New England welcomes back Brady, who looks ‘ready to go’
CLEVELAND — The last thing the Browns need right now is a ticked-off superstar quarterback making his NFL return.
Cleveland, say hello to Tom Brady .
While the “Deflategate” saga might never be forgotten, it finally is behind the New England Patriots and their four-time Super Bowl champion QB. And, for sure, Brady won’t have forgotten the fourgame punishment from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell that he fought to overturn and eventually had to serve. ‘Great to be back’
He might say otherwise, and that the deflated footballs scandal is in the past, but Brady rarely needs an extra edge when he suits up. And boy does he have one Sunday.
“It was great to be back in the building,” Brady said on Westwood One Radio last week. “Certainly great to be back to work. It’s been a long four weeks for me, but I’m excited to get started on my preparation for Cleveland. I’m anxious for the week ahead. I want to get back out on the practice field. This is what I love to do, and now I have an opportunity to do it.”
What might he do to the Browns (0-4), the NFL’s only winless team and ravaged by injuries? What Brady usually does, which most often is a good thing for New England (3-1), which welcomes Brady back after being shut out 16-0 by Buffalo at home last Sunday.
“His demeanor is always focused. He’s always ready to play and always ready to roll,” said Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, who barely has rolled this season because of a hamstring problem. “So as an offense as a whole we just have to go out there, stick together, practice together, get ready for a tough Browns team, a defense that is always working hard and nonstop and always playing to the whistle.”
The first four weeks of New England’s season were about the brilliant maneuverings of coach Bill Belichick and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who somehow devised ways to win twice with Jimmy Garoppolo filling in for the suspended Brady at quarterback and once more with rookie Jacoby Brissett filling in for the fill-in after Garoppolo got hurt. Full speed ahead
But now, all of the mixing and matching and patching are over. There is no more compensating to be done.
“I think the down time was strange for him,” former Patriots fullback Heath Evans said last week. “I don’t think being back will be strange for him. I’m sure he was ready to go at 12:01 (a.m. Monday). The hard part is over and done with. This part is what they’ve done for 17 years.”
McDaniels said he thinks Brady returned to the team in good physical condition and prepared to thrive, as always.
“I didn’t notice any difference,” McDaniels said in a conference call with reporters early last week. “It was four weeks and it felt like it went fast, and Tommy is ready to go and looks ready to go.”