PATRIOTS QUARTERBACK TOM BRADY

PRESS CONFERENCE
December 21, 2018

Q: What was your initial reaction to the Josh Gordon news yesterday?

TB: There wasn't much reaction.

Q: What are your thoughts on him leaving the team? How much does that hurt you guys offensively?

TB: We all wish him the best. I think that's kind of how we all feel. We want him to do what's right for him.

Q: There's been a lot of guys in and out at wide receiver this year. What's that been like for you?

TB: You know, the guys that have been here have been working hard. I think like every position, they try to make improvements over the course of the week. Different guys have been in there at different times. I just have a lot of confidence in the guys that are in there. Jules [Julian Edelman], Phillip [Dorsett], Hoges [Chris Hogan], CP [Cordarrelle Patterson] – they all do a good job. They all have different roles. We're going to have to go out and play a great game.

Q: The mood in the locker room yesterday seemed to be one of sadness for Josh Gordon but also acknowledging a must-win game ahead. How do you balance that human side with the upcoming game?

TB: Yeah, there's a lot of those different types of feelings and emotions over the course of the year. We all have lives that exist outside of this building and there's a lot of support from everyone and everyone goes through different things over the course of the year. We've certainly faced our fair share of adversities and I think part of that's mental toughness and when you actually go out on the field and in meetings and so forth, you just focus on what you have to do, what your role is, what your job is. I think we've done a good job of that so we're just working through the week and realizing that it's obviously a huge game, big opportunity for us. It's one we've got to win so that's – been talking about that all week.

Q: Almost every week you come in here and people ask you about Josh Gordon and picking up the offense and you have great things to say about him. Did this come as a shock to you when you heard about it? What was your initial thought when it happened?

TB: Yeah, that's exactly how I felt. Certainly appreciate all his efforts and hard work. I didn't have much of a reaction. Just focus on what I need to do and that's kind of the way it's been all year.

Q: So there was no indication that there was anything wrong as far you could see?

TB: I mean, I have no idea. I have no idea. Like I said, I showed up. I heard just like everyone else.

Q: No other receivers are like Josh Gordon physically. Chris Hogan and Phillip Dorsett might fill in, but they're different types of receivers. Is it a difficult transition to have to kind of change the offense on the fly here?

TB: The reality is, it could happen like the first play of the game too, you know? Someone might sprain an ankle and next thing you know, guys are adjusting. That's just part of the nature of playing a long time, is you realize that things happen very quickly and they change very quickly. We lost Jeremy Hill the first game of the year. You think you've got all this running back depth, next thing you know, guys get hurt. It's two weeks in, you're like, "Holy cow, what happened?" And that's just part of playing and being mentally tough. Everything changes quickly and part of it is you deal with things over the course of a long season, 16 weeks and you are what you are after four games, after eight games, after 12 games and then we're here in the last quarter of the season. We've got two very important games coming up for our whole season. We've worked hard to get to this point. Everyone's put a lot of effort, everyone's a little bit tired. It's been a lot of football. But you've got to just tough it out. It's like the end of a marathon. You're happy that you're in the position you're in, we've got a great opportunity ahead of us, so just trying to emphasize that. You can't ever take these things for granted. I always say it's so hard to win in the NFL and we've got a great opportunity ahead of us, so we need to take advantage of it.

Q: Did you reach out to Josh Gordon after you heard the news? Your locker was next to his, you stayed up late helping him and going over practice time.

TB: Those are all very personal things so I'll keep those to myself.

Q: How important is it to get James White back incorporated into the offense a little bit more?

TB: James has done a great job for us and he's a big part of what we do every week. So some weeks he gets it a little more than others and any time the ball's in his hands, we're in good shape because he does a great job with it, taking care of it. He's a big factor every game so we count on him a lot.