FOXBORO, Mass. — Just three days after throwing the first red-zone interception at home of his entire career, Tom Brady has interceptions on his mind.
The quarterback spoke Wednesday morning at Gillette Stadium, and the biggest concern he stressed about Dallas' defense was the team's ability to intercept passes that most teams can't.
"I would say this defense really thrives off interceptions," Brady said. "They had a ton of them last year [20], so they can all intercept the ball. You make a bad throw, they're gonna make you pay."
Brady said that he wouldn't mind seeing some of his offensive teammates possess some of the skills of the Cowboys' defenders.
"Long arms and soft hands is not a good combination for a quarterback… unless it's a receiver," Brady said. "But not for defensive backs, and they seem to come down with most of the balls."
Brady's interception on Sunday — his sixth of the year — was not his fault, as it bounced off tight end Aaron Hernandez's hands. This week, Brady feels the biggest vulnerability will be on routes near the sideline.
"I think all those guys are really looking to intercept the ball," Brady said. "So they can be aggressive on the outs and if they see a route combination, bam, they try to hammer it. Quarterbacks lay the ball up in the air on the sideline, [Terence] Newman or [Brady] James will come up with it."
Brady has faced the Cowboys twice in his career, once in 2003 and again in 2007. In the '03 meeting, Brady went just 15-for-34 for 212 yards and no touchdowns in a 12-0 win against Bill Parcells' squad. In '07, both teams were 5-0, but Brady's 388 passing yards and five touchdowns led the Patriots to a 48-27 blowout win in Dallas.
