Brady Gets It, All Right

Numbers-wise, he wasn't perfect. He missed nine passes and even fumbled the ball once. But Tom Brady has his Patriots perfect, setting up a date with the perfect Colts next Sunday. (By John Mcdonnell -- The Washington Post)

"He was very precise in everything he did," Campbell said. "He's very in control, in everything he does. You can tell he's very comfortable. He's everything they say. There's nothing bad you can say about the guy. You just try to grow."

If there is anything a young quarterback can learn from Brady, it's his devotion to routine. The irony is that his extravagant numbers this season are very much a function of habit and routine. Last week he had this exchange with the press when he was asked if he would be rooting for the Red Sox.

Q: World Series Game 1 tonight, you like the Red Sox?

Brady: "I'll be in bed by about 9 o'clock, so you all can tell me how they did tomorrow."

Brady has thrown for 30 touchdowns in eight games, and the Patriots have yet to score fewer than 34 points. By the time he was replaced by Cassel midway through the fourth quarter, the Patriots had outgained the Redskins 451 yards to 157. And yet, he was still nitpicking on the things he and the Patriots had done wrong.

"It's been a good eight weeks, but it doesn't mean anything," he said. "The second half of the season is upon us, and I hope we improve on the first half. It's not even November and we've got a lot of room for improvement."

The Patriots are the benchmark for any organization that aspires to a ring, and Brady is the benchmark for any individual quarterback. If you want to grab the hardware, this is the team to emulate. The trouble is, how do you emulate a quest for perfection?