Tom Brady is entering his 13th season in the NFL and will be making his 11th opening day start when the Patriots battle the Titans Sunday afternoon in Tennessee. Here is a look at how Brady has performed in season openers, which should give a good indication of what to expect on Sunday.
2011 @ Miami- W 38-24. 32-48, 517 yards, 4 TD's, 1 INT
2010 vs. Cincinatti- W 38-24. 25-35, 258 yards, 3 TD's, 0 INT
2009 vs. Buffalo- W 25-24. 39-53, 378 yards, 2 TD's, 1 INT
2008 vs. Kansas City- W 17-10. 7-11, 76 yards. ***Suffered torn ACL in first quarter, missed entire season***
2007 @ NY Jets- W 38-24. 22-28, 297 yards, 3 TD's, 0 INT
2006 vs. Buffalo- W 19-17. 11-23, 163 yards, 2 TD's, 1 INT
2005 vs. Oakland- W 30-20. 24-38, 306 yards, 2 TD's, 0 INT
2004 vs. Indianapolis- W 27-24. 26-38, 335 yards, 3 TD's, 1 INT
2003 @ Buffalo- L 31-0. 14-28, 123 yards, 0 TD's, 4 INT's
2002 vs. Pittsburgh- W 30-14. 29-43, 294 yards, 3 TD's, 0 INT
Career record: 9-1
Averages (not including 2008 for obvious reasons): 25-37, 297 yards, 2.4 TD's, .8 INT's
ANALYSIS: Going off of his past games it should be expected that Brady well play well and put up good numbers. He has thrown multiple touchdowns in every game except 2003 and 2008. (31-0 loss and injury). Brady has only played three openers on the road, 2003, 2007 and 2011. He is 2-1 in those games. What also should be noted is the number of times Brady has thrown the ball. Six times has he thrown 30+ passes including an astonishing 48 last season, although much of that had to do with the success he was having. This is something to look for this week -- how many times will he throw the ball? It seems like the team is trying to make a conscious effort in running the ball more and this will be the first opportunity to see if that will actually happen. The Patriots as a team have not lost a season opener since 2003 in Buffalo, which if you remember was a very emotional game as Lawyer Milloy, who was cut by the Patriots just a few weeks prior started at safety for the Bills. But, the Patriots did finish the season as Super Bowl Champs. It is clear how much coach Bill Belichick emphasizes the importance of the first game and making sure his players are as prepared for it as they can be. With all the uncertainties entering the game, one thing that is pretty close to certain is that Brady will be ready and have the statistics to back it up.
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