Patriots excited to have Tom Brady back on the field

FOXBORO – Tom Brady finally returned to the field on Tuesday. After missing the first seven ‘optional’ practices of the spring, the quarterback was back on the field during the team’s start of minicamp.

So how did he look?

Overall, taking all competitive drills into account, Brady went 25-of-32. During the practice, the quarterback was very vocal and even yelled at himself when he missed Kenny Britt, who was running deep.

"Tom looked [...]

FOXBORO – Tom Brady finally returned to the field on Tuesday. After missing the first seven ‘optional’ practices of the spring, the quarterback was back on the field during the team’s start of minicamp.

So how did he look?

Overall, taking all competitive drills into account, Brady went 25-of-32. During the practice, the quarterback was very vocal and even yelled at himself when he missed Kenny Britt, who was running deep.

“Tom looked great,” Rob Gronkowski said. “That guy, I don't think he's ever going to look bad. I mean he's always looking good. He's never tired. His arm strength is always up there so he's looking good.”

“It's always loud with [No.] 12 out there,” Julian Edelman added. “He's an intimidating S.O.B.”

Out of the 25 passes he completed, Brady connected with several players for the first time ever. Players like Jordan Matthews, Cordarrelle Patterson, Jeremy Hill, Troy Niklas, Sony Michel, Shane Wimann, and Ralph Webb all practiced with Brady for the first time.

Matthews caught back-to-back touchdown passes from during 11-on-11 drills.

“It was good. It was a great day,” Matthews said. “We’ve just got to continue to build on it. Everyone knows how good Tom is. We’ve got to make sure we come out here and we’re ready to get our job done.”

Overall, players seemed ecstatic to have their quarterback back on the field.  

“Tom’s a great leader and obviously when he’s in the huddle, it’s great to see him,” Chris Hogan said. “But I think it’s another page in the book, another day for us to come out here and work on our craft, get better as an offseason and get better as a team.”

“Yeah, it is definitely nice having Tom out there,” added Phillip Dorsett. “That was great. Great seeing him today.”