Brady not expecting 'homecoming' in return to New England
Tom Brady is a legend in New England, but the quarterback isn't anticipating a hero's welcome from Patriots fans in his first return to face Bill Belichick and Co. on Sunday.
"I wouldn't expect a homecoming. I think they're there to root for their team, and their team is the Patriots," Brady said on his "Let's Go" podcast with Jim Gray.
"And I think if they know anything about me, they're going to know that I'm going out there to try to win the football game," he added. "So I think they'll respect that about me. I certainly respect that they're there to pull for their team and that's the way sports goes.
"After the game comes and goes, things will happen as they will. I'm not sure how things unfold - other than how I want them to unfold, which is us to go play a great game of football and try to get a really tough win in a really great football environment."
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Patriots face off in prime time in Week 4, with the former coming off a loss to the Los Angeles Rams and the latter looking to rebound after falling to the New Orleans Saints.
Brady not only will get the chance to beat his former team with the entire football world watching, but he'll almost certainly move ahead of Drew Brees for the No. 1 spot on the NFL's all-time passing list. The Bucs star sits 67 yards behind Brees' record mark of 80,358 yards.
Belichick also commented on Brady's return, lauding his former player's impact while saying he believed the two had a good relationship. Brady's trainer and business partner, Alex Guerrero, made waves last week when he said Belichick never stopped treating the quarterback "like that 20-year-old kid that he drafted."
The head coach also pushed back on the idea that New England didn't want to keep Brady, who left the AFC East club as a free agent last offseason after 20 seasons and six championships and went on to win his seventh career Super Bowl title.
Though Brady isn't expecting an honorary return to New England, he does believe the two teams will put on a show.
"One thing I learned from the Patriots, Belichick would say, 'Listen, if you love football, then 8:30 on Sunday night at Gillette Stadium is the place to be.' So I'll be there," Brady said. "My teammates will be there. We'll be ready and prepared. It's going to be a great night of football."