Here's the complete transcript of Tom Brady's press conference following New England's win over Oakland:
On if he imagined Wes Welker's impressive start:
Well, nothing surprises me with Wes. He's the heart and soul of this team. He's been that way since the day he got here. He works his tail off, and he's a great player, a great teammate, he's become a real dynamic player over the years. He's made some huge plays for us. He's clutch, tough, mentally tough, physically tough, he's awesome.
On how Welker shows he's the heart and soul of this team
He shows up every single day being the best that he can be. And he sets a great example for every player, every veteran player, every young player, every coach, of what he's willing to do to commit himself to be the best that he can be for this team. He never takes a day off, he never takes a practice off, he never takes play off - run or pass - and it's like that way in practice. What you see in a game is what he does for us in practice every day, and he never complains. He's a hell of a player. I love being out there with him.
On passing Joe Montana's all time TD
I didn't know that happened.
On being told more of the accomplishment:
Well Joe's - I'll never be in Joe's category. We throw the ball a lot more now than they threw it back then. It's much more of a passing league than it's ever been, but it was a good game for us. Every one of those touchdowns was important today. It was fun. It was fun to be back out there after last week.
On looking back at the interceptions, if it affected his approach this week:
Just play my game. I don't think that you ever approach it with, "I can't go out there and throw it..." look, if you're going to throw passes, you're going to throw interceptions. That's just part of playing quarterback. You try to make good reads, try to make good accurate throws, good fundamentals, good technique, and all week in practice you work on those things of being balanced and accurate and playing smart and playing fast. If it happens, it happens, you've got to bounce back from them, that game, the following week. It's just part of the game, But we did a better job of taking care of the football there, which I think was a big reason why we won.
On their performance offensively in the second half:
We didn't have the ball much in the first half. We only had three possessions I think. We had the ball for like 10 minutes in the first half. The second half was a little bit better. But we still have to do a better job executing, I don't think it was our best day out there executing, especially late in the game. But we had a comfortable lead, I think we were trying to protect the lead and get out of here with the win.
On how the running game helped them:
It was huge. I think being able to be balanced, more balanced than we've been...we had some big runs. When you see us run the ball in from the 28 yard line or something like that was huge. BenJarvus [Green-Ellis] ran great, Stevan [Ridley] running great, so that's important. It sets up a lot of things. If you can't stop the run, then you're just going to keep running it and you're going to control the entire tempo of the game. If they stop the run and it's a passing game, then that's not where you want to play offense.
On seeing Richard Seymour across the line:
I hate seeing him over there. He's an awesome player. I mean I was thinking about him all week, and what his ability is to be able to disrupt the passing game and the run game, he's physical he's a great leader for them. I hate seeing him in a Raider uniform.
On the dead ball play where he came across and got him:
Yeah, well, he put me down kind of gently. I don't think it should have been a foul, but I'm glad we got the call.
Thanks guys.
More News Headlines:
MORSE: Patriots Position Analysis – 2026 Coaching Staff
By: Mark MorseThe Patriots' 2026 coaching staff, including Mike Vrabel, Josh McDaniels, and Zak Kuhr, maintains continuity after their Super Bowl run.
MORSE: Patriots Positional Analysis – Secondary
By: Mark MorsePatriots positional analysis breaks down the 'best in the league' secondary, detailing Christian Gonzalez's contract, Marcus Jones's role, and Kevin Byard's 2026 impact.
Patriots News 07-12, Pre-Training Camp 53-Man Roster Projection
By: Steve BalestrieriPreviewing the Patriots' pre-training camp 53-man roster projection, Christian Gonzalez, Sean Payton's Belichick offer, and Mac Jones' 2022 season.
MORSE: Patriots Position Analysis – Linebackers and Special Teams
By: Mark MorsePatriots' Linebackers and Special Teams are analyzed, detailing player performances, contract years, and improvement areas for multiple players.
MORSE: Patriots Position Analysis: Defensive Line
By: Mark MorseAnalyzing the Patriots' defensive line ahead of training camp, breaking down established veterans and promising young talent at defensive tackle and EDGE.