Tom Brady talks to SI’s Peter King

QB Tom Brady has emerged from his offseason silence to speak with Peter King from SI.com. He has been in and out of the offseason program but expects to be at all mandatory mini-camps and, of course, training camp. He is trying to balance being around for his sons on the West Coast and his teammates on the East Coast. I can’t imagine that being an easy thing to do, but you have to credit Tom for trying to be a good father for his two sons and be ready for another NFL season. While he’s out west in LA, he’s working out on his own and throwing the ball around with a rehabbing Wes Welker, which is a good sign considering Welker is about three months removed from two major surgeries (knee and shoulder). Follow the jump for some highlights from King’s talk with TB.

How is he feeling?

“This is the best I’ve felt in a long, long time. Last year I was ready for the season, but this year I’m not doing rehab; I’m just getting ready as normal for the season.”

What went wrong last season? It seems that not everyone was buying into Belichick…

“We’ve got to start listening more to coach  Belichick. We’ve got young kids who are good players. We’ve got the best football coach of all time. He’s got the answers. We as a team have to take the teaching and the coaching we’re being given.

Our fans think just because we’re wearing the same jerseys, we’re the same team. And we’re not. Teams change in this league every year, and ours is no exception. Last year was pretty disappointing in a lot of ways, obviously. Losing to Baltimore the way we lost in the playoffs, losing leads late, losing on the road. Every year is so different, and the way we approach this year will be extremely important. We need to see the toughness. We need to see the commitment. Can we take the coaching?”

What about the Jets and the offseason they’ve had?

“They’re always a team that gives us problems, and they’ve sure made a lot of changes this offseason. When your arch rivals do as much as they’ve done, you’ve got to pay attention. They went to the conference championship game, they’ve got a great defense, they can run the ball as well as anyone, and they’ve got a great young quarterback who can make a lot of plays. Our whole division’s improved. To win the division, we’ll really have to earn it this year.”