FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said he feels like he is in "a good place with a week to go" in his four-game NFL suspension and added that one of the biggest areas of concern for him when he returns to the team Oct. 3 is getting his timing back.
"I don't think there is any benefit to watching the team play these games from a football standpoint, because it takes time to get the timing and the practice reps," Brady said during his weekly interview on Westwood One Radio when asked whether there has been any upside to serving the suspension stemming from Deflategate.
"I'm trying to do the best I can to stay in shape and to keep the timing, and to really stay football ready. I'm hoping our team has a great week of preparation and can get to 4-0, and then I'll have an opportunity to be back next Monday, and I'm going to work as hard as I can to be ready to go for that week. It's a big week for me, and it's a big week for our team. Every week is a big week in the NFL, but not having been out there for four weeks, there is a lot of makeup time I'm going to need and the chance to be on the field with my teammates to see what kind of rhythm I can find in a short week of practice."
Brady was asked by host Jim Gray how he can possibly make up the time away from the game.
"I don't think you can," he answered. "I do admire some guys, like [Patriots receiver] Danny Amendola. He didn't practice at all in training camp and he goes out there and the first week of the year [and] has a great game. The second week of the year, he has two touchdown catches. I've played with a lot of teammates who have been off for extended periods of time and it looks like they're flipping the switch, but I think for me, that's not the way I really prepare. I like to take every rep in practice. I like to practice every day.
"I've been able to be very healthy over the course of my career, and I think that has really helped me, and I'm going to need to find that rhythm back. It's going to take some work and some time. Like I said before, that's some uncharted territory, too."
Brady then turned the focus to Sunday's home game against the Buffalo Bills, saying, "It's always a tough opponent for our team. Hopefully we can get to 4-0; that's what I would love to see showing back up next Monday morning in the football building."
Looking back, Brady called the team's 27-0 victory over the Houston Texans on Thursday "inspiring to watch."
"It certainly doesn't surprise me the way the team has performed and what they did on Thursday night, because they're always so well prepared and they take advantage of short weeks," he said on the program. "I was so happy to see them come out and play as well as they did. They played well in every area of the game. It really took contributions from all three units.
"It's tough to play on those short weeks -- your body obviously feels different than having seven days to play between games, but to see the team come out and rally against a really good Houston team was inspiring to watch. It was a great way to get to 3-0."
Brady also lauded coach Bill Belichick. Asked whether he thought Belichick is the best coach in the history of the NFL, he said, "Yeah, I definitely think so."
"I think whatever hand he's been dealt, he finds a way to win," Brady said. "That's the mark of a great coach. Sitting in those meetings for the last 16 years and watching him prepare the team, there's no [other] coach I'd ever want to play for. He's just remarkable in every aspect. It's a privilege to play for him. I look forward to being back out there and getting yelled at by him."
Brady cited Belichick's consistency as something that stands out in his approach.
"It's just what's remarkable, and it's so much of what you don't see on these Sunday afternoons," Brady said.
In addition, Brady confirmed he spent the weekend in Italy with his wife, Gisele Bundchen.
"We had a great time. It was a great chance to get away," he said. "I've never had an opportunity in September. Hopefully I don't have one for a very, very long time."