The Jacksonville Jaguars are on an improbable playoff run at the moment and have surprised many analysts and fans by advancing to the AFC Championship Game on Sunday. While the rest of the NFL might be surprised with their run, the players on the Jaguars are not as surprised.
Just a few hours after the Jaguars knocked off the Pittsburgh Steelers in an AFC Divisional matchup last weekend, cornerback Jalen Ramsey made headlines after firing off a bold statement to fans:
After Ramsey made his statement on Sunday, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady responded to Ramsey's comments on Tuesday during his weekly radio appearance on WEEI in Boston:
"I think what I have learned for a long time is it's how you play, it's not what you say," Brady said. "Everyone has different ways of handling things—players do, coaches do. We do what works for us, other players do what works for them. The game is going to be decided by who plays the best, not who hypes the best or speaks the best. He's a really good player. I have watched a ton of film on him. He has a lot of strengths. He's obviously very confident. That is reflected in how he plays. I am more concerned about how he plays opposed to what he says.
"I have never bought into any of those things. I know what our offense is capable of. We're going to have to play really well to score points. Again, that just speaks to the hype and us really trying to stay focused on what we need to do. The better we stay focused on the more laser-focused we are on our target, the better I think we will play."
The Jaguars are heading into Sunday's matchup against the Patriots with incredible confidence after a strong showing against the Steelers last weekend, but they'll again be underdogs to a team with arguably the greatest quarterback of all time and a head coach that is destined for the Hall of Fame. While Brady didn't necessarily fire back any bulletin-board material for the Jaguars, Ramsey's comment will surely fire up Brady and the Patriots.
Hopefully, Ramsey and the rest of the team will be able to back up their talk because Brady doesn't seem too concerned with it.
