Days before his return to Gillette Stadium, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady appeared to be having a harder time dealing with a sore throat than the emotions of facing off against the Patriots.
Speaking to reporters Thursday about the game on "Sunday Night Football," his voice sounded hoarse, but he insisted he was in good shape for the game.
In fact, he jokingly blamed it on an emotional start to the year, which also included a game last week in his native California: "Maybe that's the problem with my voice!"
Brady will be playing his first game in Foxboro as a visitor after 20 years, nine Super Bowl appearances and six titles with the Patriots. In his first year as a Buc in 2020, Brady captured his seventh Super Bowl title in a 31-9 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
But Brady said he was preparing for this game just like any other.
"I'm just going to do what I always do," he said, adding that he'll be excited to see his friends on the other side sideline -- after the game ends.
"I still have a lot of great friends there, but they know I want to kick their butt this week."
Tom Curran talks with Tom Brady’s former roommates, David Nugent and Chris Eitzmann, about the condo they shared in 2000. What was the mindset of a young Tom Brady, and did his roommates think he would go on to have such a successful NFL career? Also, how competitive was Tom when it came to the ‘Tecmo bowl’ tournaments they had?
The news conference was Brady's first chance to make public comments since excerpts of ESPN writer Seth Wickersham's new book, "It's Better to Be Feared," were released Wednesday.
While the majority of the news-making items centered around Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft, there were still plenty of Brady-centric nuggets. Had there been an NFL team in Los Angeles earlier in his career, Wickersham reported that Brady may have tried to force a trade there.
In addition, Brady met with Kraft and others late in 2017 to discuss who might replace Belichick as head coach in New England.
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Patriots quarterback Tom Brady smiles on the sidelines as the clock winds down on New England’s win over the Indianapolis Colts, the first game in the historic rivalry between Brady and quarterback Peyton Manning. At Foxboro Stadium, Sept. 30, 2001.
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Tom Brady checks off a play at the line in the second half in a 16-13 overtime victory over the Oakland Raiders. Known outside New England as the “tuck rule game” due to a controversial ruling that helped Brady, Patriots fans will always know the division game as the Snow Bowl. Played on Jan. 19, 2002, Brady was on his way to his first Super Bowl.
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Brady makes a pass to J.R. Redmond during the game-winning drive against the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI on Feb. 3, 2002.
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Brady relishes his first championship at Super Bowl XXXVI.
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Brady and head coach Bill Belichick celebrate the first of six the pair would win together.
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Back in Boston on Feb. 5, 2002, Brady took part in what would become a regular occurrence: A Patriots Super Bowl parade.
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Brady on field in his second Super Bowl appearance on Feb. 1, 2004, against the Carolina Panthers.
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Two years after winning his first championship, Brady celebrates the Patriots’ victory in Super Bowl XXXVIII, holding up the Lombardi Trophy alongside running back Antowain Smith.
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Brady and the Patriots celebrate during a victory rally held before a crowd estimated by police to number 1.5 million people in Boston on Feb. 3, 2004.
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Brady on the field during Super Bowl XXXIX against the Philadelphia Eagles on Feb. 6, 2005.
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Brady and Patriots owner Robert Kraft celebrate after defeating the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX, their third championship in four years.
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Brady hoists the Lombardi Trophy after Super Bowl XXXIX.
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Brady waves to crowds along Boylston Street in Boston during the Patriots’ victory parade on Feb. 8, 2005 after winning Super Bowl XXXIX.
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Brady and Patriots fans were stunned on Feb. 3, 2008, when a perfect season slipped out of their grasp at Super Bowl XLII. New England went 16-0 in the regular season and won two playoff games before falling 17-14 to the New York Giants.
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The next game after Super Bowl XLII went even worse. Brady limped off the field after taking hit to left knee and tearing his ACL and MCL, ending his season after less than a quarter.
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Many thought the Patriots dynasty was over by 2010, but Brady found his new favorite target, tight end Rob Gronkowski. The pair is pictured in New England’s divisional playoff game against the Denver Broncos in on Jan. 14, 2012.
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Four years after losing to the Giants in the Super Bowl, the Patriots did it again. Brady leaves the field after Super Bowl XLVI.
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Brady calls a play against the Seattle Seahawks during Super Bowl XLIX on Feb. 1, 2015.
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A decade after his last championship, Brady once again held up the Vince Lombardi Trophy to celebrates the Patriots’ 28-24 victory over the Seahawks at Super Bowl XLIX.
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Brady waves a towel at his fourth Super Bowl victory parade in Boston on Feb. 4, 2015.
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In one of the most memorable games of Brady’s career, he calls a play against the Atlanta Falcons at Super Bowl LI on Feb. 5, 2017.
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Brady was particularly excited after beating the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in overtime at Super Bowl LI, a game in which the Patriots had trailed 28-3. The comeback was the largest in Super Bowl history.
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Brady raises the Lombardi during another rally in Boston after winning Super Bowl LI.
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In his first Super Bowl loss to a team not called the Giants, Brady sits on the field after fumbling against the Philadelphia Eagles during the fourth quarter in Super Bowl LII on Feb. 4, 2018.
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Brady led the Patriots to one more championship, beating the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 at Super Bowl LIII on Feb. 03, 2019.
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Brady and Belichick celebrate what would be their last Super Bowl together. The duo can take credit for six championships.
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Brady holding the Lombardi Trophy at a victory parade in Boston, celebrating the last Super Bowl he won as a member of the Patriots.
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In the first game he played in another uniform, Brady took the field as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He is seen here celebrating a touchdown run against the New Orleans Saints on Sept. 13, 2020.
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Brady and Gronkowski, who came out of retirement to join him in Tampa Bay, celebrate after defeating the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV on Feb. 07, 2021, a 31-9 victory.
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Brady hoists up the Lombardi again after winning his seventh Super Bowl, being named Super Bowl MVP for a fifth time.
It was also reported that Belichick refused to meet with Brady in person upon his departure for Tampa Bay, preferring instead to discuss the matter over the phone.
"That's not true," Belichick told the media on Wednesday, saying the book "sounds like a lot of second-, third-, fourth-hand comments."
Belichick was also unusually complimentary of an opposing quarterback ahead of a game against the Patriots.
Asked about those comments, Brady said Belichick "taught me a lot, was a great mentor for me for a long time, and I really enjoyed my time in New England. But at the same time, [I'm] really excited about what we've done here, great group of coaches."
And asked about the book, Brady said, "we had a great relationship. I think it was handled the right way, we handled everything as gracefully as we could."
In his last comments, Brady downplayed the more personal aspect of the game.
"It's not about the quarterback, it's not about the fans or the home crowd or relationships of 20 years. It's about two football teams going at it," he said.
Brady, 44, is off to one of the best starts of his career statistically, having thrown for 10 touchdown passes against two interceptions over his first three games. He needs just 68 yards Sunday to surpass Drew Brees as the NFL's all-time leader in passing yards -- Brees has 80,358.
Tom Brady's Incredible Total Passing Yardage in One Map
Source: Stathead.com Amy O’Kruk/NBC
Brady's Total Passing Yardage Is the Same Distance as...
