Brady Remains Grounded, Focused
BOSTON (CBS) -- Tom Brady spoke to the media today and here are some of the topics he touched on.
On the team's 11-2 record: "Everybody wants to get excited about our 11-2 record, but not us. We're just trying to become a better football team. There's a lot of football left. We've got great teams ahead of us on the schedule. Nothing is set in stone. Yeah, we're in a good position but we can be in a bad position after the next three games. There are no guarantees. There are three games left and none bigger than this week [at home against Green Bay Sunday night]. I expect us to prepare hard today and tomorrow and be ready for Sunday."
On how the Patriots are able to remain grounded thanks to one person -- demanding Coach Bill Belichick: "Coach holds everybody accountable, whether it's an 11-year quarterback or a rookie tight end. Nobody's off the hook. He holds us accountable on every single play every day. That's why he has everybody's respect. He wants a smart, tough, physical football team that plays well under pressure. That's what he preaches. Hopefully we can all learn from the greatest coach of all time."
On the receiving tandem of Wes Welker and Deion Branch, who combined for 16 catches and 266 yards in the rout in Chicago: "They're both great players. They're tough and very skilled. We give them a lot of routes, a lot of variations. We try to put them in different positions. If they're open they're going to get the ball. They know that. It's great to have them both."
BELICHICK ON BRADY'S WORK ETHIC
Every year Tom Brady seems to get better and this year his craft may garner him another MVP.
Today, Bill Belichick was asked what has Tom improved on since last year and he had a lot to say.
"Tom works hard on all the little things and I think that's one of the things, really, as a coach, you respect and admire about Tom," Belichick answered. "He's always working on the little things. It might be on one thing that could come up on one play, and that one play might happen twice a season, who knows?
"But he just continually prepares at a very high level -- both the opponent's scheme and their personnel -- and continues to try to have a better understanding of our offense and what options there are on certain plays and certain situations, the way a team plays it.
"You learn something every week, every practice, or every game, on that. He's always striving to get better. He does a lot of things well, but he knows there are things he can improve on and he's always working to get better at those. Sooner or later, you'll see one of those come up in a game that maybe hasn't come up in a month, six weeks, or a year, and then he'll be able to make a play on that. I think that's a very satisfying thing for him -- maybe this happened a year ago and now we had a chance to get it [again], and we got it. You feel good about that.
"I think that's kind of what Tom Brady does. He does all the things you expect him to do, and a lot of other little things. Somewhere along the line, those little things help him make a play. It might be a long way back in the history books where you find it, but there was a teaching lesson there somewhere that he picked up on."
