Tom Brady says the New England Patriots have been looking forward to playing at Wembley since the fixture was released.
New England quarterback relishing Sunday's game at Wembley
An excited Tom Brady and his New England Patriots have been looking forward to playing at Wembley since the fixture was released - saying they will all remember the game for the rest of their lives.
Brady and the Patriots take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Wembley on Sunday in the third year of the NFL International Series in London, and the star quarterback cannot wait to get started.
Brady has won three Super Bowls with the Patriots and been voted MVP of the big game twice, but he says playing at Wembley will be one of the highlights of his career.
"I think this is a game we've been looking forward to since we heard we'd be flying across the Atlantic to play," Brady said in a conference call on Tuesday.
"It's not often we fly east to play a game and to play in Wembley Stadium will be great - it's as historic a stadium as there is in the entire world and all our team is very excited about that.
"This will be a game we'll all remember for the next 40 or 50 years of our life so we just want to go out there and play at our best."
Eastward bound
Although the Boston-based Pats will be making a unique trip eastwards, Brady is not worried about the travelling taking it's toll, citing the thousands of air miles west coast teams accumulate in the NFL.
"We're leaving on Thursday, we'll have a couple of days to get acclimated to the time change, and the weather is similar to here in Boston. It was snowing during our game on Sunday but hopefully it won't snow in London!
"It's just a case of resting, getting our energy levels up to be ready to play. For us the job's the same, when the ball's kicked off the rules are the same, the field's the same size and it's just the venue is different and we're in a different part of the world."
The Pats arrive in flying form after thumping Tennessee 59-0 on Sunday, where Brady tied a career-best six touchdown passes, and there could be more of the same with the Bucs heading to Wembley searching for a first win.
After playing just a few minutes of last season before a knee injury put him out, Brady feels he is back to his best and is not concerned about the Wembley turf causing a problem - as it did two years ago when it cut up during the rainy Giants v Dolphins game.
Knee OK
"I really don't have any concerns about my knee, I've played in 10 or 11 games since my injury, my leg feels really strong and I've spent a lot of time on the practice field getting back into the rhythm of playing," he added.
"I watched that game a few years ago on that turf, it's a soccer field so I guess it's pretty flat. The grass is a little bit longer so hopefully it'll slow down the Tampa pass rush, that's what I'm hoping.
"I've heard great things about this stadium. It looks an incredible stadium, I've seen it on TV as I watch a lot of European soccer, so I'm looking forward to getting there and winning this weekend.
"I've been to London a couple of times as a tourist. I've seen all the sites, I've taken all the tours and I've walked the streets.
"I love golf as well so I've been to Ireland and Scotland before and anyone who's been over to that part of the world comes away with a greater sense of history and I'm sure it's going to be a great experience for all of our players."
