Getty Tom Brady squares off with Aaron Rodgers in the NFC Championship.
Tom Brady is excited the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are advancing to the NFC Championship to face the Green Bay Packers, but the legendary quarterback does not appear to be thrilled to be playing in the cold. After the Bucs’ win over the Saints, Fox Sports’ Erin Andrews asked Brady about playing at Lambeau Field potentially in the snow given how the quarterback has admitted his “blood has thinned out” since becoming a Floridian. Brady smiled and shook his head when thinking about playing in 20-degree weather at Green Bay.
“I know, I know…Well, it’s great for our team,” Brady responded. “We worked hard to get to this point. Two road playoff wins is pretty sweet. We gotta go beat a great football team. One we know pretty well. Aaron’s playing incredible and we’re going to have to play great to beat them.”
Brady on Playing in the Cold: ‘Wear Some Warm Clothes & Be Ready to Go’
Brady was again asked about playing in the cold and what advice he will give to his teammates who may not be used to frigid weather. Brady admitted it was going to be cold but noted the team needed to “wear some warm clothes and be ready to go.”
“You just gotta have some mental toughness and wear some warm clothes and be ready to go,” Brady said in his postgame press conference. “Yeah, it’s chilly, man, that’s January football in the northeast, midwest. We’ll be prepared. You know, the team that plays the best is going to win. Not the team that is the coldest. We’re going to have to go out there and play well. We’re going to be challenged and it’s going to be a great game.”
Rodgers on Hosting the NFC Championship: ‘Hopefully, It’s a Little Colder Than It Was Tonight’
Rodgers and the Packers had the opportunity to play a day earlier and watch the Saints-Buccaneers matchup knowing they would face the winning team. Snow flurries trickled down in the Rams-Packers Divisional Round matchup, but Rodgers would like mother nature to turn down the thermostat even more for the NFC Championship.
“Hopefully, it’s a little colder than it was tonight. … It will be exciting to enjoy this tonight, to celebrate and then to watch the game tomorrow and to know that whoever wins is coming to our place,” Rodgers noted, per ESPN.
Earlier this season, Brady admitted he did not miss the northeast winters and has quickly adapted to the Florida sun. After two decades of living in the Boston area, Brady joked that “you won’t catch me dead living in the northeast anymore.”
“It’s amazing just to be at this point in the season and to still be outside practicing today,” Brady explained, per Pro Football Talk. “I know we have a warm one coming up on Sunday. I always came down to Florida late in the year — we always played the Dolphins [because] they were in our [division]. It was pretty tough to adjust to. Just being in it really prepares you for the heat because it definitely takes a toll if you’re not used to it. But I’ve loved just being outside every day. I was a native Californian for a long time in my life and I went away from it for about 25 years. You won’t catch me dead living in the northeast anymore. I’m loving the warm weather and it’s been a great feeling.”
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