Tom Brady hardly shies away from taking a shot at the Jets, and he took a soft swipe at his AFC East rivals again yesterday during his weekly radio spot in Boston.
Talking to WEEI, the Patriots quarterback was reveling in the talent of his teammate Danny Woodhead, whom the Jets released two years ago. Woodhead scored twice in the Patriots’ 37-31 victory over the Bills on Sunday, the 5-foot-8 running back catching one touchdown and running for another.
“I remember his first game,” Brady said. “We kind of joked on the sideline, [former Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien] and I, we kind of said, ‘The legend is born.’ We saw him that week in practice, what he was capable of doing, and said, ‘Why did the Jets release that guy?’ They had him playing receiver and he was a running back in college.”
This season, Woodhead is second on the Patriots with 49 carries and fourth on the team with 23 catches. He has played a big role in the offense, ranked first in the NFL, averaging 430.3 yards per game.
“He’s just come in and done such a great job,” Brady said. “He’s the ultimate team player and teammate — dependable, consistent, you always know the level of play you’re getting from Danny. He had a huge game [Sunday] for us. We really needed it, because as an offense, I’d say everyone really didn’t have their best day but Danny. He really saved the day for us.”
Woodhead won the Harlon Hill Trophy as the best player in Division II college football while at Chadron State, and the Jets signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2009. He played in a total of 12 games for them (including two playoff games), running the ball 15 times and catching 10 passes.
The Jets and Patriots play Thanksgiving night at MetLife Stadium.