During his weekly interview with WEEI's Kirk and Callahan Show, it sounded like Tom Brady was trying to do a former teammate a solid.
The Patriots quarterback didn't spend all game picking on Jets corner Darrelle Revis during his team's 22-17 win at MetLife Stadium. But in critical moments, Brady was not afraid to challenge the player he considered to be one of the game's greats for years -- a player who helped him win a Super Bowl two seasons ago.
Brady found rookie receiver Malcolm Mitchell in the back of the end zone for a touchdown in the second quarter with Revis in coverage. He later found Mitchell in the front forner of the same end zone for what proved to be the game-winning score in the fourth quarter, again with Revis in coverage.
And the Patriots were able to jump-start their game-winning drive in the game's final minutes by completing a pass to Julian Edelman for 24 yards with -- you guessed it -- Revis in coverage.
For the game, Revis was targeted five times, and he allowed four grabs for 41 yards and two scores.
"He's still very competitive out there," Brady told WEEI. "I think he's still -- when I watched the film after the game -- he's still close on a lot of plays. We made some good throws and catches on him. I thought the one that Julian made late in the game was really critical. We were second-and-10, backed up, we needed to go down and score points. Jules did a good job separating from him."
Revis was not on the Jets injury report in the days leading up to Sunday's matchup, and he played in all 73 defensive snaps against the Patriots. Brady, though, said he thought Revis was dealing with some physical ailments that may have hindered his performance.
New England Patriots
"I know he's not feeling great," Brady said. "I could see after the game, he winced a few times getting up. It looked like his leg was bothering him a little bit. But he's still very close on a lot of those plays. Even though you're hitting them, he's still very competitive.
"He's been one of the great players in the league for a long time. He's given up more plays this year than in the past, but you've gotta have a lot of respect for his style and his game."