The Patriots are down in Tampa Bay this week, participating in joint practices with the Buccaneers before the two teams meet in a pre-season game on Friday night.
Naturally, Tom Brady is not interested in taking in the sights and sounds of the Gulf of Mexico. For the three-time Super Bowl winner, this is a business trip.
"I don't think it's a vacation or a nice trip to Florida," told the media after Wednesday's practice. "There are no activities planned. We have work to do this afternoon and tonight. We're going to wake up tomorrow and come practice and then work tomorrow night and get ready to play the game."
Never one to go through the motions or rest on his laurels, even as a savvy veteran, Brady's comments clearly set the tone for the rest of the players -- from the undrafted rookies fighting to make the roster to those with plenty of training-camp experience under their belts. The team will keep working to get better, with the NFL regular season just two weeks away.
"It's different schemes that you're seeing and you want to see how your plays adjust to some different things. I think that's what we're trying to figure out," Brady said.
The lack of in-game repitiions Brady has received this pre-season has generated plenty of attention from fans. No. 12 wasn't even present on the sidelines of the Patriots' game Monday night against Philadelphia. But even so, Brady seems content with his progress leading up to Week 1.
"We'll see when we kick off, but the goal is to be ready and prepared when we need to be."
Something tells me Brady will be just fine.
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