Tom Brady held a press conference ahead of Sunday's season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers, talking about the match-up and how he and the team are feeling ahead of the 2019 NFL regular season.
Brady is looking to lead New England to a fifth victory after a Super Bowl win — the team is 4-1 so far. This game against Roethlisberger's Steelers pits the two NFL franchises with the most Super Bowl rings against each other, and Brady said he was excited for it.
"They're a great football team, they have a great history. I mean, one of the best defenses still, to this day, in the history of the league," Brady said, adding, "We've got to be at the top of our game early in the season."
A win would also give New England's legendary quarterback a 14-3 record record on opening weekends throughout his career, one more win than Peyton Manning and the most by a quarterback in the Super Bowl Era.
Entering his 20th season at 42 years old, which will make him the oldest starting quarterback in an NFL opener, Brady talked the privilege to have kept his job in such a competitive position.
"I've always felt, you know, when a team dresses you to be a quarterback and they put the ball in your hands, it's a great show of trust that they have in you and I think you need to earn it every day. So I don't think you can rest on things that may have happened in the past," he said.
The Patriots-Steelers game kicks off at 8:20 p.m. Sunday, airing on NBC. Beforehand, the team will hold a ceremony to commemorate this past Super Bowl victory.
U.S. & World
Earlier Wednesday, Brady took to Instagram to deliver an anti-bullying message about how kids can help others as school start:
"If you see someone who is struggling to make friends or being bullied because he/she doesn't have many friends or because they are shy or not as pretty or not dressed in the most 'in' clothes -- PLEASE step up. Say hi or at least smile at them in the hallway. You never know what that person might be facing outside of school. Your kindness might just make a BIG difference in someone's life!"
