Monday, August 19, 2002
Brady mediocre in second exhibition
NFL Notebook
The Associated Press
FOXBORO, Mass. — Tom Brady took the first snap ever at the New England Patriots' new stadium and handed off for an 18-yard gain. His passing wasn't nearly as productive.
Midway through his first exhibition season as the Patriots starting quarterback, Brady hasn't put up the numbers the team would like. He even seemed to regress in Saturday night's 16-15 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
“I should have played better,” the Super Bowl MVP said. “It was a bittersweet win.”
There's still plenty of time to improve, just as there is for Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb. The Eagles were scoreless in his four series, although penalties hurt them, and he completed 8 of 14 passes for 59 yards.
“In the preseason, it's different,” McNabb said. “They weren't throwing their whole defense at us, and we were working on some things. The important thing was to get my timing down heading into the first game.”
Brady went 11-for-19 for 116 yards and two interceptions in two quarters. In the opening 22-19 loss to the New York Giants, he played one quarter and was 7-for-11 for 104 yards, with 62 yards coming on one catch.
In the 10 series he's played, the Patriots have two field goals and no touchdowns.
But Brady is getting used to some new receivers. On the first play against the Eagles, rookie Deion Branch gained 18 yards on a reverse. Later in the series, Branch and veteran David Patten each dropped a pass.
“Attention to detail is what we need,” Brady said. “I played well mentally, but I need to improve my physical play.”
The Eagles had one of the NFL's best defenses last season when they reached the NFC title game before losing to St. Louis. The Patriots beat the Rams 20-17 in the Super Bowl on Adam Vinatieri's 48-yard field goal on the last play.
The last time he kicked in Foxboro, he made a 45-yarder on the last play of the fourth quarter and a 23-yarder in overtime that gave New England a 16-13 playoff win over the Raiders in a driving snowstorm Jan. 19.
Vinatieri said there was no difference yet between kicking at the new stadium and the old Foxboro Stadium.
“It's hard to compare this early in the season,” Vinatieri said. “It was 90 degrees out and there wasn't much wind. We'll see what happens in November and December when it's cold.”
If the Patriots and Eagles have the same success as last season, they could meet in the Super Bowl. McNabb didn't focus on that Saturday.
“But we were excited,” he said. “They are the Super Bowl champs. And it is a new stadium, and we were excited about opening it.”
So were the Patriots, even though the quality of their play left coach Bill Belichick disappointed in certain areas.
“We had three turnovers in the first half offensively and that pretty much kept us off the scoreboard,” he said. “Obviously, we have a lot of work to do, a lot of things we need to tighten up.”
The results of that effort should be seen at home Friday night in the Patriots' next-to-last exhibition game against Carolina, the worst NFL team last season. The Eagles are home the same night against Baltimore, which won the Super Bowl the previous year.
BROWNS: Cleveland released eight-year veteran wide receiver Chris Sanders.
Sanders, who was released in February by the Tennessee Titans, signed with the Browns as a free agent in March when the club was desperate for an experienced wideout to add to their receiving corps. That was before Cleveland drafted rookie Andre Davis, and before Dennis Northcutt and JaJuan Dawson recovered from nagging injuries.
Sanders, 30, didn't make a catch in the Browns' exhibition opener against the Minnesota Vikings. He didn't play in Cleveland's 24-23 win over the Detroit Lions on Saturday night.
BUCCANEERS: Former Arizona Cardinals guard Yusuf Scott signed a one-year contract with Tampa Bay. Financial terms weren't released. Scott, selected in the fifth round of the 1999 draft by Arizona, played in 25 games in three seasons with the Cardinals.
PANTHERS: Kick returner Michael Bates, a five-time Pro Bowl player, is expected to miss the season with a broken ankle.
Bates was injured on a kickoff during the first half of Saturday night's preseason loss to the Cowboys. The Panthers said a Dallas player tackled Bates from behind, and he yelled and gestured at the Dallas bench as he was carted off.
“If that's the way they want to play, it all comes in cycles,” said Carolina receiver Steve Smith. “We'll see them again on Oct. 13. That type of play is not what we're here for.”
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Brady mediocre in second exhibition
