Tom Brady Says It’s ‘Unfair’ To Compare 2017 Patriots To Franchise’s Past Teams

Tom Brady says he believes that despite all of the defending national champion New England Patriots’ accomplishments during his 17-year tenure as quarterback — which include five Super Bowl rings—  his team still has a long way to go before it can be compared to the franchise’s previous squads.

Tom Brady Comments On 2017 Patriots news

“It is really unfair to set expectations. To me, in my mind, it’s really a setup,” Brady said Tuesday morning during his weekly interview on WEEI’s “Kirk and Callahan” program. “You’re talking about some magical years that we’ve had that may never be duplicated again.”

The 12-time Pro Bowler — who turned 40 earlier this month — was also asked if the Patriots’ 2017 team is as loaded as any he has every played with.

“It is so far from those types of things. You’re talking about some incredible teams that I’ve had an opportunity to be on and lucky to be on,” said Brady, who earned his fourth Super Bowl MVP award when New England defeated the Atlanta Falcons in a wild, come-from-behind overtime victory in Houston in February. “This team is so far from where we need to be and we have so far to go.”

“For this team, we need to be focused on so many other things than what people may think about us or say about us. There is so much improvement we need to make. I love the guys I’m playing with this year. It’s a totally different version of a team we’ve had. We’ll have our own strengths and weaknesses, but how the season plays out will be determined by what happens moving forward.”

The Patriots are currently in West Virginia, where they will practice with the Houston Texans at The Greenbrier on Tuesday and Wednesday. New England lost its first preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars 31-24 at Gillette Stadium on Thursday, and will next face the Texans in Houston on Saturday. The Patriots will host the Kansas City Chiefs for their regular season opener on Sept. 7.

“This team will be able to write our own chapter, and hopefully it’s a good one,” added Brady. “But it’s going to be determined by the work ethic that we do and the trust we have in one another. We are still a long ways from building that. We’re going to build it over the course of the year. That’s why we’re practicing. That’s why we are in West Virginia.”

Shortly after helping the Patriots win Super Bowl LI, Brady said he plans to continue playing football until well into his 40s.

In Tuesday’s interview, Brady also opened up about how the 2016 season — for which he missed the first four games due to his Deflate-gate suspension — was particularly difficult because his mother Galynn was fighting cancer while he was away from home for long stretches of time. The quarterback said he thanked his family and teammates for helping him get through that time but added that his mother’s health has improved significantly.

“She’s doing really well,” said Brady. “She couldn’t be any better considering everything she’s gone through, and everyone in our family is so happy, she’s got some tests back that were really positive, and she’s on the road to recovery, so we’re all very happy with that.”

HOUSTON, TX – FEBRUARY 05: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots holds the Vince Lombardi Trophy after defeating the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in overtime during Super Bowl 51 at NRG Stadium on February 5, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)