New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady had his longest run of the season on Sunday when he picked up a first down with his legs on 3rd and 11. To say that the 17-yard scramble was rare would be a massive understatement.
In addition to picking up 17 yards on the ground inside the red zone, Brady also chose not to slide. Instead, he threw a shoulder into Miami Dolphins cornerback Walt Aikens. Why? Because Tommy Boy was “pissed off.”
“I think it was a play that we needed to make so it was good to make it at that time,” Brady told reports after the game, via Ryan Hannable of WEEI.com. “I was going to slide but I was pretty pissed off that time so I figured I wouldn’€™t slide. I wish I wouldn’€™t have gotten knocked down, but that’€™s the way it goes.”
The Patriots were leading just 14-13 at the time of Brady’s run. LeGarrette Blount plunged the ball into the end zone for a 3-yard touchdown on the very next play, which was the start of New England closing out the game on a 27-0 run.
Brady credited Blount’s run — not his own — for firing up the team.
“I think the touchdown did more so on the next play,” Brady said. “That was a great run. It’€™s just whatever it takes. I think that’€™s what matters. I think all our guys responded the way we wanted to and it was good to go in there and finish them off like we did.”
I’m sure Bill Belichick told Brady to go out of bounds next time. While we all saw how intense Brady is with his F-bomb tirade two weeks ago, you don’t want your star quarterback absorbing hits to the shoulder if he can help it.
