New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady seemed to acknowledge the gravity of the team’s game against the Buffalo Bills in Week 16 on Saturday. He doesn’t always make an effort to address his teammates before the game. But in this case, he felt it was prudent to speak in front of the Patriots before they played the Bills.
“I would say a lot of guys talk at different times. I have been around a little bit, so I kind of pick my spots because if you speak too much then it loses a little of its — I just try and pick the right time to express the things that are important, that I feel are important,” Brady said Friday. “Everyone does that. We have coaches that do that. As a veteran player, as a captain, that is good knowledge for me to share. That is going out there and understanding what is at stake.
“I think everybody puts a lot aside. I think we all have jobs, and I have a lot of grown up issues — you deal with kids, family and life things. A lot of younger guys don’t. That’s just the reality. When you’re an older player you don’t take those things for granted because you realize the things you’re putting off are very important and things you can’t get back. The longer you do it you try and express to them that these are important things and if it is important for me to sacrifice for them, they have to do the same. That is the reality of football. It takes on part of your life because you play for a long period of time during the season. The games are scheduled every Sunday, so they take precedent over basically everything else. It’s a lot of important things we’re doing and I try and do the right thing.”
After taking a vocal leadership role, Brady then led by example, with one of his most efficient games of the season: 79% completion rate, 271 yards and a touchdown.
New England won, 24-17, and clinched their 11th AFC East title.
But more than that, they seemed to gain momentum. They had not yet beaten any of the AFC playoff teams they’d faced — until Buffalo. That win should inspire an increased level of confidence as they prepare for the playoffs in the coming weeks.
