The Saratogian (Saratoga, NY)

Brady enters 20th season still looking to earn Pats’ trust

- By Mark Farinella Associated Press

FOXBOROUGH, MASS. (AP) >> Even in his 20th NFL season and 18th as the opening-day starter at quarterbac­k for the New England Patriots, Tom Brady is still awed by the responsibi­lity he bears.

“I think it’s a great privilege when a team trusts you to be the quarterbac­k and they put the ball in your hands,” Brady said Wednesday. “It’s a great show of trust that they have in you, and I think you have to earn it every day. With that trust comes a lot of responsibi­lity, and that’s a big responsibi­lity I take with me.”

Brady will begin another quest to make NFL history Sunday night at home when the Super Bowl champions entertain the Pittsburgh Steelers in the regularsea­son opener. If Brady starts all 16 games for the Patriots this year, he would be the first NFL quarterbac­k to do so at 42 years of age.

“I love being available to the

team,” he said. “That’s been something I feel like is a very important part of my job. I can’t help the team if I’m not out there, and I work pretty hard to make sure I am. So many great players have played this game, and to still be doing it is something I treasure.”

In an expansive news conference at Gillette Stadium, Brady touched upon several nostalgic topics, including his transition from a young player learning the ropes to the veteran that guided younger players in a similar manner.

“I was a young player once, too, and I had a lot of older players that I worked with,” he said. “I had some great mentors, people that really taught me how to play the position. It was great at a young age to have John Friesz and Drew (Bledsoe), and then to have Damon Huard, and Vinny (Testaverde) and to have Doug (Flutie). And then all of a sudden it flipped, and it went from Matt Cassel to Brian (Hoyer) to Jimmy (Garoppolo) . I played with so many great guys over the years.”

He also said he knows the past will have no bearing upon the outcome of his meeting with the Steelers, against whom he is 11-3, including three playoff wins. But the last matchup was a 17-10 New England loss at Heinz Field on Dec. 16.

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