‘Rusty’ Brady must polish connections
FOXBORO — In his first game since a record-setting Super Bowl performance, Tom Brady looked more than ready for the 2018 season.
Last Thursday, Brady did what he always does: Picked apart the defense with short, quick-hitting routes, putting the ball in the hands of trusted playmakers James White, Julian Edelman and Chris Hogan.
Playing nearly the entire first half, Brady completed 19-of-26 passes for 172 yards and two touchdowns.
Still, he used the word “rusty” to describe his performance.
“You’ve got to take the preseason games for what they are,” Brady said yesterday during an interview with WEEI’s Kirk & Callahan. “It’s a step in the preparation. It goes along with a lot of the other things we’re doing. We haven’t added any joint practices this year, so kind of being in these competitive situations — if you haven’t been in those in a long time, and I haven’t, since the Super Bowl — you always feel a little bit rusty.”
While Brady found a groove on short passes, particularly in the screen game, he struggled to get on the same page with his receivers on vertical routes. He underthrew Phillip Dorsett on a deep route down the right sideline; the ball was nearly intercepted by Eagles cornerback Ronald Darby. Later, he couldn’t get the timing down with Cordarrelle Patterson on a deep in-breaking pattern. He was almost picked off by Darby on a third-and-10 bomb intended for Hogan, as well.
Efficient as Brady was throughout the night, there were still areas that need to be cleaned up.
“There’s a lot to improve on,” he told WEEI. “It’s a new team. New year. Hopefully we can use this week as kind of another step before we get to things that start really counting.”
Brady said he expects to play on Friday night against the Panthers, a game that should serve as the “dress rehearsal” for the regular season.
In past years, Brady played extensively in the third preseason game. He completed 12-of-15 passes for 174 yards and two touchdowns against the Lions a year ago. He topped 20 pass attempts in the third preseason game of each year from 2010-2014. The Patriots handled the snaps differently in 2016, as Brady was set to serve a four-game suspension. He attempted only nine passes in the third game that year.
In lieu of joint practices this summer, the third preseason game figures to be an important one for Brady and his receivers.
“Hopefully we can build on it this week,” Brady said. “We’ve had a good couple of days of practice, (and) we have another two days ahead of us before we leave for Carolina. But guys are working hard trying to improve.”
Bouncing back
Rookie cornerback Keion Crossen got a chance to work with the first-team defense in Thursday’s win over the Eagles.
It didn’t go as well as he’d hoped.
Crossen, a highly athletic seventh-round pick out of Western Carolina, was flagged three times in total, twice for pass interference. The second pass-interference violation occurred in the end zone, setting up the Eagles at the 1-yard line.
“At this level, you’ve got to learn from your mistakes, especially as a rookie,” Crossen said at his locker yesterday. “The older guys do a great job of encouraging me, and I just kept playing.”
Crossen was in tight coverage on the second passinterference call, blanketing Eagles receiver Kamar Aiken as he drifted to the back right corner of the end zone. But Crossen failed to make a play on the ball as it arrived. Because Crossen’s left arm made contact with Aiken’s chest, flags came flying following the incompletion.
“Defense is all about reaction,” Crossen said. “Coaches have done a great job preparing me and getting me better at those minor issues.”
Crossen remains in competition for the team’s slot cornerback job.
A special guest
A helicopter landed on the lower field about five minutes before practice began, and out stepped a special guest.
Jon Bon Jovi, a longtime friend of coach Bill Belichick’s, was on hand for the practice. He walked to the field with Robert Kraft as reporters were leaving . . . .
Unfortunately for the Patriots, Bon Jovi’s cameo did not coincide with Sony Michel’s return. Michel, who left an Aug. 1 practice due to a knee injury, missed his 11th straight practice.
Also absent: Offensive tackle Marcus Cannon (11th straight missed practice), linebacker Harvey Langi (eighth straight) and tight end Ryan Izzo (second straight).
Running back Rex Burkhead was present, but did not participate in positional drills at the beginning of practice. Defensive end Trey Flowers and cornerback Duke Dawson left for the lower field during positional drills.