Tom Brady Motivated To 'Shut Everyone Up' In Rowdy Buffalo
BOSTON (CBS) -- Buffalo Bills fans are fired up so far in this young NFL season, and why wouldn't they be? Their team came storming out of the gates last week, rolling over the defending AFC finalist Indianapolis Colts and looking very much like a legitimate NFL team in their season opener last Sunday.
Bills fans are feeling so good about their football team that they've begun a campaign to try to break the Guinness World Record for the loudest crowd on the planet. That's really something.
A potential problem for those optimistic Bills fans is that Tom Brady is coming to town this Sunday. Brady, who owns a 23-3 record against the Bills, can't really be rattled by any environment, and he hopes to be a quieting influence on the crowd this Sunday.
"Every time we go to opposing stadiums, we know that there's no one cheering for us, and that's just part of it. And I think you've got to use the energy to heighten your level of tension and focus, discipline, and go out there and try to execute really well," Brady said. "But it's a great feeling when you shut everyone up by the fourth quarter and half the stadium's cleared out, too. I think that's part of the motivation is to make good plays and quiet them down, take control of the game, and win on the road. It's a very satisfying feeling, so that's what we're going to try to accomplish."
Last season in his trip to Buffalo, Brady recovered from a somewhat shaky first half (12-for-20, 87 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT) to dominate the Bills in the second half, going 15-for-17 for 274 yards and three touchdowns. It turned out to be the second of seven straight wins for the Patriots, who did lose to Buffalo in Week 17 in a game that really didn't matter for New England.
But this year, of course, Rex Ryan brings his brash brand of defense to Buffalo, a change that makes the task all the more difficult for Brady.
"It's a great challenge," Brady said. "It's always a tough place to play, they've got a lot of energy and enthusiasm at that stadium, and for an old stadium it's pretty loud -- especially when they get going. I'm sure Coach Ryan will have them ready to go. He's a great coach, they're playing really well. Certainly on defense, they've got one of the best defenses in the league, a lot of top guys at a lot of positions, and we're going to have to play really well."
As for the trash talking that's been thrown around with reckless abandon in the Buffalo locker room, Brady didn't seem quite ready to lob any barbs back to the Bills.
"[Ryan]'s a great coach. He's obviously got them confident. They're ready to go," Brady said. "Sounds like they're already ready to go, it's already Wednesday. We still need some time to prepare for 'em, there's a lot to prepare for. It's a good scheme, we've got to kind of put everything into it see if we can quiet 'em down."
Read more from Michael Hurley by clicking here. You can email him or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.