Perry: Brady falling for a young undersized WR in Tampa

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Well, this is awkward. Not only has Tom Brady moved on. He's gone public with his latest undersized-receiver flame. 

Earmuffs, Julian Edelman. Scotty Miller has Brady going gaga these days.

"He’s just another great, consistent, dependable, trustworthy player," Brady said Friday. "Everything we talk about, he retains, and he takes it to the next practice. He’s displaying things and he’s showing to everybody that he deserves a big role.

"You can trust where he’s going to be, he makes the plays when they come his way. He’s really been fun to work with and fun to see grow from the day that I got here."

 

Brady of course will have stars Mike Evans and Chris Godwin to throw to now that he's running the offensive huddle for the Buccaneers. But Miller has made a strong push to be the No. 3 in 11-personnel packages for head coach Bruce Arians.

"He's trying to help us all because he has so much knowledge, so I'm just trying to catch on to everything he's been telling me," Miller said this week of Brady. "He's worked with so many receivers that are similar to me -- so many great receivers in general -- so I'm just trying to learn from him. I think if I'm on the same page as him, I'm going to be in a good spot."

First was Troy Brown. Then came Wes Welker. Then Edelman and Danny Amendola. Miller might be next in line. Those figure to be the types to whom Miller -- who checks in at 5-foot-11, 174 pounds -- is referencing when he says Brady has worked with "so many receivers that are similar to me."

But Miller might not be a pure slot option. Godwin has played the role of the slot receiver in Tampa lately, and he's posted prolific numbers. Arians insists Miller can operate on the outside.

"He's not Edelman because he's real fast," Arians said. "Whether he plays in the slot some, he plays outside more. Julian's pretty much a slot guy and we don't put guys in just one position. Chris Godwin normally plays in there and we're not taking those catches away from him."

Of course, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has said the same of Edelman for years: He's more than just a slot guy. And while he might not have field-stretching speed, he has about 25 pounds on Miller.

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Whether they're truly comparable in their skill sets or not, the bottom line is Brady appears to have an affinity for a sixth-round pick who was drafted out of Bowling Green last year and caught just 13 passes as a rookie. There seems to be a bromance brewing.

Taking a late-round pick from the MAC and turning him into a key offensive piece? Taking that unheralded player, lauding his trustworthiness and dependability, and then helping land the player's name in headlines? It's a familiar story brewing 1,500 miles south of Foxboro.

Brady's old pal seems to be doing OK with the separation, though. While Brady may have found his new Edelman, Edelman has his Superman.

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