Tom Brady returned to the football field this week after an 11-day absence against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brady made his preseason debut in Saturday’s exhibition finale, finishing 6 of 8 for 44 yards in his lone streak — consisting of just 11 plays. That was enough for Brady to get the reps he needs to get ready for the regular season. Every preseason Brady was healthy, he played in at least one of the exhibition games. That’s why Brady wasn’t worried when he left Tampa Bay for nearly two weeks. He wasn’t making up for lost time. “Everybody has different situations that they deal with and we all have unique challenges in our lives,” Brady said after Saturday’s preseason finale against the Indianapolis Colts. “I’m 45 years old, man. There’s a lot of shit, so you just have to try to find life as best you can. You know, it’s an ongoing process.” Brady did not play in the first two preseason games, part of his extended absence from the team. The future Hall of Fame quarterback reportedly vacationed in the Bahamas with his wife, Giselle, during his absence. Of course, Brady neither confirmed nor denied where he actually was. If there was any concern that Brady would be rusty after his absence, his 20-yard pass to Julio Jones that led to a field goal in his lone drive negated any chance of that. The Buccaneers opener is 15 days away, plenty of time for Brady to play at a high level to start the year. “I feel good. I’ve been playing football a long time. I’m pretty good at it,” Brady said. “It doesn’t take me long to remember how to play it.”
