QB perspective on what to watch with Brady

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is expected to participate in front of media members at Thursday's organized team activity (11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.), and with this in mind, I called two former quarterbacks to ask them the question: "Having played the position, what would you be looking for from Brady in practice?"

Jim Miller, a backup for the Patriots in 2004 and now an analyst for Sirius NFL Radio, explained that the left leg is the "guide leg" for a right-handed quarterback. If a quarterback's mechanics are sound, his left toe will be pointed in the direction of the target to whom he is throwing.

So keeping an eye on that left toe and if Brady is overcompensating in any form is one area to watch.

Former Patriots backup quarterback Scott Zolak added that "everything with the throwing motion starts with the left toe, left foot."

Although the right leg is the right-handed quarterback's plant leg -- and that generates power in throws -- Miller noted that there will be certain times that Brady will have to push off his left leg, such as on stretch plays to the right. So another area to watch is whether the Patriots have any stretch plays in 7 on 7 work for Brady to test his left leg.

Zolak has watched Brady closely and feels that his ability to shuffle in the pocket is a top asset. He said that would be another good area to take note of at practice.

Also, Zolak described how a quarterback shifts his balance as part of a throwing motion, which is something he's curious to watch with Brady.

"He'll be coming forward on that [left] leg, he doesn't want to be throwing off his back foot," Zolak said. "If you come back too early [from injury], sometimes you can develop bad habits. That happened with Drew [Bledsoe] when he hurt his off shoulder, he started throwing sidearm a bit. Tom has a real descriptive throwing motion, he really comes through the ball, follows through with his hand, his right foot comes up in the air and his left leg is bent. So I think a big thing for him is that weight transfer, from the right to the left."