|
 Brady, whose status for the first four games of the season was in
doubt until last week because of an NFL-imposed "Deflategate" ban,
led his team onto the field to rousing cheers before putting on his
silver helmet and delivering a stellar performance.
"It was a pretty special night so I was excited. Our whole team was
excited," the 38-year-old quarterback told reporters.
"It is always fun getting out there and getting the opportunity to
go play and we took advantage of it, it was a good win, I thought
our guys played hard."
On New England's opening possession, Brady completed his first three
passes to get New England into Pittsburgh territory. He then threw
pair of incomplete passes and was sacked, forcing the Patriots to
punt.
Brady eventually opened the scoring in the second quarter when he
capped a 13-play, 90-yard drive with a 16-yard touchdown pass to
tight end Rob Gronkowski. He finished the game having completed 25
of 32 passes for 288 yards.
"He was an unbelievable performer tonight," said Gronkowski, who
caught three touchdown passes in the win, "He's our leader. He's
just a great player and it's fun playing with him."
Even a constant rain could not dampen the party atmosphere as fans
showed support for one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time by
sporting replica Brady jerseys, T-shirts with slogans like
"Vindicated" and holding up signs reading "In Tom We Trust."
It was the first time Patriots supporters were able to shower Brady
with adulation since a federal judge vacated his four-game ban a
week ago as part of the "Deflategate" saga that engulfed the
nation's most popular sport over the last nine months.
GOODELL JEERED
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who normally attends the first game
of a season, was absent and perhaps it was a wise move as fans would
no doubt have given him a hostile reception as he was the one who
upheld Brady's ban in July.
That didn't stop the fans in attendance from jeering him as they
joined in unison with a "Where is Roger?" chant during the fourth
quarter while the Patriots held a comfortable 28-14 lead.
When Brady came out for pregame warmups, he ran the length of the
field and then fist-pumped voraciously. He then was all smiles as he
made time for a brief on-field embrace and dialogue with Steelers
counterpart Ben Roethlisberger.
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Thousands of fans arrived hours before kickoff for pre-game
festivities outside the stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, where
the usual celebratory mood that accompanies season-opening games was
in overdrive given the excitement over Brady.
Brady, a four-times Super Bowl champion who is a sure-fire
first-ballot Hall of Famer player when he becomes eligible for
induction, was the focus of a probe into his alleged role in a
scheme to deflate footballs used in a playoff win last season that
sent New England to the Super Bowl.
A league investigative report initially determined Brady was most
likely aware that two team equipment staff members deflated balls in
an apparent bid to give him a better grip. His suspension was
ultimately tossed out as a judge said Goodell's ruling was plagued
by "several significant legal deficiencies."
But while Brady had a largely unimpressive preseason, he seemed to
flick a switch when the season kicked off shortly after the Patriots
unveiled their fourth Super Bowl banner, this one commemorating last
season's triumph.
"You don't really forget how to play football in the seven months,"
said Brady. "It's a little bit different than the preseason."
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto. Additional reporting by Larry
Fine and Ben Everill; Editing by Steve Keating)
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