Claremore Daily Progress

Breaking News

Sports

January 10, 2013

NFL: Patriots QB Brady one win from postseason record

ASSOCIATED PRESS Associated Press

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Tom Brady was just a "kid'' in his second pro season when he won his first playoff game.

Now a 13-year veteran, the New England Patriots star needs just one more victory to break a tie with Joe Montana for most in the postseason as a starting quarterback.

He'd love to get his 17th on Sunday against the Houston Texans, not to reach the milestone but to advance to the AFC championship game.

So when he was asked on Wednesday if he was aware of the historic significance, he answered: "With that question, I guess I'm aware of it.''

Football, Brady said, "is a team game. I've been fortunate to play here and have the opportunity. There's no place I'd rather be.''

He was there for the famous "Tuck Rule'' game, a snowy 16-13 overtime win over the Oakland Raiders in his playoff debut in 2002 when a ruling that he had lost a fumble was changed, upon replay, to an incomplete pass. The Patriots went on to kick the tying and winning field goals.

He was there for his third postseason win - and first Super Bowl title - two weeks later. Minutes after that 20-17 upset of the St. Louis Rams, he flashed a broad smile while standing with both hands on top of the cap he wore with the bill facing backwards.

"That was some kid back then,'' Brady said. "You really don't quite understand what has happened or what has been accomplished until you try so many times and you don't get to accomplish those things. It's very hard to win that final game of the year. We've had a chance and lost a few.''

Both were to the New York Giants - 17-14 in the 2007 season and 21-17 last season.

Brady had been a postseason sensation, winning his first 10 games and three Super Bowls in his first five seasons. Since then, he's 6-6 with no championships.

Still, Brady remains the consistent key to a team that earned its third straight playoff bye this season, its 10th in a row with at least 10 wins.

"He's won a lot of regular-season games, won a lot of playoff games,'' coach Bill Belichick said. "What he does on a day-to-day basis, how he performs on the practice field, how he performs in games - whether they're preseason, regular season, postseason, whatever it is - he's pretty consistent. I think you see that during the week, so it shows up on Sunday.''

It was painfully obvious to the Texans (13-4) on Dec. 10 when they came to Gillette Stadium with the NFL's best record. They left with a 42-14 pounding in which Brady had four touchdown passes six minutes into the third quarter.

"I know the score looked like it was a certain way, but there were certain plays that we could have done a better job on,'' he said. "Hopefully, we can do a better job of (that) this week.''

The Patriots (12-4) have been reminded of that rout constantly this week. And they've constantly downplayed its relevance for Sunday's divisional playoff game.

"Giving us an opportunity to have this game at home, I think that's the important thing about last game,'' Brady said. "Other than that, this is going to be a whole different game full of our own execution, our ability to try to beat a very good football team that's played well all year.''

Not quite.

The game against the Patriots began a slide of three losses in four games. The last, to the Indianapolis Colts, dropped the Texans from the first to the third spot in the AFC, costing them a first-round bye.

They won their wild-card game, edging the Cincinnati Bengals 19-13 last Saturday. But they are still playing below the level they established in winning 11 of their first 12.

Still, Brady talked of the Texans as if they were dominating opponents.

"There's a lot to be concerned about,'' he said. "They've got a great front, some very experienced players at linebacker, a very athletic secondary. You saw what they did last week - playing at home against Cincinnati there in the first half - was pretty impressive.''

He expects the Texans to make some defensive changes from the previous meeting. But 6-foot-5 J.J. Watt and his ability to jump and knock down passes will still be at defensive end.

So Belichick brought out the racquets again that linemen hold up in practice for him to throw over, Brady said.

"It gets frustrating at times, but I think it's a very good thing that coach does,'' he said. "It just subliminally gets it in my head of (Watt's) ability and their ability to defend passes at the line of scrimmage, which I'm sure teams try to do every week.

"But they get them every week.''

Watt didn't bat down any the last time he faced Brady.

