Patriots QB Tom Brady Looks Sharp In Preseason Debut
For all the offseason talk of rust after skipping OTAs, spending time with family instead of receivers, and sitting out the preseason opener last week, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady sure looked just fine in his preseason debut.
In an opening drive that was heavy on James White — and with the Pats going with a noticeably up-tempo attack — Brady connected on all five of his pass attempts, totaling 26 yards and closing things out with a seven-yard strike to Chris Hogan.
It was on that final play that Brady displayed some tremendous footwork, too, as he danced around trouble to find Hogan.
Brady ➡️ Hogan...
— NFL (@NFL) August 16, 2018
TOUCHDOWN @Patriots! #PHIvsNE https://t.co/1lICFK2ZXq
The 41-year-old Brady, whose original plan was to play for a ‘good portion’ of the first half, remained in the game for the entire first half, (presumably) finishing his night going 19-for-26 with 172 yards and a pair of touchdown passes.
Brady did his part to spread the ball around with his unfamiliar receiving corps — he targeted seven different receivers, and appeared to have Eric Decker wide open had he had just a few more seconds to look upfield — but White remained his favorite target. And it was easy to see why, as White totaled six catches for 61 yards and a score by the half’s end.
Hogan was right behind White, with five catches totaling 25 yards and the aforementioned score.
The Patriots lead the Eagles at the half, 27-7.
