The New England Patriots got off to a tremendous start to the 2010 season on Sunday with their 38-28 dismantling of the Cincinnati Bengals. The final score doesn’t tell the true story of how the game unfolded really. The Patriots had jumped out to a 24-0 lead before halftime, only to see the Bengals rally back in desperation in the second half. For the first 30 minutes though, New England was in control in all facets of the game. Tom Brady had the offense firing on all cylinders, connecting with Wes Welker on two TD passes while engineering an additional 11 play drive that resulted in a successful field goal attempt.
On Monday, Brady fielded questions from Dennis & Callahan on WEEI about his and the team’s performance, the Randy Moss situation, his new contract, and the amazing return of Welker from ACL surgery. Below are a few excerpts from the lengthy interview:
On the Patriots’ [Week One performance]:
“I felt as good as I’ve ever felt after an opening game. It’s pretty remarkable what the guys up front did…..That was a great start by the offensive line, the backs protected great, the tight ends protected great, and you know, we ran the ball. It’s a different team this year, I’m telling you… I think there’s three different tight ends that have different skill sets. That’s a big position in our offense. You know, Fred Taylor, you saw the way he ran yesterday. He wasn’t out there a whole lot last year. You add that with a bunch of other new additions in terms of the defense and leadership and our attitude like you said and it’s just a whole different take from everybody. I think really it’s been a good attitude this whole year.“
On Wes Welker’s quick return:
“Wes is awesome, man. Believe me, I’ve seen a lot of him over the last seven months and nothing he has done hasn’t surprised me. I guess yesterday I was less surprised because I’ve seen it and he just feels like his normal self. His attitude, his confidence in himself, his ability to put the same injury that a lot of guys go through that takes them a long time, he’s able to just put it out of his head and go out there and have a great game. He always impresses me, and you’re right, it was a huge day for him and it was great to see him. We have a great group of receivers. Wes and Randy, that’s a pretty great tandem between the two of them.”