One of the biggest things that stands out from the Patriots' 28-22 loss to the Texans was the clip of Tom Brady on the sideline speaking to his wide receivers in the first half when the offense could only manage three points against one of the worst defenses in football.
The 42-year-old was frustrated and he showed it on the field on a few occasions as well following miscommunications with some of his receivers. This created a narrative afterwards of Brady phasing out players, like N'Keal Harry, who wasn't targeted after Brady threw an interception going his way early in the game.
Appearing on The Greg Hill Show Monday morning, Brady said he would never do that and defended his receivers in the process.
“I would never think that way — ‘I am done with him’ — or … that is crazy," he said. "A quarterbacks responsibility is to lead and motivate. We’re often the voice of a lot of situations. First, we’re calling plays in the huddle and B, we have a lot of information because we talk with the coaches and coordinators with what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to motivate people and get people to play their best.
“Guys are trying. I have no problem — I love playing with Phillip Dorsett. I love playing with N’Keal. N’Keal is working his tail off. He hasn’t had a lot of opportunities out there and he’s learning as he’s going. To expect someone to go out in their third game of the year and be perfect, I think that is unrealistic for anyone. I love what N’Keal is bringing. We’re gaining confidence every week. I love what Jakobi (Meyers) is doing. We’re gaining confidence every week. Gaining confidence with Mohamed (Sanu). Julian (Edelman) and I, we’ve played together for a long time and I think that shows itself pretty well. I think you see, James (White) and I, we’ve played together a long time.
“That is part of our sport is dealing with new situations and try and deal with them the best way you can and this team has faced some unique ones in of itself just like any team has. We’re no different from any team.”
Brady added: “There’s some good effort out there. Guys are doing the best they can do in my belief. We’re working hard and trying to do the right thing, and sometimes it’s been good. Other times, we obviously still have work we still have to do. That is just part of playing football. Sometimes people have it figured out early and some people, we’re trying to figure it out as we go. That’s just part of it. That is just part of what we’re dealing with.”
While the 42-year-old stood up for his receivers, he did admit that expectations for the team, and particularly the offense, should be adjusted.
“We’re learning as we go and by no means — we’re not 2-10, we’re 10-2," said Brady. "And I know there’s very high expectations as there are for us. I think the expectations for our team often are at a very, very, very high level and I understand that, but at the same time I think there are realistic expectations with our circumstances incorporating different elements, and players and injuries. We’re just trying to do the best we can do.
“We have our whole season ahead of us and we have to learn from the things we did last week and try and go out there and get a really tough win against KC and see if we can get back to winning. That is going to be the most important thing this week.”
The Patriots are no longer the No. 1 seed in the AFC and in order for that to happen they need to win out and hope Baltimore drops a game over the last month of the season.
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