FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Patriots might not be able to fool the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
The Patriots will face off against some old friends when they travel to Buffalo. Former Patriots linebacker Brandon Spikes now plays for the Bills, and ex-New England defensive assistant Pepper Johnson is Buffalo’s defensive line coach. Spikes played with the Patriots from 2010 to 2013 before signing a one-year deal over the offseason to play with the Bills, and Johnson was an assistant under head coach Bill Belichick from 2000 to 2013.
“They obviously know what we’re doing,” Brady said Wednesday at Gillette Stadium. “I’m sure they have some calls and some things that we like to do. They know our style, and Brandon has practiced against us for a lot of years, and Pepper has obviously been here a lot of years, and (defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz) coached with Coach Belichick, so there’s a lot of familiarity I think for both sides.”
Brady said Johnson knows what the Patriots’ offense doesn’t like to see on the other side of the line.
“Pepper has been in a lot of meetings where we talked about our offense and the things that we would like to do or don’t like to do,” Brady said. “I think this defense presents a lot of challenges. I think they’re one of the best defenses in the NFL. They’re sacking the quarterback more than any other team. They’re high in every defensive statistical category. They play really well at home, so they’re real good.”
The Bills have 17 sacks, tied with the New York Jets for most in the NFL. Defensive tackle Marcell Dareus leads the team with five sacks, so rookie center Bryan Stork will need some help from his guards.
