Tom Brady Not Frustrated By Success Of Cooks, Amendola Outside Of Foxboro
BOSTON (CBS) -- It's been a frustrating start to the season for Tom Brady and the New England offense, as the quarterback and his group of receivers struggle to get on the same page.
To make matters worse, the receivers who left New England during the offseason are enjoying success elsewhere. Brandin Cooks, traded to the Rams for a first-round pick, has been phenomenal in his first four games with Los Angeles, making 26 catches for 452 yards and a touchdown. That touchdown was a beauty too, a 47-yard bomb from Jared Goff in the Rams' 38-31 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday night. Cooks caught seven passes for 116 yards Thursday night, and is averaging 113 yards per game.
Brady will also have to watch Danny Amendola catch passes for the Miami Dolphins this weekend at Gillette Stadium. Amendola, who signed a two-year deal with the Dolphins in the offseason, was always one of Brady's most reliable targets and had a knack for hauling in tough passes on third down that kept drives alive for New England. Third down offense has been one of New England's biggest issues so far this season, especially with Julian Edelman out of the mix for one more weekend.
Brady's frustrations appeared to boil over last Sunday night in Detroit, as the quarterback rocketed a pass to no one in particular when Cordarrelle Patterson ran the wrong route early in the fourth quarter. The play earned Brady an intentional grounding penalty, capping off a exacerbating evening in which Patriots receivers struggled to get open. The Patriots were blown out 26-10, and fell to 1-2 on the season.
But if Brady is miffed by seeing his old targets thriving elsewhere, he isn't saying venting publicly. There's a chance he's shouting "Serenity Now!" into a pillow somewhere in the New England locker room, but he told reporters Friday that he's happy to see Cooks and Amendola enjoy success outside of Gillette Stadium.
"I'm happy for those guys and, usually, when you leave it's because you get good opportunities in other places," said Brady, who is averaging 215 passing yards per game to start the year. "I'm usually frustrated about football in general because it's a frustrating sport, but I am certainly happy for guys that do well."
As for Amendola, Brady still holds the receiver in high regard.
"He's a great friend and I am happy for his opportunity," Brady said of Amendola. "He's playing well. He was a great player for us. I have a great friendship with him and we'll be friends for the rest of our lives."
Tune in to the game between the Patriots and Dolphins on WBZ-TV on Sunday at 1 p.m., and get your day started on WBZ-TV with Patriots GameDay 11:30 a.m. Once the game ends, tune in to Patriots 5th Quarter on MyTV38 for postgame press conferences, reaction and analysis!
