Tom Brady Ready For ‘Emotional’ Return To Gillette Stadium: ‘I Love This Game’

If you somehow haven’t heard yet, Tom Brady is returning to where it all began this Sunday. Brady is set to call his first game in Foxborough as the New England Patriots host the Green Bay Packers at Gillette Stadium on FOX’s “America’s Game of the Week.” The broadcast booth might actually be the only foreign territory for Brady at his old stomping grounds. As Brady prepares for his return to Gillette Stadium this week, he shared on FS1’s “The Herd” how special Sunday will be for him. “It’ll certainly be emotional. Every inch of that stadium I’ve been through so many times, from the locker rooms to the meeting rooms,” Brady said. “So many memorable plays in that stadium, big games, championship games, rivalry games, division-clinching games, so to be back there [is special].” While Brady began his Patriots’ tenure at Foxboro Stadium, he played 18 of his 20 seasons in New England at Gillette Stadium. No matter the stadium, though, Brady and the Patriots shined. In 17 of the 18 years that Brady ended the season as the Patriots’ starting quarterback, New England won the AFC East. The Patriots reached the AFC Championship Game in 12 of those 18 seasons, hosting the conference title game on seven occasions. All of those accomplishments helped set a new standard for success across pro sports. And Brady is excited to celebrate those who helped him in New England, like Rob Gronkowski, who’ll be inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame this weekend. “To really understand what that Patriots organization is all about and to convey that to the fans in a way that I’m not like, talking about myself. Rather, I’m really talking about this awesome program that’s been built,” Brady said. “The Patriots just always seem to do things the right way.” On top of that, Brady led the Patriots to six Super Bowl titles. With those six wins, Brady helped the Patriots move into a tie with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the most Super Bowl victories. Reminders of Brady and his success are all around Gillette Stadium. The banners of the six Super Bowls Brady won hang around one of the video boards, while there’s a statue of him right outside the stadium. But as it’ll be easy for Patriots fans to reminisce about the glory days with Brady’s return on Sunday, their current team has certainly given them a lot to be excited about. Drake Maye is playing at a high level again, ranking among the best in the league in passing yards (1,983), passing touchdowns (15), passer rating (100.4) and QBR (76.5) as New England is 5-3. Brady gave Maye, along with head coach Mike Vrabel and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, props for helping the Patriots play at a high level again after they made the Super Bowl last season. “Last year, they were in the Super Bowl. It kind of came out of nowhere. It was such a terrible season the year before,” Brady said. “Coach Vrabel comes in and kind of resets the entire environment. Josh McDaniels does an incredible job with Drake Maye. Drake’s an MVP candidate. It was a tough loss to the Seahawks in the Super Bowl. I don’t think anyone was beating the Seahawks on that particular day.” “Then, they come back this year and they kind of start slow and everyone’s thinking, ‘Oh, this Patriots team and Drake Maye, maybe they aren’t as good as we thought.’ Then, they’ve been on a tear recently.” The Packers have also played well as of late. They’ve won five of their last six as they’re also 5-3. And just like Maye, Jordan Love has arguably been one of the best few quarterbacks in the league this season. He leads the league in passing yards (2,246) to go with 16 touchdowns and six interceptions, good for a 92.4 passer rating. Brady said that Love’s “playing as good of football as he’s played in his entire career.” “He’s always been a bit of a streaky passer, in my opinion,” Brady added on Love. “He’s kind of got an explosive arm, and with that explosive arm has come some volatile throws in the past where he has these great games and then the next game he’s very off-target, very inaccurate, and you’re kind of like, ‘What happened?’ “This year, it hasn’t been that way. I just think it’s been a lot of great, accurate passes, and maybe the lack of the running game? He didn’t have Josh Jacobs early in the year, and they were running for like 2.5 yards per carry. It was crazy. They just kind of said, ‘Alright, we’re going to make this a passing team.’ “Head coach Matt LaFleur’s got a ton of confidence in him. When the coordinator and the head coach, in this position, has so much confidence in the quarterback, he’s just going to keep throwing it out there. Take this shot, take that shot. Not there? Check it down. Make a good decision, take a sack, throw it away, and Jordan Love’s just playing exceptional football.” But, as Brady knows, winning at Gillette Stadium doesn’t come easy for visiting teams. Brady went 134-23 in home games at Gillette Stadium in his career, telling “The Herd” that his Patriots teams did a good job at making their visiting opponents “play left-handed” and that former head coach Bill Belichick made sure that they were competitive every week. Vrabel’s Patriots teams have done a good job so far at continuing that home success, which Brady called a “hallmark” of that organization. They’ve gone 11-3 at home since Vrabel became the head coach. So, Brady knows that it’ll be a challenge for the Packers and Love to get a win on Sunday. “This is going to be a big test for them because against the Patriots you’re going to have to play well in all three phases against a great team,” Brady said. “They’re going to need a big effort from Jordan Love and a big effort from that defense, so it’s an incredible matchup.” Between Brady’s return, Gronkowski’s Patriots Hall of Fame induction and the fact that Sunday could serve as a potential Super Bowl preview, there’s a lot to enjoy about the Packers-Patriots matchup. And that has Brady very excited. “I love this game,” Brady said.