Tom Brady's teammates explained on Monday that they were excited to have him back, though they said they had not seen him by about 4 p.m.
Brady did, however, eventually make his way into Gillette Stadium, and he spoke about his return to Westwood One's Jim Gray before the radio braodcast of the Monday night game between the Giants and Vikings.
"It was great to be back in the building," Brady said. "It was certainly great to be back to work. It’s been a long four weeks for me, but I am excited to get started on my preparation for Cleveland. I am anxious for the week ahead. I want to get back out on the practice field. This is what I love to do and now I have an opportunity to do it."
When asked what Brady's homecoming would mean for the Patriots, Bill Belichick opted not to "speculate" on a conference call with reporters. While that answer may sound odd -- Brady's importance to the Patriots obviously has been well-established over the last 16 years -- Brady echoed his coach's sentiments somewhat, understanding that he has work to do to get up to speed with everything the team is doing.
"I am going to take it day-by-day," Brady said. "I haven’t played in four weeks. My teammates have been working their butts off and that’s what they expect of me. I’ll take the days as they come. I’ll certainly need the practices to get on the same page as all the guys who have been practicing the last four weeks, but I am really looking forward to it."
One part of Brady's game where there will not be much question? How determined he is to make his impact felt as quicly as possible. That, Brady said, has not changed. Even though he's returning from a league-imposed suspension that he fought for over a year, he indicated that his four-game ban won't influence just how motivated he is.
"I was motivated 17 years ago and I am motivated today," Brady told Gray. "I’m motivated to win for my teammates. I am motivated to go out there and represent our city well."
New England Patriots
Brady added on the end of the Deflategate sage: "I’m not really looking to reflect at this point. I’ve put that in the rearview mirror when I decided a while ago. I am looking forward to playing and doing what I love to do and being out there with my teammates, who have done such a great job and I want to do a great job for them.
"I’m just focused on the present and focused on this week. That is what I am going to be all season long, it served me well in the past and hopefully it serves me well this week.”