JSn
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http://archive.southcoasttoday.com/daily/09-01/09-27-01/b01sp085.htm
Snippets (these might sound familiar):
Let's do it again fellas.
Snippets (these might sound familiar):
It was rally around Tom Brady Day yesterday as the Patriots began serious preparation for Sunday's game against Indianapolis.
All over the locker room, as the players dressed for practice, the discussion was the same: While it hurts to lose Drew Bledsoe, the team has faith that Brady can step in and do the job.
"We've been getting the same coaching since Day One. We have the same playbook, the same game plan," he said. "We're going to be running the same stuff we've been running since I got here."
While he and Bledsoe are similar physically, Brady said he will be his own man. Unshaven, and wearing a New York Yankees cap, Brady seemed comfortable as he met wave after wave of reporters until apologizing that he had to stop talking and dress for practice.
"I certainly have my own style. Everybody in this locker room has their own style," he said. "It's what I can do to move the team that I think is important."
While the Patriots have had major problems in the draft in recent years, the team has been quietly saying for some time that it feels it made a good choice in Brady. Last year's draft had only one quarterback taken in the first round -- Chad Pennington of Marshall, selected by the Jets.
Still, perhaps the most candid view came from Peyton Manning, the Colts' quarterback. He wasn't even speaking about Brady, but he did make reference to what he will live through.
Manning was asked about his own experience, how he has developed into one of the league's premier players after a rocky start to his career, including a three-interception game in his first visit to Foxboro three years ago.
"I felt as prepared as anybody going out of college," Manning said. "I thought I was ready to make the transition."
He found out differently.
"Early on, you are just going to struggle, that's part of it," said Manning, who lost five of his first six starts. "I had some good games early on, too, but over the long haul you are going to take some bumps and bruises. You're going to get blitzed, you're going to have zone coverage, you're going to have zone blitzes, the full gamut. You have to be in there and face the bullets."
Ready or not, Brady will begin to learn those lessons Sunday.
Let's do it again fellas.
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