Tom Brady Says He’s Got His Hands On His Center’s Butts More Than Their Wives

The Patriots finished up their final padded practice session with the Eagles yesterday, and afterwords, Tom Brady spoke with the media. He touched on a number of subjects, staying true to ‘The Patriot Way’, focusing on getting better every day, and simply striving for progress.

There was a funny moment when he was asked about the Pats center situation, and he responded by saying he probably has his hands on their butts more than their wives do. Here are a few more quotes:

On working with Brandon LaFell:

"I’ve really enjoyed being with him. He’s added a lot. He’s got a real love for the game, and he does a great job out there getting open. He just keeps making more plays. It’s really fun for a quarterback to see guys out there really working hard to make the improvements and then really do it, and hopefully it continues to carry over. It’s been a lot of fun to be with him. And Julian [Edelman] and Danny [Amendola] – [it’s the] same thing. KT [Kenbrell Thompkins] has been making a bunch of plays. All those guys who have been out there are great. The offensive line keeps building, and they’re really the strength of our team. I’ve got a lot of confidence in our group, but we’ve just got to go out and keep doing it, keep making improvements and learn from our mistakes, and then go out and execute when it matters."

On how a rainy day like that can help them prepare for the regular season:

"It was good. It was kind of a New England-type day. We had a bunch of these last year, and really for the most part the weather has been great all camp. It’s good to get work in like this. Certainly against a playoff-caliber team it’s always good. It’s been a good couple days."

On how much he expects to play tomorrow night:

"As much as coach lets me. He makes those decisions. I’ll be ready to play for as long as he wants me to. That’s very valuable playing experience for me, too. It doesn’t matter how many years you’ve been doing it, you’ve got to get out there and play under game situations and get your body going at the level that it needs to be at."

On what he likes from his team thus far in camp:

"Everyone has been working hard. I think the competition has been at a high level. There are a lot of guys that are competing for spots. It always brings out the best in all of us when you see that and when guys dig deep. It’s been a lot of fun to see. Certainly there are a lot of positions where – every position – where guys are fighting to earn their role, and that’s what training camp is all about. It’s really where you build your team."

Aside from that center crack, a pretty typical Q&A from Brady. The Patriots were definitely tested this past week against Philly, much more than they were versus the Redskins. Getting some solid practice time against a quality football team is extremely important at this stage of camp, as they need all the help they can get with the new restricted practice rules.

As for playing time for Brady, I am honestly not expecting much tomorrow night. I do think he will be out there for at least one series, but after another solid week of practice, I doubt Bill Belichick will risk having his star player injured in a preseason tilt. But I would definitely bank on at least one series, possibly two for number 12.