FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Sometimes it works out where a question asked by a reader can be taken directly to a player for an answer. It's rare when that happens with quarterback Tom Brady, but that's what unfolded Tuesday.

After filing the weekly Patriots mailbag, which included a question on whether it was smart for Brady to attempt to tackle Eagles cornerback Cary Williams on Williams' pick-six in Friday's preseason game, there was an opening to say a quick hello to Brady in the team's locker room today.

So I asked him the question from "Matt/Chapel Hill, N.C." about why he attempted to make the tackle and risk injury in a preseason game.

"I didn't even think about it," Brady answered, adding that his instincts simply took over. "The thing I was bummed about was that I didn't get him down."

In the end, this is just the way Brady plays the game. It's similar to what we saw from rookie quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in the preseason opener when he jumped into the scrum in an attempt to recover a Stephen Houston fourth-quarter fumble.

In both cases, not much good could result from the quarterbacks throwing themselves into harm's way.

But when teammates watch the plays over on tape, they'll see a player doing whatever it takes, which is an endearing trait and creates a dynamic where others might be more inclined to follow their lead.