The New England Patriots will once again enter the season as a favorite to challenge for the Super Bowl, but Tom Brady isn't taking anything for granted just yet.
The five-time Super Bowl champion was anything but cocky during an interview Tuesday morning with WEEI's Kirk and Callahan, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN, downplaying any comparisons of this year's squad to Patriots teams of the past.
"It is really unfair to set expectations. To me, in my mind, it's really a setup," Brady said. "You're talking about some magical years that we've had that may never be duplicated again."
Brady's response is somewhat diplomatic given the extent of his legacy with the franchise, however he did acknowledge that there are multiple areas in which the current version of his team needs to improve in order to accomplish its goals.
"For this team, we need to be focused on so many other things than what people may think about us or say about us. There is so much improvement we need to make," Brady said. "I love the guys I'm playing with this year. It's a totally different version of a team we've had. We'll have our own strengths and weaknesses, but how the season plays out will be determined by what happens moving forward.
"This team will be able to write our own chapter, and hopefully it's a good one. But it's going to be determined by the work ethic that we do and the trust we have in one another."
