FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady seemed surprised when it was mentioned to him after Sunday's 30-23 victory over the New York Jets that he led the team in rushing for the first time in his career.
Then he smiled.
"I should enjoy this because it will probably never happen again," he cracked.
Brady finished with four rushes for 15 yards and a touchdown, as the Patriots favored a pass-first approach against the Jets, with Brady attempting 54 throws (the team had only nine total rushes). The highlight run was an 11-yard scramble on third-and-10 in the second quarter that set up his 1-yard touchdown leap on fourth down.
"They had pretty good coverage and I just saw a little seam, so I just kind of rumbled toward the goal line," Brady recalled. "It's good when I have the threat of the ball in my hand, because they're not quite sure if they can go drill me or not, so I just try to keep pump-faking as long as I can to keep them all at bay."
Teammates had some fun at Brady's expense when asked about him leading the team in rushing.
"He was swift. I know he works really hard with those bungee cords," laughed receiver Danny Amendola of Brady's widely known workout regimen with resistance bands, which he sometimes does on the sideline during games.
"He surprised them with [his] legs," added fellow receiver Brandon LaFell, with a smile, "But I'd rather him stay in the pocket and make plays with his arm."