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Tom Brady on facing former Patriots teammates: 'They know I want to kick their butt this week'

Tom Brady has been pretty subdued prior to his return to Foxborough. Everyone assumes Brady wants to crush his former team — the New England Patriots — but Brady hasn't given any hint that he's out for blood. Until now ...

Brady finally fired off some trash talk, and it was ... pretty tame. Brady acknowledged he still has friends on the Patriots, and said he wanted to "kick their butt this week" when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers visit New England on Sunday night.

OK, so, that's not exactly bulletin board material. Many assumed Brady would be fired up, and eager to beat the team that allowed the quarterback to walk. Brady may feel that way, but he isn't expressing it publicly. Brady said his former teammates will "know exactly how I'm feeling once I'm out there," hinting that he's going to have a killer instinct. That doesn't reveal much. It's safe to assume Brady has that mentality during every game.

Tom Brady with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Tom Brady is ready to take on his former teammates. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Tom Brady has stayed quiet about matchup with Patriots

Prior to Thursday, Brady hasn't said much publicly about his matchup against Bill Belichick and the Patriots. Brady joked that he would put his dad in a home after his father, Thomas, said Brady felt vindicated after winning a championship outside New England.

Aside from that, Brady seems determined to make sure his team doesn't have any extra motivation during Sunday's game. It's impressive he has accomplished that considering all the coverage has focused on Brady's return, and whether he's going to try and put up record-setting numbers against his former team.