Tom Brady Still Taking First Team Reps in Practice

Towing the incredibly thin line between confidence, brashness and just straight-out delusion, the New England Patriots have continued to give embattled quarterback Tom Brady the majority of first team reps today in practice.

According to a tweet by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Brady took “most or all first team reps today,” with the Patriots believing that “somehow, someway, he will be on the field week 1.”

Aside from the media and legal drama having above his head, the practice itself went swimmingly for the four-time Super Bowl champion, currently enwrapped in another cheating allegation that has stained his otherwise stellar career.

The highlight of the session featured a handoff to Edelman out of the shotgun, who threw to an open Brady along the sideline. Brady made an athletic one-handed grab and snuck out of bounds just inches short of the endzone.

What was probably just a bit of fun for fans and reporters stands in stark contrast to the Patriots’ very serious defiance of Roger Goodell and the NFL. With news that Brady is preparing to take the matter to court, some fear the suspension may not be enacted until the 2016 season.

It could well turn out to be just a temporary gesture of goodwill to their veteran quarterback, but you have to admire New England’s confidence nonetheless.

As for a contingency plan? Well, if legal proceedings don’t turn out the way Brady would like, Jimmy Garoppolo will start against the Pittsburgh Steelers on opening night.

The Steel Curtain they are not, but Pittsburgh’s young, raw defense should pose enough trouble as it is for a quarterback making his first-ever meaningful start. Limiting Garoppolo’s reps along the way may come to represent the pride before the fall.