#Patriots ‘better off without’ Tom Brady: Ex-teammate Christian Fauria

Former Patriot Christian Fauria knows what a Tom Brady-led offense is capable of after being part of them for four seasons, but the retired tight end believes this New England team will benefit from the future Hall of Famer moving on.

“They’re better off without him,” Fauria told WEEI Thursday. “Can I tell you why? And it has nothing to do with Brady’s skill set. It’s not because he’s not good or he can’t throw it or he’s lost some speed on his fastball. It’s because where he was in his career, his age, what he wanted to achieve and what the Patriots were trying to achieve were completely different. So it was never going to work out. They were never going to see eye to eye.

“This offense is not going to be able to move forward with Brady as the quarterback, not because he sucks. Those throwaways were important. It’s because he wasn’t willing to adapt. There’s the difference. He wasn’t willing to let N’Keal Harry grow.”

It appears Fauria’s reasoning for the Patriots being “better off” without Brady is because the four-time Super Bowl MVP wasn’t willing to wait for Harry, a 2019 first-round pick, to develop. The 42-year-old Brady, a six-time Super Bowl champion, left the Patriots this offseason to sign a two-year, $50 million contract with the Buccaneers.

Fauria also said Brady “doesn’t want his stats being messed with and won’t throw interceptions,” so he wouldn’t be aggressive throwing to Harry.

“This year. Right now, the offense is better off without Tom Brady,” Fauria, who also played for the Seahawks, Redskins and Panthers during a 13-year career in the NFL, continued. “They are better off without him this year, yes.”

However, Fauria doesn’t appear to be a fan of the Patriots’ projected starting quarterback for this upcoming season, 2019 fourth-round pick Jarrett Stidham.

“I don’t think Stidham is a good quarterback,” he said.