defense doesn't have time to substitute, and it's also forced to show its hand: It can't disguise or shift because the quarterback can snap the ball and take advantage of some obvious, structural weakness.
And when the defense is forced to reveal itself, Tom Brady can change into a better play. The upshot of this tactic: Brady, of all people, sees defenses that are simpler than those most other NFL quarterbacks go up against.
Like with the six-receiver play against the Ravens on Jan. 10, the no-huddle strategy is an example of Belichick capitalizing on the structure of the game itself.