Tom Brady Interview 8/6/07

Courtesy of the New England Patriots

The following is a transcript of Tom Brady’s Q+A with the media today

Q: How are things progressing?

TB: Like I said last week, there’s plenty of good and there’s plenty of bad. We did a lot of situational work this morning and I wish we executed better in some of them this morning. I know it’s something Coach [Bill] Belichick stresses for us. We got some good work in today and I’m sure it will come up this Friday.

Q: How was it having Donté Stallworth on the field today?

TB: It was good. It’s exciting. I know that he’s been dying to get out here. It’s still early in camp and you’d hate to go out there and re-aggravate anything, but he’s out here. It was nice seeing him in pads. I said, ‘Who’s that No. 18 out here? It’s the new guy.’

Q: You guys are friends from California?

TB: He’s from Sacramento, so I’ve always known about Donté and whenever I’ve seen him we’ve connected really well. Another California guy out here. You got three quarterbacks from California and to add a couple of wide receivers from there is nice.

Q: Is it hard to get one guy back like Donté and then be without Randy Moss and not have everybody on the field together?

TB: Yeah, and at some point that’s going to happen, but the nice part is when Randy Moss isn’t in there, other guys get in there and are able to make adjustments and make plays. That’s what happens over the course of the season too. Part of it’s being able to adjust and have guys playing different positions and having some position flexibility. If one guy’s not out there, then the others have to fill in and do the best we can do to fill in that spot. Hopefully, Randy will be out here soon.

Q: You said you felt like you were 22 after two weeks of camp, do you still feel that way?

TB: Oh, no. Feels like 49 right now. Everything’s sore. It’s a little different schedule this year too with the two practices one day, then one and then two, which is pretty good for the players because it gives your body a little time to rest. But we’ve practiced for 12 straight days, so I think my arm after 12 straight days was calling out for a break. So I’m glad we’ve got that. I’m definitely 30 now, but 30 is a nice birthday.

Q: How valuable were the spring camps, especially after last year having guys shuffling in and out? Was it valuable to have guys here in mini camp so you guys can hit the ground running in camp?

TB: It sure was and I think we got a lot of good work in those camps because Donté was out there, Randy was out there so there was quite a bit of work that we got in and we can go back to. Even a lot of the cut-ups we watched from those camps with the things we were doing, we can look back at to see the differences that we were doing then and how we’ve adjusted now. That was good work. And for the most part, all of these guys have been healthy, aside from Randy and then Donté, it’s been pretty good so far.

Q: Do you take anything from the early games at all?

TB: I do. I like to see their strengths and I like to see how guys are playing them. I’ve seen a lot of stuff on Randy and Donté and Wes has killed us for three years. I think all of that helps to look back on and helps to work through.

Q: How would you assess where you are chemistry-wise with each of the new receivers?

TB: I think it’s really a work in progress. I think there are some things we’re doing better. I was happy, even though Randy got hurt on the play, that I over threw him for the first time in four months. You realize that you can really put the ball out there for him because he just tracks it down so easily. With Donté, the work we put in the spring, he adds a different element to what we do. Wes Welker is so quick in the slot. We’re just trying to find a role for those guys and trying to incorporate what they do well into our offense. Hopefully, that makes us more of a threat. We can run the ball. We can play-action pass. We can do a variety of things.

Q: Did you really feel that you were starting to click with Randy Moss? It looked like you were starting to get to the next level in practice before he was hurt.

TB: I think in some respects we were definitely doing some things better. But it was only like nine practices and I think there’s 30-35 practices before the first game. We could use all of them, but until he gets completely healthy it’s not really worth it to come out here and miss a game five weeks from now because you tried to practice now.

Q: How do you feel about being 30 now?

TB: I feel good. It was a great birthday. My parents came out and that kind of surprised me. It was fun to be with them and my sisters and my nieces. We had a great time.

Q: A lot of athletes peak at that age.  Do you feel that way?

TB: At 30? Oh man, I’m waiting for that 40th. Vinny Testaverde is 43, so if Vinny can play until he’s 43. I hope I can play at least half of that until I’m 37 or 38. I’ll play as long as I can. Everyone always says: ‘Don’t you want to retire? Aren’t you afraid you’re going to get hurt,’ but there’s nothing more fun than this. I’m going to play as long as I can. Until they take my locker down, I’ll be coming in every day.

Q: You didn’t ask Coach Bill Belichick for a day off did you?

TB: No, I don’t think he’d give a crap. No way. It just felt like that this year, but it was the same schedule as last year where we’d practice for a week and then he’d give us a couple of days off. But I guess it won’t happen again for another six years.

Q: What was your mentality when you were a backup at training camp, leading up to exhibition games?

TB: I came out every day and just tried to improve and I stayed after practice and tried to put work in with the other guys who weren’t getting a whole lot of repetition. Any time you’re in that spot, that game experience is extremely valuable, but you’re got to treat the practices like you treat the games so when you get out in the games, it’s just an extension of what you’ve done out here and you’ve really built confidence out here. I still do that now and, hopefully, as a quarterback group this preseason, we’re in there making the right decisions and leading the team. There’s quite a bit of communication that goes on there from the quarterback position. I’ve got a lot of confidence in Matt [Cassel]. Matt Gutierrez has done a great job too. It’s going to be a very good quarterback group.

Q: Did you ever imagine being here when you were 30?

TB: I never would have imagined if any of this stuff had happened. It’s been a wild ride. It’s been 30 great years. I hope for another 30 like this. It’s been pretty exciting.

Q: Are you going to play any on Friday against the Buccaneers?

TB: I hope so. All this practice and no play, that would stink.

Q: Are you anxious to see game conditions after passing camps and the training and mini camps? Is that where you really can get a hold on how the team is doing?

TB: I think so. I mean, you put a lot of work into practice. There are a lot of things that click in practice, but under game conditions it is different because everyone’s loud and everyone’s hitting. The play-action fakes work a lot better when you’re out here because you can’t tackle the guys. It’s nice to see how the offense is coming along and developing. That only works against teams that you’re not seeing every day in practice. When you play against Rodney [Harrison], that’s not going to work. You can’t run the same play twice against him. He’s going to sniff it out. We haven’t had a screen work in training camp. To get out there and do it in a real game will be good for us.

Q: Are there any updates on the baby?

TB: There are no updates. No updates.

Q: To see someone who appreciates the game like you do, what do you think about players that don’t take it as seriously as you do?

TB: Everybody takes a different approach. I know how much fun I have out here with my teammates and how much fun we have coming out here to prepare and especially in winning. Everybody loves winning, I know that, every guy in that locker room and it’s a very hard-working group. We’re going to continue to work the way that we’ve been working and come out here with a good attitude. Hopefully, we’ll win a couple of games this year.

Q: I know you said you’ve worked with Donté at charity events in the past. What is the extent of your work with him?

TB: I’ve seen Donté a bunch of times. I followed him in high school. I followed him at Tennessee and, obviously, with the Saints. He’s always been a very dynamic player. Donovan McNabb said a lot of great things about him. He’s friends with Donovan too. He’s a fun guy to have around too. Hopefully, he comes out here and he’s able to practice and improve with the team. He’s already starting behind because we’ve had a lot of practices without him, but I know he’s anxious to be out here.

Q: Does having a knowledge of a player help you out on the practice field?

TB: It does because of all of these relationships you’ve had, you develop over time. Donté and I have known each other for four years so when he comes in, it’s not like, ‘Hey, I’m Donté.’ We’ve seen each other out a bunch of times.