After the Los Angeles Chargers took care of business against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, Tom Brady got to work.
Brady, whose New England Patriots will host the Chargers this Sunday in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs, said he immediately began watching film to familiarize himself with Los Angeles’ defense. This film study continued deep into the night.
“There’s an intense pressure,” the Patriots quarterback said Monday morning on WEEI’s “Mut & Callahan.” “I already felt it (Sunday) night after that game ended. I was up watching film all night. That’s the way it is. … I had a lot of film to watch, and I was up pretty late.”
This will be the 38th postseason game of Brady’s 19-year NFL career. He has not lost at home in the playoffs since the 2012 AFC Championship Game and has not lost in the divisional round since the 2010 season.
That prolonged success — five Super Bowl rings, seven consecutive AFC title game appearances — breeds high expectations, both from fans and from those inside the organization.
“I think when you play for the Patriots, there’s pressure on you from the day that you walk in the door,” Brady said. “Coach (Bill Belichick) is constantly putting pressure on us to exceed his expectations, which is very challenging because he has high expectations.
“But it’s all for weeks like this. Whether it’s practice, walkthrough, meetings — ultimately, as it comes up to the game, this is when you need to be at your highest level of focus, because it’s unlike any other game we’ve played all year.”
Brady’s hyper-focused approach also means he won’t tune in to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game on Monday between No.1 Alabama and No. 2 Clemson.
“Nah, I’m not watching that,” Brady said. “That’s a great game to watch, but this is the biggest week of the year for me, so everything’s focused on what we need to do.
“You can’t watch enough film on weeks like this. You can’t get enough rest. You can’t get enough treatment or get enough training or get enough practice. It’s all about what we’ve got to do to be at our best for the biggest three hours of the season, and that’s when the ball kicks off (Sunday).”
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