CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — The NFL’s new collective bargaining agreement banned two-a-day practices, but the players association should have no problem with the extra work that Tom Brady and some of his New England Patriots teammates put in on Friday night.
Brady, Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola, Jerod Mayo and Ryan Mallett took part in the Best Buddies Tom Brady Football Challenge — a touch football game that also features celebrities, special athletes and sponsors. Brady and the Patriots had their third organized team activities practice earlier on Friday.
“We got a long way to go,” Brady said at Harvard Stadium. “It’s only been a couple days. We’re a long ways from the season and we’re going to need all the practices we can get.”
Second-round draft pick and fellow quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was one of nine players not spotted at Patriots OTAs. The rookie was selected to take part in the mandatory NFL Rookies Premier.
“He’s a really nice kid,” Brady said about Garoppolo. “He’s a great guy. All the guys that we have — all the new guys — have really come in, and hopefully they can play a great role on our team.”
Brady already looked in game shape at practice and at the football challenge, in which he threw two interceptions to Amendola and one to Edelman.
“I feel great. I freel great,” Brady said. “I try to really stay in shape. Especially this time of year, you’ve got to put the work in in advance and you have to pay the price early. I try to impart that on my younger teammates that this is a really important time of year to prepare yourself to play a long season. Doing a two-a-day like we’re doing today is definitely part of the plan.”
