Upbeat Tom Brady focuses on two big matchups: vs. Houston and Ohio State
“I’m sure they’re going to give us everything they’ve got. Hopefully, we can go match it.’’
FOXBOROUGH — Tom Brady says he feels pretty good.
Even if he felt otherwise, would he say so publicly?
“Why would I ever tell you guys anything?’’ a relaxed Brady joked Friday afternoon at Gillette Stadium. “The opponents are listening.’’
Brady emphasized that he really does feel pretty good, after a nagging elbow injury kept him limited in practice Thursday and an illness sidelined eight of his teammates earlier in the week. He returned as a full participant Friday.
The Patriots quarterback seemed to be in a cheery mood, bantering with reporters about Saturday’s slate of college football games, including the Big Ten matchup between his 10th-ranked Michigan Wolverines and the undefeated, second-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes.
Although he’s not certain he’ll be able to catch the action — the Patriots have meetings, and plan to depart for the airport close to the noon kickoff — Brady said he’ll try to follow along on his phone.
How does he like the 9-2 Wolverines’ chances of pulling off the upset?
“I’ve lost a lot of money over the years saying yes, so I’m hopeful,” Brady said following a long pause. “I know hope is not a strategy, but I’m hopeful.’’
Among the selections on Friday’s practice setlist was Michigan’s fight song, “The Victors,’’ much to Brady’s delight. During warmups, he playfully talked trash to his teammates before proudly pumping his fist high in the air with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
Whether Brady’s good vibes carry into next week, however, will likely have nothing to do with the result of the Michigan game. He’ll be far more concerned with the performance of the 10-1 Patriots, starting with their Sunday night game against the Houston Texans.
Brady called the upcoming stretch an “important time of year’’ for playoff contenders. With the 9-2 Baltimore Ravens right on their heels for the top seed in the AFC, the Patriots can secure home-field advantage throughout the postseason by winning the five remaining games on their schedule. Of those five, three are against teams with winning records: at Houston, vs. Kansas City, and vs. Buffalo.
“This is the time where you’re pretty much seeing what you can do, what the other teams can do, the roles guys play and so forth,’’ Brady said. “We’re playing some pretty good teams. This is the one that matters the most, the one we’ve got ahead of us.’’
Brady had nothing but praise for Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, highlighting his “great arm’’ and his escapability. In his third NFL season, Watson has thrown for 2,899 yards and 20 touchdowns. His completion rate of 69.0 percent ranks fifth in the league. On the ground, he has added 301 rushing yards and five touchdowns.
“He’s spectacular,’’ Brady said.
Watson and Brady got to know each other a bit when the Patriots and Texans held joint practices at the Greenbrier in August 2017. Brady noted that he’s also heard great things about the 24-year-old quarterback from former teammate Wes Welker, who spent two years as a Texans coaching assistant, and former offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien, who took over as Houston’s head coach in 2014.
“It’ll be a big challenge for us,’’ Brady said. “I’m sure they’re going to give us everything they’ve got. Hopefully, we can go match it.’’
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