Patriots' Brady ready for opener, with start streak at stake

Patriots' Brady ready for opener, with start streak at stake
Associated Press
Updated: September 1, 2008, 2:06 PM ET


FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Tom Brady is ready to play in the New England Patriots' opener but stopped short Monday of saying he would.

"If it's up to me, there's no question" Brady said. "I've been getting progressively better over the past couple of weeks. I'm excited. I'm excited to start the year."

Brady, who has a right foot injury, didn't play in any of four exhibition games although he said he could have. New England lost all four exhibition games.

"I felt like I could play all of them and I practiced the entire preseason, pretty much," he said. "The decision was made that, OK, Tom, you're not going to play, and I was fine with it."

The Patriots start the regular season Sunday at home against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Brady stretched and did agility drills with his teammates during the first 15 minutes of Monday's practice to which the media were admitted.

Brady has started New England's last 127 games, the third longest streak in NFL history for quarterbacks. Only Brett Favre and Peyton Manning have longer streaks.

"The way he directs things out there is what puts us in the right position to make these plays," tackle Matt Light said. "So it's good to have him back."




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