COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Tom Brady seemed more enthusiastic for the New England Patriots’ jaunt to Mexico City than his head coach, Bill Belichick, on Friday.
Belichick essentially spoke about the uncertainty involving the trip, in which the Patriots will face the Oakland Raiders on Sunday afternoon, while his quarterback explained why he’s been looking forward to the game since the 2017 schedule was released.
“I’m excited for it,” Brady said. “It’s gonna be a lot of fun. I’ve never been to Mexico City. It’s nice that it’s here. When the schedule comes out and you figure out where you’re playing, it’s been a game you’re kind of looking forward to. Playing against a really good football team in a pretty cool environment. It’ll be very memorable. I think everyone’s excited. It’s been a fun week to prepare and still got a couple days left. Hopefully we can use it wisely.”
Brady said he rewatched last season’s game between the Raiders and Houston Texans to get a feel for the atmosphere. Brady likely was watching to get a gauge for the noise level while the Texans’ offense was on the field.
“They’re cheering loud the whole game,” Brady said. “Seems like there’s a lot of Raiders fans. I’m sure there will be a lot of Raiders fans. Hopefully there will be a lot of Patriots fans too. It’ll be cool. It’ll be really cool. We travel down there tomorrow, and we’ll be there for a short time. Hopefully we can go down there and get a win.”
A regular season game at a neutral site is a rarity in the NFL, and one the Patriots haven’t experienced since 2012, when they played the Rams in London.
