FOXBORO, Mass. — Tom Brady has spent the past two weeks getting acquainted with his newest offensive weapon, recently acquired wide receiver Michael Floyd.
“He’s worked really hard to try to get up to speed,” Brady said Friday of Floyd, whom the New England Patriots claimed off waivers from the Arizona Cardinals earlier this month. “There’s a lot to make up, there’s a lot of time to try to make up, but he’s worked pretty hard at it. It’s been good to see his commitment, and hopefully he can go out there and play confident, and like all of us, try to go get a win.”
Floyd was a highly productive pass-catcher for the Cardinals before inconsistency and shaky hands caused his numbers to dip this season. Though he was somewhat familiar with the Patriots’ playbook before New England acquired him, he still faced a steep learning curve upon his arrival in Foxboro.
Rookie quarterback Jacoby Brissett has helped with that adjustment, a process Patriots coach Bill Belichick said has been beneficial for both Floyd and Brissett.
“I think it’s a lot of things,” Brady said. “We’re here so much over the course of the offseason and training camp talking about every detail and every play, and to try to rush that is tough. But you have no choice at this time of year. We just try to focus on the things that he’s confident in, and we’re just trying to, I guess, speak the same language. That’s kind of what it comes down to.”
Floyd was inactive for New England’s Week 15 victory over the Denver Broncos, then played just 17 snaps Saturday against the New York Jets in his Patriots debut. The 27-year-old has yet to catch a pass from Brady, as his lone reception against the Jets came after backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo had entered the game.
Brady declined to speculate how Floyd might fit into the Patriots’ offensive game plan moving forward.
“I don’t want to make predictions, because I think that sets the wrong expectations for a player,” Brady said. “I think we’re going to have to all wait and see. I think for all of us, it’s just how well we can all communicate, how well we can all be on the same page. I mean, I need to be able to anticipate and throw the ball with confidence; they need to run routes with confidence. Rather than predict, I think we’ve just got to go do it and see how it goes.”
Floyd could see an uptick in playing time this Sunday as the Patriots visit the Miami Dolphins in Week 17. Wide receivers Malcolm Mitchell and Danny Amendola both did not practice this week, meaning Floyd likely will be New England’s third option at wideout behind Julian Edelman and Chris Hogan.
Thumbnail photo via Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports Images
