Tom Brady nearly perfect for Patriots after knee injury – USA TODAY

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Tom Brady’s knee appeared fine and his arm even better. Tim Tebow looked confused with a great deal still to learn about his new offense.

The Patriots held off the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-21 Friday night in a preseason game that relieved New England fans during a nearly perfect performance by Brady, then scared them all over again with Tebow at the helm for much of the second half.

“Training camp is not over,” coach Bill Belichick said. “Our team is still in the growing stage. We’ve got a lot of work to do. We’re nowhere close to where we need to be for the opener.”

BOX SCORE: Patriots 25, Buccaneers 21

NFL: Alex Smith struggles vs. 49ers

At least New England knows the injury Brady suffered during a scrimmage with the Buccaneers on Wednesday really was minor.

Brady completed his first 11 passes, eight of them during an 80-yard touchdown drive followed by a two-point conversion during New England’s first series.

Brady completed three more passes on New England’s second drive before finally missing on an attempt to Danny Amendola on third-and-7 from he Tampa Bay 43-yard line.

“We wanted to start fast. That was our goal,” said Amendola, who caught Brady’s 26-yard touchdown pass with 8:12 left in the first quarter. “I felt like we made some plays early and it was good that we got on the board early, too.”

Brady was 11 for 12 for 107 yards, all in the first quarter.

“When you watch the way that guy practices, him being 11 for 11 doesn’t surprise me,” Tampa Bay defensive end Da’Quan Bowers said. “He’s a competitor. He likes to get things done the right way.”

PHOTOS: Best shots of the preseason

Last SlideNext Slide

The two teams had already gone head-to-head during several joint practices during the week, capping it with Friday night’s exhibition. The Bucs host the Patriots on Sept. 22, when the result will count. The Bucs can expect to see much more of Brady when they meet again.

Ryan Mallett took over in the second and played part of the third, completing 12 of 20 passes for 137 yards and a touchdown before Tebow took over in the third quarter to a loud welcome from New England fans. It turned out to be the high point of his night.

Tebow threw seven passes and completed just one for a total of minus-1 yard. He also threw an interception and rushed for 30 yards on six carries. Tebow acknowledged it was a frustrating night.

“I think any competitor does. You want to score every time you get the ball. You want to make every throw,” he said. “Some things we did well. Some areas have got to get better and got to improve.”

Tampa Bay rookie quarterback Mike Glennon had a much more impressive night, going 12 for 22 for 121 yards and two touchdowns. He also threw an interception that fellow rookie cornerback Logan Ryan returned 53 yards for a touchdown.

Ryan, who played for Tampa Bay coach Greg Schiano at Rutgers, picked off Glennon’s pass on third-and-4 from the 50, looped around to his left during an untouched sprint to the end zone right in front of his college coach. That put New England up 25-10 with 8:47 left in the third.

New England’s defense also started strong, shutting down the Buccaneers after Michael Smith returned a kickoff 63 yards to the Patriots’ 42, which is exactly where they punted from four plays later. Tampa Bay punted two more times and had a total of minus-1 yard of offense after its first three drives.