There were rumblings around the NFL as the season opened. Tom Brady, they said, just wasn't right. His surgically-reconstructed knee was bothering him. He was jittery in the pocket at times, as he tried to come back from the most serious injury of his career. That he missed Josh McDaniels as his offensive coordinator, that he was distracted by fame, fatherhood and his high-profile wife. Take your pick. The theories were everywhere. 'I think he's handled himself well,' said Patriots coach Bill Belichick. 'Looks like Tom Brady to me.' Brady has had some on-field bobbles. He's an uncharacteristic 17th in the league in passer rating, behind the likes of Jason Campbell, Kevin Kolb and David Garrard. But Brady still has guided the Patriots to a 3-1 start as they come to Denver this weekend. And with a victory over the previously-unbeaten Ravens last week, the Patriots are 90-25 in Brady's 115 career starts and are tied with the Jets atop the AFC East standings. 'He's the hardest worker on the team by far,' said Denver Broncos long snapper Lonie Paxton, a former teammate of Brady's. 'It seems some people are just born with talent, but they don't have a certain drive they need, and some people are born with the drive, but not as much physical talent, so they work a lot harder to try to gain something. 'But in the time I've been around the guy, he's always had both. He has the drive and the talent and that's all you need to know.' Said Broncos tight end Daniel Graham, another former Patriot: 'It's all about business for him. He is the hardest worker. 'There'd be times when we were racing to see who would be the first one to work everyday. He was always one of the first, always in the weight room and film room.' And Brady still leads the league in completions and attempts as well as being fourth in yards passing. Yet, he will admit it has been a year of transition. Brady tore the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments on his left knee last year. And he is also doing business without McDaniels as his position coach. Brady had the biggest year of his career in 2007 and set the standard for quarterbacks with 50 touchdown passes with McDaniels calling plays and opening up the Patriots playbook. Brady injured his knee in the first quarter of the season opener last year. He played sparingly in the preseason to start his return, throwing 42 passes in three games. The Patriots had a narrow victory over a struggling Buffalo team to open the season, followed by a Week 2 loss to the Jets when Brady didn't complete 50 percent of his passes. That started the murmurs. Quarterbacks coach Bill O'Brien, director of player personnel Nick Caserio and Belichick have divided up McDaniels' former duties. Caserio usually is in the coach's box during games with O'Brien on the sideline. 'Everyone is trying to work together to kind of do what Josh was doing,' Brady said. 'Josh put together a great plan, called great plays and there's a reason he got hired as a head football coach. There's a transition period. We've been at it awhile and we'll continue to make the improvements we need to make.' Asked this week if his knee was bothering him, Brady replied: 'I think it's been another step in the process of getting back on the field. We've practiced now almost 50 times, over 50 times, played basically eight games this year (including preseason) and every week I feel more comfortable back there, and our offense seems to be performing a little better each week. Hopefully that continues.' The Broncos have allowed the fewest points in the league and are tied for the league lead in sacks. But the quick-thinking Brady has been difficult to get to. He's been sacked four times this season -- three of those last Sunday by the Ravens, who then accused the officials of giving Brady preferential treatment. Two roughing the passer penalties on the Ravens kept Patriots' scoring drives alive. Brady was unapologetic this week for drawing those calls last Sunday. 'I'd love to receive preferential treatment,' he said. 'I'd love that.' How the Broncos handle the likely future Hall of Famer both in and out of the pocket will have a lot to do with how things go Sunday. '(He's) kind of like everybody, there's always room for improvement, we're kind of all working on that,' Belichick said. 'Tom's thrown the ball well, thrown it accurately and we've been in a lot of different situations -- two-minute drills, no huddle, he's played from behind a couple times, dealt with a good pass rush several weeks here.' Said Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey: 'Every time you watch film, he's got guys around him, harassing him, but still he finds a way to fit that ball in. He's so poised.' 