"So,'' Watt said, "I need to do more.''

He and his teammates must do a lot more than they did in the last meeting to deny Brady his 17th postseason win. And Brady expects just that.

"The Texans are going to have a few different things, we're going to have a few different things,'' he said. "It's just going to be a totally different game.''



 

Text Only
Sports
  • Gasso trusts that Ricketts will find her timing again

    Oklahoma pitcher Keilani Ricketts was not at her best on Sunday. The defending USA Softball Player of the Year didn’t give up a run in her two and two-thirds innings of work, but she was far from the dominant pitcher who tossed a no-hitter last week.

    May 20, 2013

  • Sooners claim regular season finale with win over K-State

    Oklahoma managed to end the regular season on a positive note Sunday. Kolbey Carpenter went 2 for 4 and drove in three runs to help power the Sooners to a 7-3 victory over Kansas State at Tointon Stadium.

    May 20, 2013

  • Chamberlain's curtain call only the beginning

    The chant reaching near-deafening levels, Lauren Chamberlain finally realized what she was supposed to do.

    Moments after blasting a three-run home run that broke open what had been a close regional final, the sophomore tepidly stepped up out of the dugout and waved to the home crowd, enjoying the first curtain call of her career.

    May 20, 2013

  • OU's dominant victory a shining example of how tough Sooners are in softball

    On the first day Oklahoma softball coach Patty Gasso thought it was better to go with Michelle Gascoigne over Keilani Ricketts against Arkansas’ bats, the Sooners beat the Razorbacks by five runs.

    A day later Gasso had the same thought. OU prevailed by 13 runs.

    May 20, 2013

  • Cowboys fall short in Big 12 regular season finale

    Oklahoma State University played catch up the entire game of Saturday’s series finale with West Virginia at Allie P. Reynolds, and never could quite get over the hump.
    The Cowboys would respond after each Mountaineer score but it wouldn’t be enough as they lost the finale 5-4 on Senior Day.

    May 20, 2013

  • Referees stop Lake Eufaula Classic with South on top

     It was an outcome unlike any in the 29 years of the Lake Eufaula Classic, and a bruise different than any player has ever departed with.

    Officials, following the second serious skirmish of the game, walked off the field and the game was called, the South leading the North 12-10 at Paul Bell Stadium.

    May 20, 2013

  • Grand Junction Bound: Connors State advances to JUCO World Series

    All season long, Connors State coach Perry Keith has said his team was winning a lot of ball games ugly.

    On Saturday, the game between the Cowboys and No. 1 Delgado (La.) was anything but as Connors beat the Dolphins 3-1 to capture the South Central district championship and a berth in next week’s NJCAA College World Series.

    May 20, 2013

  • Young Americans waste no time qualifying for Indy 500

    Bump Day at Indianapolis followed the script.
    No surprises, no drama and no drivers getting bumped.
    On a day devoid of tension and rumors, all nine drivers who made attempts on the second and final day of Indianapolis 500 qualifications made it into the 33-car field, led by two young Americans - Josef Newgarden and Graham Rahal - who easily had the two fastest cars on the track.

    May 20, 2013

  • NCAA WOMEN'S BB: Texas Tech hires OSU assistant Candi Whitaker

    Texas Tech has hired Oklahoma State assistant Candi Whitaker to coach its women's basketball team.
    The school announced Monday that the former Lady Raiders player would return to her alma mater as coach. The move comes about a week after Kristy Curry left for Alabama.

    May 20, 2013

  • Pacers, Heat start bracing to square off again

    A year ago when Miami and Indiana faced off in the postseason, there were blood-drawing hits, flagrant fouls, technical fouls, choke signs being directed toward LeBron James and more than a few sharp-tongued comments.
    Here they possibly go again, at least on the comment front.
    The Eastern Conference finals between the Heat and Pacers won't begin until Wednesday night, but there's already signs that the animosity present throughout last season's Miami-Indiana second-round series will likely return this time around.

    May 20, 2013