Here’s a portion of the Q&A with Patriots quarterback Tom Brady from this morning on WEEI (CLICK HERE to listen to the entire interview with Dennis & Callahan):

On Ochocinco’s Tweet about his shoulder…
Yeah, I don’t remember talking to him. Ochocinco is a little bit evasive at times.

Do you think you’ll be ready for the opener?
I certainly am expecting that. It was fun to be out there last Friday night. We played against a very talented team. The team played well in some aspects and in some areas we still have plenty of improvements to make. The hit that I took, I just fell awkwardly, and any time a 350-pound man lands on you, most people would be a little bit sore — which I was. But I’m really looking forward to this week, and getting prepared for this game and then Buffalo is just right around the corner. It should be … the next few weeks are going to fly, as they always do, just in anticipation of opening night. I’m excited and my teammates are.

Is there a chance you won’t play against Buffalo in that opening game?
Well, I mean, there’s a chance I won’t make it down to the stadium in the next 30 minutes. … There’s a lot of time before that game, and … like I said, there’s a lot of players on our team that have bumps and bruises. I have bumps and bruises. It’s a physical game. Like I said, I fell a little bit awkwardly, but I’m expecting to be out there and I’m expecting to play this week, if coach let’s me. We’ll just see how the week goes.

What were you thinking after you got hit?
I was thinking, ‘Damn, that guy was heavy.’ [laughter] That’s what I was thinking. Albert Haynesworth, he’s one of the best defensive linemen we play against, you know? He … I kind of pumped to the left and drifted into him, so, he made a good play. Like I said, I landed just a little awkward on the ground. Coach made the decision at that point at halftime that was it for the night, and that was it. That was the last time I was out there.

When you were hit, was there a sense of ‘Here we go again?’
No, I don’t think so. When I got hit last year – we’re going back a long time – I knew it was bad, obviously. That pain didn’t go away. Any time you hurt your knee like that, it’s very … there’s a lot of trauma to that area that I got injured, and it lasted a long, long time. I’ve taken a lot of hits in my career, really. It’s … you can’t play the position without contact. You’re very defenseless as a quarterback. You’re just standing there, trying to get rid of the ball. You’ve got four, sometimes five, sometimes six guys coming after you, and you’ve got to get rid of the ball, and that’s why it’s remarkable for guys like Brett Favre and Peyton Manning who have played … Favre, I think, is going on his [18th year] without being injured. Not that he hasn’t been injured, it’s just he hasn’t been injured enough not to play. There’s definitely an art to taking hits and being out there every week and part of the offseason conditioning program is to have your body strong and flexible and able to withstand the different hits you take over the course of the season. So, I’m confident in the way that I train so I’m prepared for those. Some of those you can’t avoid, like last year, but it’s really part, it’s part of the job description. Anybody who plays this game needs be willing to play it less than 100 percent of perfect, which, after that first training camp practice, nobody is 100 percent.

On the reports Kevin O’Connell has been placed on waivers…
I haven’t … we’ve been away the last 48 hours from the team, so I haven’t talked to anybody. I see reports, and … if it is true, I really enjoy Kevin and Kevin is a great person. He’s a great player. It’s a very competitive position. Kevin has worked very hard. I’ve loved being with Kevin and Kevin does have a very bright future. It’s always … it’s really always a tough time of year, because there’s a lot of guys I have a lot of respect for that don’t end up being a part of the roster.

On if he had an MRI or X-ray…
I always rely on our doctors and trainers. It’s just part of getting hit. When you get hit, you get sore, and when you get sore in the shoulder, as a quarterback, you take a little precaution. It’s apparently, progressing, I’m confident. … I know when a 350-pound man falls on me, I can handle it. That gives me confidence.

On Tedy Bruschi — did this news surprise you?
Yeah, well … I know Tedy, it’s be great to hear from Tedy. We haven’t heard from Tedy yet. Whenever Tedy wants to talk, that would be great. Tedy’s been a great friend of mine, he’s been a wonderful teammate, and he’s … I just want to wait.

How do you put Tedy Bruschi in perspective?
Well, I think Tedy, it’s all those things. You can’t put Tedy Bruschi into a box. That’s one thing about Tedy. Tedy is a wonderful man, he’s a wonderful person. He’s a wonderful father and husband, and he set an example from the day that I got here on what it means to be a professional athlete and what it means to play for the New England Patriots. We were together when he went through, probably, the toughest part of his career when he had his stroke, and since then, he’s really been … he’s done so much in the community to raise awareness and support for stroke victims. So he’s just a person who continues to grow throughout his life, and he’s been a great example for everybody that’s been on our team. He held himself to a very high standard. Every day, he came out to that practice field as a leader with energy and enthusiasm, and it was reflected in the way that he played. There’s only one Tedy Bruschi, and the fans that … his love for the game and his love for the community … he’ll be missed by everybody.

What can you tell us about your shoulder?
What does it matter? We don’t play for two weeks. The reality is no matter what I say, you know, no matter how confident I am, we’re just going to have to wait until Sept. 14, or hopefully, this Thursday, if coach let’s us play. I mean, traditionally, he doesn’t let us play in this game, but if he wants me to play, I’ll play. We’re going to go out there and try to improve this week as a team and improve in practice. But me sitting here and making a bunch of predictions in two weeks away, I don’t understand what the point is of that.

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