“He’s the same Tom Brady I know,’’ said Faulk. “I got married a few years ago, too, but nobody talked about that. I was the same guy, so he’s just the same guy.’’
Brady was on the field for both practices yesterday, sporting a brace on his left knee, nine months and 24 days removed from his surgery Oct. 6 and light years away from the dire predictions that followed the staph in fection he developed in the knee after the surgery. The crowd, able to see him live for the first time since he crumpled to the ground against the Chiefs, cheered for him in the first session and he acknowledged them with a quick wave.
Unlike the Foxborough faithful, Brady’s teammates, now used to having him back on the field after he participated in organized team activities and last month’s mandatory minicamp, were not watching his every move, trying to gauge whether he was going to be the same player who led the team to three Super Bowl titles or who rewrote the record books with 50 touchdown passes on his way to being the league’s most valuable player in 2007.
Affirmation of Brady’s return already resonated in the locker room.
“We’ve been through minicamps. We’ve seen him then. We’ve been working with him this whole offseason,’’ said wide receiver Wes Welker. “It’s no surprise how he’s able to come out there and get in the flow of things pretty early on.’’
“When he’s out there, he’s out there,’’ added Faulk. “Nobody is paying attention to if he’s doing something different from when he was here last year. He’s just playing football. That’s it.’’
Coach Bill Belichick did briefly acknowledge the significance of having Brady ready to go for training camp.
