PATRIOTS QUARTERBACK TOM BRADY PRESS CONFERENCE
Q: Is there any extra motivation this week?
TB:I'm always pretty motivated. It'll be an exciting game. I know they've got a good team. They've won three straight. They made some changes this offseason, so they're a very confident team. So it's going to take a great effort to beat them, so we'll work hard at practice today, over the next few days, hopefully get us prepared, and then go out and try to beat a good team on the road on Sunday night.
Q: Are there some games where it's harder to maintain focus than other games?
TB:Well, I try certainly, to be a professional with how I approach every week. I said yesterday, you know, you really put a lot into it every week no matter who you're playing because all these games are important. All of them are hard to win. All of them have good players. They're all pros. They've got pro coaches, and they've got good schemes. So you really put a lot into every week, and if you don't, then you don't have much opportunity to win. So I think you just try to approach each week as a professional. You give it your all. You do the best you can do, and hopefully it leads to positive outcomes when it matters, which is on game day.
Q: How could there not be extra incentive to beat this particular team?
TB:Well, like I said, I'm always pretty motivated regardless of the opponent, regardless of the team or the week, whether it's a preseason game, whether it's a regular season game. They're all important because there are so few of those where you get an opportunity in your life, so I don't take it for granted. I think it's exciting to go out there and do something that I love to do, to go out there and do it with teammates who I love to play with. We all put a lot of effort in, the coaches, players, so it's another opportunity for us to go out there and see if we can be a good football team.
Q: Isn't there any human part of you that wants it a little extra this week?
TB:I'm a human. There's no doubt. I'm definitely human.
Q: Are there times when you get too motivated like for playoff games or games like this week or Monday night games?
TB:Well, they're all important, so I think, like I said, you just max out every week. And every week is a little different. You have different human emotions that you go through. And there are, you know, some days you just don't feel as good, I don't know, for one reason or another. There are some game days where I'm like, "Man, I feel amazing." There are other ones where you're trying to get yourself feeling at your peak level, so I don't know. I don't think that's really been a ... How you get to that level where you're feeling great every week, that's what you try to do. Like I said, you max out your effort. Coach [Belichick] always talks about all the preparation. The entire week comes down to three hours on Sunday, so it's how do you ramp yourself up for that three hour window where it all matters, where you've got to be at your best. So that's what we'll try to do this week.
Q: Do you get a sense that this game maybe means more to the fans?
TB:I'm not sure. As a player, I think you're just ... Like I said, they're a very good team, and it's a challenge to play them on the road. We've been there a few times. They've got a good team. They've won three straight, so it will be a tough game. And hopefully, we're at our best.
