FOXBORO – Tom Brady’s been fairly buttoned-down in his comments so far since returning from suspension. Just the facts, just the football, just 2016.
But ask him about his new toys and Brady brightens.
The main one for this offense is Martellus Bennett, who had three touchdown receptions from Brady against Cleveland.
“Martellus has been so productive, being here for such a short time,” said Brady on Wednesday afternoon. “Gronk, what he did last week and him kind of getting back to where he wants to be is such a big part of our offense because those guys are so dynamic. They’re tough matchups, they’re both 6-foot-6-plus, 270-pounds-plus. They’re hard matchups for anybody because they’re just very unique players.”
Brady expanded on how it unfolds by using one of the Patriots touchdowns on Sunday as an example.
“(The Browns) focused all their coverage on Gronk, and then Martellus gets the one-on-one and he gets the ball,” said Brady, referring to New England’s second touchdown when safety help moved outside to meet Gronk and Bennett wound up 1-on-1 with a linebacker. “Again, that’s what makes a good offense. If they’re going to double cover someone, it means other guys have single coverage. If you’re playing with a guy like Gronk, it’s great for you because you’re not the one getting double covered, so you’ll have opportunities and you have to take advantage of the opportunities when you get them.”
It will be interesting to see if teams begin to split their double-teaming attention between Bennett and Gronk. Gronk got most of the multiple coverage on Sunday. At the rate Bennett’s going, you’d have to think they will.