Tom Brady Hard At Work With Michael Floyd To Get Receiver Up To Speed With Patriots' Offense
BOSTON (CBS) -- As is the case with any newcomer to the Patriots offense, there's a lot of work to be done in order to catch up and acclimate themselves with New England's complex system.
That's what wide receiver Michael Floyd is dealing with at the moment, picked up by New England last week after his release from the Cardinals following a DUI arrest in Arizona. It's unclear if Floyd will make his Patriots debut on Saturday when the Pats host the New York Jets, but quarterback Tom Brady is hard at work with his new target on the practice field.
"[We've put in] as much as we could," Brady told reporters on Thursday. "He's only been here a short period of time, so there is a lot to catch up on, especially a receiver in our offense. But he's working hard at it."
Brady said that process is not an easy one, and that much been made clear from past veterans who struggled to catch on in the system; from Joey Galloway in 2009, Chad Ochicinco in 2011 and, most recently, Reggie Wayne last training camp.
"You just have to put the time in. It's not an easy thing to do by any stretch," said Brady. "That's why the offseason is so valuable, to have that work. We're pretty late in the year, but we'll do the things that he's confident in and that the coaches are confident he can do well. We'll see if we can go do something positive.
"We've added different players at different times. You don't know what's going to happen and you don't want to predict. You really don't know," said Brady. "Hopefully it's a lot of great plays. That's what everyone is hoping for."
Floyd was arrested in Arizona on December 12, and the police report released on Wednesday stated the 27-year-old has a BAC of .217, nearly three times the legal limit. If convicted, he'll face a mandatory jail sentence of 45 days in Arizona.
Like head coach Bill Belichick, Brady is focused on Floyd's work on the field and not his mistakes off of it.
"I'm not focused on any of that. I don't make decisions like that. I'm just trying to focus on what I need to do this week," he said. "If it's work on football stuff with particular players, that's what I'll do."
Brady said the team moved on quickly from last Sunday's win over the Broncos, which clinched the AFC East for them, and are focused on avoiding the late-season stumble that hurt them last year.
"Coach always walks into the room and says it's a big day, every day. He says it in May, in July, in December. We joke about it a lot," said Brady. "You just approach every day doing the best you can do."
The quarterback was back on the injury report on Wednesday, though it wasn't because of the knee injury he suffered back on November 13 in a loss to the Seahawks. Brady was listed as a limited participant with a thigh injury, which of course, he wasn't in the mood to discuss on Thursday.
"You'd have to ask coach Bill Belichick," Brady said, agreeing the injury "Is what it is."
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