Brady looking to turn things around

By KIMBERLEY A. MARTINkimberley.martin@newsday.comNovember 9, 2011

FOXBORO, MASS. -- The time for self evaluation is now. Even for Tom Brady.

Neither he nor the New England Patriots are where they thought they'd be halfway through the season, but there's still time to turn things around, the quarterback said.

Starting Sunday.

"I don't feel like we can't figure it out," Brady said Wednesday. "We've showed we can produce. We've made plenty of good plays. There's no doubt about that. It's just that we've got to eliminate some of the ones that are holding us back, namely the turnovers."

The Patriots (5-3), who are tied with the Jets and Bills atop the AFC East, hope to halt their two-game losing streak when they venture into MetLife Stadium for Sunday's showdown with the Jets. The all-time series stands at 52-52-1, but New England, which topped the Jets, 30-21, in Week 5, has a chance to sweep the season series, an important tiebreaker down the road. That is, if Brady returns to his Brady-like ways.

"I've just got to make better decisions," said the quarterback, who threw two interceptions and had several balls batted away in last week's loss to the Giants. "We need to go out there and execute well this week. Last time we played them we were a bit inconsistent as well, even though we scored 30 points."

Despite the Patriots' recent skid and their quarterback's 10 interceptions (six more than he had all last season), Rex Ryan called Brady the best quarterback in the NFL.

"The streak that he had last year, I don't think can be duplicated," Ryan said Wednesday. "He was breaking records all over the place. I think you can do a lot worse than having Tom Brady as your quarterback."

One of Brady's biggest challenges is balancing the offensive load and sticking with his consistent playmakers.

"The guys that are going to get the ball are guys who are open," Brady said. "You're never trying to just force the ball."

Back-to-back defeats are inconceivable in Foxboro, but Brady insisted that the mood in the Patriots' locker room is upbeat.

"We've got a great challenge," he said. "You play a division team, on the road. I think everyone is very excited about the challenge and guys came in ready to work."