Contract complaints not on Brady's agenda
FOXBOROUGH -- As a two-time Super Bowl MVP and owner of the highest winning percentage among active quarterbacks with at least 25 starts, Tom Brady deserves to be the league's highest-paid QB, if not its highest-paid player. That's in a perfect, salary-cap-free business world. But in reality, to borrow a line from Clint Eastwood in "Unforgiven": "Deserve's got nothing to do with it."
Brady has three years remaining on the four-year, $29.625 million extension he signed in August 2002 after the team paid him a $6 million option bonus last season, which triggered the final three years of the deal. And while deep down Brady may not like the fact that Peyton Manning, a quarterback who has two fewer championships and against whom he is 4-0, got a signing bonus ($34.5 million) worth more than the total value of his contract, Brady realizes, as Ty Law apparently has, that his options are few, if any. Manning was wearing the "franchise" tag, at a cost of more than $18 million as an alternative to unrestricted free agency. Brady -- bottom line -- is under contract.
"That's a lot of money," Brady said with a laugh yesterday after the team's morning workout on Day 2 of minicamp. "I remember [talking] with him five days before he signed. I knew his expectations and he was an unrestricted free agent, and he signed a huge contract. You know, when that situation presents itself, as a player the only options you have are, really, when you're a free agent. Until then you're under contract. And you continue to play just as hard."
And anyway, Brady isn't exactly leading a hard life. "I know I was really happy when I signed [his extension]," he said. "I was going to make [$375,000] as a third-year pro, which is more money than I ever thought I would make in my life. That's still the way I feel. Peyton signed a great deal. That is good for the quarterback position in the NFL, I know that. But it only means something when you're a free agent."
Brady's friend and mentor, offensive coordinator Charlie Weis, appears headed for coaching free agency after this season, as his agent and the Patriots failed to come to terms on an extension. Weis is credited with helping groom Brady into an elite quarterback. Brady was at Weis's bedside when he nearly died of complications from gastric bypass surgery two years ago. Seeing Weis move on obviously would be difficult.
"Coaches have aspirations just as players do," Brady said. "Charlie's the best offensive coordinator in the league, and he's going to get an opportunity. I'm excited to see when he does get his opportunity. I'm hoping that I can play under him for a long time. There's no question I would miss him more than anybody. I don't think you can ever really say, `I'm prepared now if he does leave.' No. You're never prepared when you lose a great asset like that. How do you replace a guy who's just an awesome coach? That's up to the people who are making those decisions. But Charlie's not. Charlie's here, and I'm damn happy he's here."
Last year's quarterbacks coach, John Hufnagel, is now in New York coordinating the Giants' offense. Brady has a new position coach, former defensive assistant Josh McDaniels, the Patriots' third QB coach since Brady arrived in 2000.
"He knows how to teach the position," Brady said of McDaniels. "He knows how to communicate with us. He knows how to communicate the routes. And he's a good buffer for Charlie. Charlie wants to come in and coach all the time, and sometimes it's good for Josh to have a little input, too.
"What the assistant coaches try to do is take what the head coach and offensive coordinator are saying and try to communicate it to you. Josh sits in on all the meetings, and he knows what the head coach is looking for. Josh isn't Bill Walsh right now, but he's learning from a guy who's one of the best coaches in the league, with one of the best offensive coordinators in the league. He's getting that input, and he's taking it from a different perspective. `Tom, this is what [coach] Bill [Belichick] wants, this is what I see, and this is what you need to do.' "
Bruschi on tap
Tedy Bruschi, who is entering the final season of a four-year deal he signed in January 2002, confirmed yesterday a report that he and the Patriots are nearing agreement on an extension. "We are close," said Bruschi, who represents himself. He is scheduled to earn $1.75 million this year. "I'm currently in discussions." Bruschi said he would like to have the matter resolved before the season. "That would be the best-case scenario," he said. Bruschi is unique in that most players prefer to hire agents to handle their negotiations so they can focus on football. According to the Players Association, only 25 players represent themselves. "I think it's just the type of person I am in terms of I don't want anybody telling me what to do," Bruschi said. "I don't want a middle man. If they've got something to say to me or offer to me, I'd rather talk to them face to face. And to the Patriots' credit, it's been pretty easy. I've already done three prior contracts myself, so they've been totally professional with me and that's a compliment to them." Bruschi said he has no post-career plans to be an agent. "Absolutely not," he said. "The motivation is there for me to do it when I have myself and my family in mind, but to do it for another player would be too bothersome, I think." . . . Tom Ashworth's agent, Tom Mills, said yesterday that the right tackle, an exclusive-rights free agent, likely will sign the one-year minimum tender ($380,000) just before the start of training camp. In the meantime, should Ashworth or any tendered player suffer an injury during team activities, the team would be responsible for the player's base salary this year. "They haven't approached us about anything beyond this season," Mills said. "Obviously, if they called and wanted to talk about an extension, you bet we'd be willing to listen. If they don't want to do an extension, we'll just play for the one-year tender." Ashworth would become a restricted free agent after this season.
Calling the shots
Brady will have more freedom to audible than he has in past years, Belichick said. "We don't want to get into that on a full-time basis, but selectively, we have a lot of confidence in him doing that." . . . Rookie tight end Ben Watson did not practice yesterday. Belichick said one of Watson's legs "tightened up." . . . Michael Cloud, David Patten, and Patrick Pass practiced in red (non-contact) jerseys. . . . Eugene Wilson (groin), Bethel Johnson (abdominal surgery), and Jarvis Green (injury unknown) did not practice for the second straight day. . . . Deion Branch sat out the afternoon workout . . . Rosevelt Colvin took part in some team drills in the morning . . . Belichick said tight end Daniel Graham is having a strong minicamp. He made two impressive catches during red zone passing drills in the afternoon, including a leaping grab in the back of the end zone. "We were talking about it [yesterday] morning," Belichick said. "I just think he's a little more confident. He's done a little bit more. He's executing a little bit better at this point." . . . Ryan Atoe, a defensive lineman from Idaho and formerly of NFL Europe, is in camp on a tryout . . . Quarterback Rohan Davey, the MVP of NFL Europe, will lead the Berlin Thunder against the Frankfurt Galaxy in today's World Bowl in Gelsenkirchen, Germany (Channel 25, noon). Davey has 19 touchdown passes and a 105.6 rating for the 9-1 Thunder . . . The Patriots' exhibition finale against the Jacksonville Jaguars has been moved back a day to Sept. 2 (Channel 5, 6:45 p.m.). The change was made to avoid any conflict with network coverage of the Republican National Convention.
