Tom Brady Only Interested In Succeeding, Not Talking
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Patriots enter the playoffs as the favorites to win the Super Bowl. And with the return of several key offensive players -- including Chris Hogan, Rex Burkhead, and James White -- the outlook is bright for the team's offensive firepower.
But Tom Brady, who's been in this position before, has no desire to talk about potential. He'd rather let his -- and his teammates' -- play do all of the talking.
"We'll see," he said when asked how good the offense can be with all of those players returning. "So. I'm not sure. That's to be determined by everybody. I'd rather go out there and do it and not talk about it. So that's what we're going to be focusing on."
Clearly, the 40-year-old quarterback is in the midst of locking in his hyper-focus for the postseason. Though they won't play in a game until Saturday the 13th, it seemed as though Brady was already in game mode when he spoke to the media during a blizzard on Thursday.
Brady's own play over the final five games was not spectacular (6 TDs, 5 INTs), and he showed up on the injury report with an Achilles problem and a left shoulder ailment. Brady has always remained tight-lipped about whatever injuries he's been dealing with, but he was asked how he's feeling physically at this moment in time.
"Good. I'm hoping next week I'll feel just great and be 100 percent ready to go," he said. "I'm excited for that."
The Patriots practiced on Thursday, though Bill Belichick spared them the trouble of playing in the blizzard-like conditions by holding practice indoors. Brady said there had been a lot of value in the Patriots practicing in the abnormal cold this winter, but practicing outdoors on Thursday "would have been impossible."
The Patriots will wait until Sunday afternoon to learn which team they'll be hosting in the divisional playoff game on Jan. 13. The Chiefs are the likeliest to earn the right to visit Foxboro, but the Bills and Titans also have a chance.
Whoever it is, Brady expects to see a "damn good team," but the quarterback is hopeful for his team's chances.
"It's just trying to stay sharp. It's still football season, so it's not a week off at all. We're trying to stay sharp," Brady said. "We've worked hard to get to this point, but there's still a lot more to go. We're still writing our story … and hopefully we write a good one."