Brady Preparing For Rowdy Atmosphere In Buffalo
BOSTON (CBS) -- Coming off their blowout win of the Cincinnati Bengals at a loud and raucous Gillette Stadium, the Patriots are preparing to deal with another loud crowd this weekend.
But this one won't be so friendly, as the Patriots pay a visit to the Buffalo Bills with first place in the AFC East on the line.
Both teams are 3-2 on the season, and Patriots quarterback Tom Brady knows from past visits to Buffalo that Bills fans can certainly make life miserable for opposing teams. It also helps that their team is playing so well to start the season.
"It's a great environment up there. It's always a tough place to play, so we've had a lot of tough games up there over the years," Brady said Wednesday afternoon. "I'm sure this one will be. They're playing great. There will be a lot of energy. Coach said that I guess the new ownership happens this week, so they'll be pretty fired up. It'll be a great challenge for us certainly to go on the road in a tough place to play, try to go out there and get a tough win."
Tale Of The Tape: New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills
The Patriots offense struggled over the first four weeks of the season, but exploded against Cincinnati's dominating defense thanks to a well-balanced attack on the ground and through the air. They came out with energy to start the game, and for the first time all season their first offensive possession did not end in a three-and-out. Instead, the Patriots marched down the field to put an early seven points on the board.
That balanced attack and energy on offense will once again be a major key to a win Sunday afternoon in Buffalo.
"Offensively we've got to get out there and we've got to start well and try to play from ahead," said Brady. "That was a great thing the other night that we got a chance to do is finally play with the lead, and we've got to be able to do that again this week.
"It's going to come down to execution," he said. "You always have to bring your energy and your enthusiasm. I talked a little bit after the game about putting it all in for just that one moment each week that you have a chance to go out there and play, so it's going to ultimately fall back on whether we can throw, catch, run, block, tackle, all of those things that football is really all about. Certainly having the most energy we can. Enthusiasm for what we're doing doesn't hurt. I think it's a great benefit, and I think that's, obviously, it was a great part of last week's win, but we're going to have to try to duplicate that."
But there are a pair of former Patriots playing prominent roles on Buffalo's successful defense: Linebacker Brandon Spikes and defensive line coach Pepper Johnson.
"They obviously know what we're doing," Brady said of Spikes and Johnson. "I'm sure they have some calls and some things that we like to do. They know our style, and Brandon has practiced against us for a lot of years, and Pepper has obviously been here a lot of years, and Coach Schwartz coached with Coach Belichick, so there's a lot of familiarity I think for both sides.
"We've got to prepare for those things, and it's certainly, Pepper has been in a lot of meetings where we talked about our offense and the things that we would like to do or don't like to do. I think this defense presents a lot of challenges," said Brady. "I think they're one of the best defenses in the NFL. They're sacking the quarterback more than any other team. They're high in every defensive statistical category. They play really well at home, so they're real good."
Things have not gone Brady and the Patriots' way on numerous occasions this season, but Brady said he has the utmost confidence in his team that they can lean on each other in order to overcome those times of struggle.
"I've had a lot of experience, so I think you fall back on that and trust in your players that you play with, your coaches, and everyone trusts in each other to do the right thing and to try to do it on a consistent basis. So it's still really early in the year. It's only five games. There's a whole season that's got to be decided from this point on," he said.
"We're playing a team that's got off to a great start, that's always tough to play at home, that's playing really well, that's always a great defense and a pass rush, so we're going to have to be at our best," Brady added. "I think it's going to be a great opportunity for our team, and hopefully we can put it together for four quarters."
Tune in to Patriots-Bills Sunday afternoon on 98.5 The Sports Hub -- the flagship station of the New England Patriots. Pregame coverage begins on 98.5FM at 10am, with three hours of postgame coverage following the game. WBZ-TV kicks off their coverage at 11:30am with Patriots GameDay, and will bring you Bill Belichick and Tom Brady's postgame press conferences on Patriots 5th Quarter over on myTV38 following the game.
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