Brady 'As Ready As I Can Possibly Be' For Patriots Opener
BOSTON (CBS) - New England Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady looks, and is now saying, he's finally in game mode.
All training camp, the reigning NFL MVP said he felt behind. On Wednesday, Tom Terrific said he was ready.
"I'm as ready as I can possibly be," said Brady, who threw 36 touchdowns with only four interceptions in 2010. "I think everyone's put in a lot of work over the last six weeks to get to this point. We've moved on from the preseason and I think that getting prepared for a regular-season week has been a lot of fun for the guys."
Tom Brady Ready For NFL Season
"There's certainly a different urgency in the air," he added. "The guys are excited to watch a lot of film on these guys and have a pretty good understanding of what they do well and the things that we're going to try to take advantage of."
Monday's opener against the Dolphins will give the Patriots a better evaluation to gauge where they are at. Practice over the next couple of days will be the key, and #12 stresses the value of practicing with consistency.
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"I think we've been a little bit inconsistent over the preseason, we're trying to get a lot of things straightened out," said Brady. "Look, we haven't had a ton of practices and that's where the inconsistencies come up. That's why we're going out to work on these things. We're a long way from figuring out we're we are going to be. I'm sure every week we're going to improve if we keep working hard at it. But we've only been together for five or six weeks. I'm sure we'll do some things good and there will be things we need to correct. Hopefully we do enough to win."
With all the new faces on the team, it is no surprise the team has taken time to come together on the field.
"The way that you mesh is being together and playing, making mistakes and correcting mistakes, so there are usually not a lot of mistakes with guys that you've played with for five for six years. There are still mistakes because things come up and the other team makes good plays, but as the season goes on, hopefully you make less and less mistakes," he said.
"By the time the ball is snapped on Monday night, we're all hopefully going to be on the same page, doing the things that we need to do consistently to get the ball in the end zone, because offensive football, you need to make very consistent plays in order to sustain drives and get the ball in the end zone. If you don't do that, then you're not going to score points. If you don't score points, you lose the game," said Brady.
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The Patriots open the season Monday night in Miami, a place that has given Brady problems in the past. He is 12-6 for his career against the Dolphins, but just 4-5 in Miami.
"It's always a tough place to play. We've had our struggles down there. We've had some great wins, but we play them at the beginning of the year and at the end of the year, and it always seems to be a tough place to play," he said. "It's a division rival. They put a lot into the game, we put a lot into the game, and it's going to be fun – a fun way to start the year."
Tune in to the Patriots season opener at 7pm Monday night on 98.5 The Sports Hub with pregame coverage beginning at 4pm. After the game, tune in to the Postgame show on 98.5, and to Patriots Fifth Quarter on TV38.
