New England Patriots: Tom Brady says he felt rusty against Eagles

New England Patriots quarterback, Tom Brady, played very well against the Philadelphia Eagles, however, he says he felt a bit rusty.

The New England Patriots were able to pick up a nice win in Week 2 of the preseason against the Philadelphia Eagles. After missing the first game of the preseason with a minor back issue, Tom Brady suited up for an entire half against the Eagles.

Brady looked very good in the win over the Eagles, as he went 19-for-26 passing, totaling 172 passing yards and two passing touchdowns. Considering he was without one of his top targets in Rob Gronkowski, and also that the team is a bit banged up at wide receiver, it was a very good showing.

While it certainly looked like Brady was in midseason form, he recently talked about feeling a bit rusty on WEEI’s Kirk and Callahan Show. Here’s what he said via Zack Cox of NESN.com.

"“It was fun being out there, and we’ve got a lot of work to do. I think you’ve got to take the preseason games for what they are — it’s kind of a step in the preparation, and it goes along with a lot of the other things we’re doing.“But it was good. We haven’t had any joint practices this year, so kind of being in these competitive situations — if you haven’t been in those situations for a long time, which I hadn’t since the Super Bowl — you always feel a little bit rusty.”"

Seeing Brady talking about feeling rusty is certainly understandable. However, his play said something totally different. Brady looked like he was ready for the regular season after one half against the Eagles.

Brady’s preparation is one of the things that makes him a great quarterback in this league, and he knows that he still has work to do before the start of the season. This will be a big week for Brady and the Patriots, as the third preseason game is usually the final tune for the starters before the start of the regular season.

In Week 3, the Patriots will be facing Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers on the road. This will be the first road game of the preseason, and it will give Brady and the team a good test before the start of the season. After the strong showing against the Eagles, Brady likely won’t feel as rusty against the Panthers, and that could be a scary thing to think about for their defense.