Former Seattle Seahawks defensive end Patrick Kerney has been credited with saying, “The hardest thing about getting to Brady is his quick release. We wanted to pressure him, but you can't sack the quarterback when he doesn't have the ball. He did a good job of getting rid of it.”

Kerney is correct in his assessment: A quick release is one of the greatest assets that Tom Brady (or any quarterback) can possess.

However, the last time most of us watched Brady was in the AFC Championship Game in Denver. During that contest, Brady found himself getting hit more times in a single game than any other quarterback in the league all year. By the end of the contest Brady had been hit a whopping 20 times.

Just days before the game, journalists wrote articles marveling at Brady’s quick release. Even Super Bowl MVP Von Miller recognized the difficulty of defending against his quick release.

Miller was quoted by the BSN Denver as saying, “Sometimes he doesn’t even need an offensive line. It’s just that connection with  Rob Gronkowski, the connection with Julian Edelman and with Danny Amendola and all of the receivers that he has is just instantaneous. It’s just, ‘Hut,’ and boom, pass right now. Half of the time, he doesn’t even need a pass protection. He’s doing most of it himself.”

So what happened to Brady’s vaunted quick release against the Broncos last January?

Brady did not just play against the best defensive unit in the league, but he was also unknowingly undermined by his own teammate.

Throughout the game, Patriots center Bryan Stork unwittingly tipped the snap. Multiple times Stork could be seen bobbing his head just prior to snapping the ball, which allowed the speedy Broncos to anticipate the snap and get perfect jumps.

Even Tom Brady’s quick release couldn't save him from his own teammate.  

Interestingly, this drill is very similar to one that Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh considers his favorite quick release drills.

Purpose of the Drill:

The purpose of this drill is to over-exaggerate the quick release of a quarterback by throwing multiple bubble screens in a row.

Drill Setup:

Place a coach, manager or fellow quarterback on a knee with approximately five footballs that are close enough for the person to quickly grab.

One yard way and directly across from the kneeling person, the quarterback should be in normal shotgun stance as if he is preparing to receive the snap.

Key Coaching Points:

The kneeling person will play the part of the center and will throw one ball at a time to the quarterback, which mimics a shotgun snap.

Once the ball has been received, the quarterback will quickly locate the laces and grip the ball correctly while adjusting his feet to quickly deliver the ball as if throwing a bubble screen pass.

Directly after the initial ball has been thrown, the quarterback should reset to his normal shotgun snap position. At the same time, the kneeling person should immediately shotgun snap the second ball to the quarterback.

Once again, the quarterback will quickly find the correct grip on the ball, adjust his feet and fire a bubble screen pass.

This should be repeated in rapid succession until all of the balls have been thrown.

Coaches should consistently evaluate and reinforce proper mechanics and quick release of the quarterback throughout the duration of the drill.

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Photo courtesy of MiamiDolphins.com