Tom Brady Doesn't Expect 'Homecoming' in Return to New England

Tom Brady seems prepared for a hostile crowd in New England on Sunday night as the Buccaneers face the Patriots.

Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady acknowledged it won't be business as usual in Week 4 as Tampa Bay heads to New England to face the Patriots.

Brady won six Super Bowls in 20 seasons with the Patriots from 2000 to '19 for the most successful stretch of any quarterback in NFL history. The Buccaneers' signal-caller noted that his return to New England will elicit "different kinds of emotions," though he was then quick to add, "I'm not going to necessarily reminisce."

"I don't think this is the moment for that. I'll have plenty of opportunities to reminisce about my football career," Brady said Tuesday, per ESPN. "None of which I really care to do right now because I'm so much in the moment. I'm not going to be thinking about 20 years of history."

"I'm going to be thinking about one night of football, a Sunday night game coming off a really tough loss."

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Brady said he doesn't know what to expect from the New England crowd on Sunday Night Football. He said he didn't expect a "homecoming" as the Patriots look to climb back to .500 after a 1–2 start. 

"I mean, I think they're there to root for their team, and their team is the Patriots," Brady said. "I think they're gonna cheer for their team as I would expect them to, and I think if they know anything about me, they're gonna know that I'm going out there to try to win the football game, so I think they'll respect that about me."

New England head coach Bill Belichick addressed his relationship with Brady on Monday. 

"Tom and I had a, I feel like a good relationship and a lot of production, obviously, while we were together," Belichick said. "Sunday night, we line up across from Tampa—not just him, but the entire team. They’re obviously a good team. So it’s all about our team competing against Tampa’s team."

New England finished 7–9 in 2020 and missed the postseason for the first time since '08. Brady won his seventh Super Bowl last season with a win over the Chiefs. 

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