Tom Brady, Bill Belichick Find Value In Upcoming Preseason Trip To Carolina
BOSTON (CBS) -- Tom Brady and Bill Belichick have done everything there is to be done in the NFL. They've been together for 253 regular-season games, 37 postseason games, and eight Super Bowls. One might believe that a preseason game in year No. 19 together might be something such people could look past.
But, staying true to form, both the quarterback and the head coach spoke Wednesday about the importance of their upcoming preseason game at Carolina this coming Friday.
"It's another important step and I think you play four preseason games and everyone is getting lots of different reps and I think this week has mimicked much more of a regular season week," Brady said Wednesday. "We still had quite a few meetings and stuff at night which we don't have as much during the season but just in terms of the install and scouting reports and getting to know our opponents. We've had extra time to watch our own film study so I think everyone likes to feel like they're getting accustomed to what is coming and hopefully we can go out and play really well. Again, we got a few more weeks until they all matter and I think we're just trying to stress the urgency and get guys to really understand what we're getting into and what it takes to prepare and go out and play consistently every single week. It should be a great test."
Belichick stressed that the actual game-plan preparation is not at all similar to a regular-season game. But he's using this week to simulate the rhythm of a real game week, in order to get his players acclimated to what the regular season will be.
"Well, the idea is it's beneficial for everybody, so we try to get our entire team on an approximation of a regular-season routine – the coaches, the players, our practice schedule, our cooperation with each other, the different units, offense and defense, the lines, the skill players and so forth," Belichick said. "That's certainly a cooperative effort to prepare. The kicking game – our preparation on that. So it's a little different than what we did for the majority of training camp. We've done a little bit of that, did a little bit of that against Washington, more against Philadelphia and more this week. So, we've changed some things on our schedule around off the field, in our daily routine, changed some things on the field, and that's just the progression into the regular season."
Brady -- who went 19-for-26 for 172 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions in his preseason debut last week -- said Tuesday that he felt a little rusty during his first taste of preseason action. On Wednesday, he was asked if that's a normal feeling around this time of year.
"Yeah, I think the thing when you get in the games is just the timing is different because they can actually hit you and in practice, you know rushers come and they stop," Brady said. "So you get a false sense of security of how long you can hold onto the ball and when they don't stop, you got to get rid of the ball quicker, you got to make faster decisions, your footwork has to be better, your pre-snap reads have to be better. So all those things time up and I like to be someone that can really anticipate things and be really efficient with what I'm doing and the more time you have actually doing it, the better. And there's only one way to simulate it, that's to play. So when you get out there and play, you take advantage of the experience. I've also had a lot of games and a lot of experience doing it so naturally it comes back relatively quickly but I think it's still really important to get out there and feel it and do it. Not too many players I've ever played with that could just seamlessly go out there like they never left. There's been a couple but I feel like I got to get out there and play a little bit and feel the timing and try to really get up to game speed as best as possible."
Brady also said he likes the fact that unlike the first two preseason games, this one will be on the road -- an experience that has some added benefits for a team during the summer.
"I'm glad we got two games under our belt but both have been at home and it's definitely the travel and so forth. It's always nice going away," he said. "I feel like we're kind of all going to accomplish something. We're really focused, there's no distractions and it's all about playing a football and trying to take another step that we need to take in order for us to be prepared for the opener."
Tune in to Patriots-Panthers on WBZ-TV -- the flagship station of the New England Patriots. Kickoff on Friday is at 7:30 p.m. and after the game stay tuned for Patriots 5th Quarter!