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New England Patriots Links 6/13/11 - Tom Brady Deals With Grim News About Mentor Tom Martinez

By Marima

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Peter King speaks with Tom Brady following the grim news about his quarterback mentor.

"There is no one who knows more about throwing the football than Tom. And no one has meant more to me when it comes to throwing the football than Tom."

"We've been trying to get together this offseason for a session, and finally we met last Sunday at an indoor facility in San Carlos. We spent two hours there. He analyzed what I was doing, just like always. And when I got in the car with my dad afterward, I said to him, 'It's unbelievable how much he knows -- how much he helps me.'"

"That,'' Brady said of his Blackberry tool, "is a collection of 16 years of what I've learned from Tom. It's my guide to stay right with my mechanics.'' Said Brady: "Every time you step on the field, whether there's weather, whether you're on the road, where you've got a big pass-rush coming, it always comes down to mechanics. He instilled in me the importance of doing things the right way, every time.''

"There's so many people I owe so much to -- high school, college and the NFL,'' he said. "But he is right at the top of the list. Second to none. He never held back with me. Even when I was going good, he'd watch me and call me and say something like, 'Your feet are way too slow in the shotgun. Speed it up!' or 'When you throw to your right, close your right shoulder.'

"I just can't say enough about him, and what he's meant to me. When I heard how serious it was the other night, I was there in bed with my wife, and it was just a sad moment. Very tough on his family, and on ours.''

Mike Reiss reports Logan Mankins ranks No. 39 on the NFLN Top 100 players poll, with Bill Belichick as his presenter.  Here's what Bill really thinks of Mankins.

1. "There are tough players and then there are the super tough guys. I’d say Mankins would go into that [second] category. Both physically and mentally, he’s as tough as they come."

2. "You could honestly pick out any one of 30 plays of him in any game and find him really dominating guys."

3. "He played left tackle at Fresno State. He made the move inside right away and became an immediate starter for us from the first preseason game, the first year he’s out there. He’s been our most durable and consistent performer on the offensive line for several years."

4. "With a quarterback like Tom Brady, who needs to step up into the pocket, who likes to step up into the pocket, there has to be somewhere to step up into. Logan does a great job of that, of staying firm on the line of scrimmage and not getting driven back, so that Tom can step up and avoid the rush and make the throw. That’s a big part of the passing game. That’s a big part of Tom’s passing game. Logan is a big part of that."

5. "I think Logan is really a force in the running game because he's able to play with great leverage and power, and get movement. A lot of plays that run to our left side, you see him getting push at the line of scrimmage and creating seams for the back. He's also a very good puller, and a lot of plays to the right, he ends up pulling around and leading the runner through the hole. A lot of times Logan is at the point of attack in the running game regardless of where the play is called."

6. "I think guard is really a tough position to play. It's a very challenging position, but Logan has the skill set and the mentality and toughness to do it on a play after play, down after down, week after week basis."

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