PATRIOTS QUARTERBACK TOM BRADY
Q: Year 19 - what has this last week been like for you integrating back into the mix with the team?
TB: Good. It's been good to be out here and get to work. We've got a lot of work to do. It's just the beginning. Obviously, not a lot of things are perfect at this point. So, just trying to focus on one day and try to get better, improve certain things, and we talk about the things that need to be corrected and try to improve in the next practice. It's kind of the start of the year for everyone. It's exciting, and hopefully we can make the most of it.
Q: What was your take on any of the rumors of the turmoil you guys had in the offseason between yourself and Bill Belichick?
TB: I have no thoughts.
Q: Was this offseason any different for you with the approach that you took?
TB: Well, yeah. I mean, I had more time with my family, but I also spent a lot of time doing football.
Q: You had talked about the idea of filling up your bucket, so that when you came here, you could be the best you for your team. Do you feel like you filled up the bucket?
TB: Yeah. You know, there's a lot of commitment and a lot of sacrifice from a lot of people that play the game. Our families, you know, they work just as hard just like every working family shares the burden at different times. It's a full-time commitment for this team, and everyone's got to do whatever it takes to help us win. So, I feel good, ready and trying to improve like everyone else. It's a daily process. Football's a very humbling sport and you never have it quite figured out. Every year, there's different things, challenges, plays, schemes, opponents, conditions, situations, and it's just about adapting to what you have and the situation. It's never perfect. Hopefully there's a lot more good than bad, but you just work it every day and try to do better each day.
Q: You weren't here for the offseason workouts. Are you behind where you'd normally be with your receivers right now?
TB: I don't know. Yeah, I don't know. I mean, we have a long time. We have a lot of work to do. We'll do the best we can every day to get the work in when we can and try to go out there and have a great year.
Q: You say you want to do something different every year to improve, like work on your footwork one offseason. Is there anything in particular you wanted to improve on this offseason?
TB: You know, there's a lot of things. It's really everything. I mean, I think after every season, you're trying to maintain certain things. I'm always working on my footwork, my mechanics. I spent a lot of time doing that this offseason. I think a lot of it is playing good football and staying healthy. That's what it comes down to being a professional athlete. It's being in good condition, being in good shape, making the right plays and reads, techniques, fundamentals for your position. I spend a lot of time doing that, and that's got to transfer over to the field.
Q: Would you say getting away from the game a little bit more is going to benefit you in terms of your focus and readiness for camp?
TB: I mean, I've always - football is very, very important to me. It always has been, and I love being out here with my teammates. So, it's great. As you get older you have different responsibilities, and I think that's just part of life. Everyone's got to deal with those responsibilities differently and what works for them. Football is a huge part of my life. I love being here with my teammates and playing, and hopefully we can have a great season.
Q: How excited are you to have Josh McDaniels back, and did you play any role to get in his ear and say, "Stick around?"
TB: Josh and I had a great relationship for 18 years, and he's one of my best friends. I love working with him and we have a very special relationship that I cherish, and it's kind of been that way for a long time.
Q: Did you talk to him at any point during that period where it looked like he was going to go to Indianapolis?
TB: I always talk to him about everything, and like I said, he's a great friend of mine. I love him, I love his family and we're very close. When you work together with somebody for that long, you have a great rapport and relationship. I'm happy he's on our team, happy he's coaching me and I want to go out there and do well by him.
Q: You've missed the first four games of the season before, and now Julian Edelman is going to be doing the same. Did you at any point say, "This is kind of what you have to do to keep yourself ready and I need you when you get back?"
TB: I haven't talked to him about that much. I mean, for all of us, we're just at a certain point and you're building to try to be the best you can be for this season. Everyone's going to have a different situation and different role. Whether you're not out there for one reason or another, I mean, we've just got to adapt and adjust and try to do the best we can. The more good players we have out there, the better it is, the more productive it is for all of us. Everyone's working on something different. Everyone's got a little different situation, a little different role, and how we adapt to those situations and roles will determine how well we do.
Q: When Julian tested positive, a lot of people connected it to Alex Guerrero. What's your reaction to that? Do you think it's fair?
TB: I have no comments, just ridiculous.
Transcripts are provided by the Patriots media relations department as a courtesy to the media and are edited for readability. All press conferences are posted and archived in their entirety at patriots.com.
