Yes, it was just a preseason game, but count Tom Brady among those surprised he didn't take any snaps Thursday night against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Instant Debate: Right move by Pats?
Did the Patriots do the right thing by sitting Tom Brady against the Jaguars, or should they have rewarded the fans coming off the NFL lockout by letting him sling it for a couple series? **More...**
The New England Patriots quarterback told WEEI-AM on Monday that he was "shocked" not to play in the team's opener, which the Patriots won 47-12. Brady told the station he didn't find out until Wednesday night he wasn't in the game plan but has learned to trust Bill Belichick's methods.
"Belichick -- he's the coach and he tells us what he wants to do," Brady said. "I used to fight things probably a lot more, but now you just kind of understand the reasons why he does things and I do my best to prepare no matter what the situation is.
"He told us earlier in the week, 'Guys, you know everybody should be ready to play.' Look, we were ready to play. He told us the night before the game we weren't playing, which, I think, shocked probably all of us, but it's not like we can go put ourselves in the game. So, we made sure that we had a good week of practice so we were ready."
Perhaps Brady was more anxious to play because of the way his season ended last year. It's clear he's still seething from the 28-21 AFC Divisional Playoff loss to the New York Jets last season.
"I'll never get over that loss," said Brady, who labeled it "as painful a loss as we've had as a team."
Perhaps in an attempt to gear up for the Jets this season, the Patriots have signed veterans on both sides of the ball. Albert Haynesworth and Shaun Ellis were brought in to bolster the defensive line, and Chad Ochocinco, the former Cincinnati Bengals wideout, is Brady's newest target on offense.
Brady acknowledged it's taking time for Ochocinco to pick up the Patriots' offensive scheme, which asks a lot of receivers.
"With Deion (Branch) and Wes (Welker), I've played with them now for so long, they just know exactly what I'm thinking and why I'm thinking it," Brady said. "With Chad, he's been in a certain place for a long time and he has his ... the way that he has played the game has been quite a bit different from the way we play the game. ...
"It's really a crash course. We've been at it for just over 2½ weeks. You have to basically get rid of all the information that he's had to learn going on his 10th year and learn something new in two weeks. It's certainly not easy, but he's a hard worker, you know. He wants to do it, he's very competitive, and it's really fun to be out there with him because he wants the ball, he wants to practice. He wants to be out there and do it right because he really wants us to be able to rely on him."
