Brady Still Going Strong And Looking For TD Pass No. 400
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Touchdown No. 1 went to Terry Glenn, when Tom Brady was a recently promoted understudy and the New England Patriots had yet to win their first Super Bowl.
Related: Tom Brady Finds New Ways To Impress And Other Leftover Patriots Thoughts
Brady's 399th TD pass came 14 seasons later on a 22-yarder to Julian Edelman last week against Buffalo.
In between, Brady has won four Super Bowls, and three times he was the MVP of the NFL championship game.
When he lines up against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, he'll be thinking of a fifth title more than a milestone such as his 400th touchdown pass.
"All of those personal achievements are really a result of what our team has been able to accomplish. So I'm most proud, obviously, of what we've accomplished as a team," Brady said this week as the Patriots prepared for the Jaguars. "I think that's what this sport is all about."
The Patriots have put the summer of deflated footballs behind them and started off the season with a pair of victories that have showcased their quarterback. Brady has completed 69 percent of his passes for 754 yards and seven touchdowns with zero interceptions.
If he was bothered by the four-game suspension that has since been vacated, it has motivated him more than distracted him.
"This is his 16th year in the league," Jaguars coach Gus Bradley said. "The offense, he has an unbelievable grasp on it, and that's stayed consistent throughout the years. He owns it and you see it on tape."
Here are some other things to look for when the Patriots (2-0) play the Jaguars (1-1):
GRONK GRUDGE: Jaguars safety Sergio Brown is looking to come out ahead this time when he lines up against Rob Gronkowski.
Brown was with the Colts last year, when Gronkowski drew an unnecessary roughness penalty last season for throwing Brown into a sideline television camera. Gronk's explanation: "He was just yappin' at me the whole time. So I took him and threw him out of the club."
Brown said he hasn't watched the play, but hopes to get even Sunday "with an interception, with positive plays, with a win."
"That's the way you get back at stuff like that," said Brown, who joined the Jaguars as a free agent.
Gronkowski toned down his language this week, saying he respects Brown and calling him a great player.
"Emotions were flying high that day," he said.
UNBALANCED: Brady threw the ball 59 times against Buffalo, and for the season the Patriots have had 91 passes and only 39 rushing plays. New England is one of six NFL teams to throw the ball more than 70 percent of the time, according to STATS.
"That's the kind of the general trend in the league," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "It's really hard to go into a game and say 'We're going to do this this many times' or 'do this that many times.' Each game is different.
"If it works out that we're balanced, that's fine, it's great, but if it works out that we're favoring more of one than the other, then if that's working that's fine, too."
ROBINSON ENCORE: Second-year receiver Allen Robinson caught six passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns against Miami, and quarterback Blake Bortles wants to keep throwing jump balls his way.
"He's a guy that has the ability to do that every time," Bortles said. "It's always cool to have a guy like that."
O-LINE IMPROVES: Jacksonville didn't allow a sack against the Dolphins, a significant improvement for a team that had given up at least four sacks in eight consecutive games. It was the first time the Jaguars hadn't allowed a sack since Oct. 27, 2013, against San Francisco.
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AP Sports Writer Mark Long contributed to this story from Jacksonville, Florida.
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