Brady: AFC Championship 'Can't Get Here Fast Enough'
FOXBORO (CBS) - With New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady preparing for his sixth AFC Championship in 12 years, he knows what the next week will bring.
Tom is no stranger to the ever-growing spotlight that surrounds the final month of the NFL season. The Patriots QB enjoys the moment, and welcomes every challenge along the way.
But Brady did admit it does take some time to get there.
"The game can't get here fast enough," he said from Gillette Stadium on Wednesday. "There is a lot of anxiousness kind of leading up to the game. You think about the game. It's the only thing really on your mind. Hopefully we can go out there and do a great job. I'm looking forward to it."
Brady is 4-1 in AFC Championships, and knows he is one of the lucky ones to have so much success.
"I've been in a great place, where a bunch of teammates have really committed themselves to each other to make it to this point," said Brady. "We've put a lot of work in, there have been a lot of practices and meetings and so forth. To get to this point is very challenging. Every team is talented. Every team has the same rules. There are 32 teams that start the year with the hopes of being in this position. The team that's going to win this weekend is the team that plays the best. There is nothing that anyone will say or do before Sunday at 3 o'clock that's going to have an influence on the game other than the way you prepare and the way you're rested, and the commitment to practice that we bring to the table."
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Tom loves where this team is at but at the same time knows what the Ravens will bring defensively. Two guys he'll have to be aware of at all times are safety Ed Reed and linebacker Ray Lewis, both future Hall of Famers on the Ravens defense.
"They're great players," Brady said of Reed and Lewis. "I've played against both those guys quite a few times. You always enjoy going up against the best because you can really measure where you're at. You can't take plays off against those guys. You can't take things for granted when you're out there against them. You have to see where they're at on every play because they're guys who change the game."
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"They have a great defense. I think what makes them great is not only the playmakers but all 11 guys play together," said Brady. "It's really been a strength of that team for as long as I've been around, and it continues to be. As long as Ray and Ed and Terrell Suggs are there it's going to be a strength."
Tune in to the AFC Championship game between the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens Sunday, January 22 at 3pm on 98.5 The Sports Hub and WBZ-TV. Pregame coverage begins with Patriots GameDay on WBZ at 11:30am, with Patriots Preview beginning at noon on the Hub!
