The New England Patriots continue to rely on 40-year-old Tom Brady for quarterbacking duties, though the hits are piling up ridiculously fast. Although the Super Bowl MVP believes he can take it and play for more years, getting sacked more than normal could put him down. If that happens, the Pats could be left in a serious predicament.

According to ESPN, Brady has been hit 19 times, 10 of them sacks. The report adds that the last time the Pats star player had this much sacks was in 2006. That was a 17-7 loss to the Denver Broncos though the stats of that game were inaccurate.

Apparently, the interpretation of hits is up for debate. This 2017-18 NFL season, the hits are for real. Most are significant and the issue on how fast he can recover from them has been raised. At his age, the healing period is expected to slow down. With those factored in, should the Pats consider picking out the games where he would be fielded in?

Brady does not mind the hits

Brady has been known to fend off such issues. Last July, his wife Giselle Bundchen revealed that her husband suffered a concussion last season. Knowing how tough Brady was, the 40-year-old did comment on those but hardly made an accurate confirmation of the claim, NFL.com reported.

The NFL has no records of Brady having a concussion last season.

Brady’s agent Don Yee also added that there was no diagnosis of a concussion for his client. The issue is left afloat, though Bundchen seems to be in a better position to figure out when his husband is sore or suffering from something.

Hits will find their target

Hits and sacks are normal in the NFL. No one is excluded, including Tom Brady.

Being a primetime quarterback, it hardly comes as a surprise that hitting or taking him out is a directive to foil the Pats' game plan. The hits and sacks are not meant to intentionally hurt any NFL player, but there is no telling how hard these would be and rushers will always be out to do their job – even against a 40-year-old player.

Being the warrior that he is, Brady is ready to take those hits. He will not complain and will play each game for as long as he is called by Bill Belichick to do so. Would it be better to handpick the games where he would play? Decision-making will play a crucial role to determine when Brady is fielded in. New England could turn to another promising quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo, for other games and give Brady a bit of a break. Brady is great but once the hits take their toll, he may be unavailable for games where he is needed the most.