| Can Tom Brady make the Seattle fans turn against their team? (US Presswire) |
New England Patriots QB Tom Brady isn't scared of the 12th man.
He's never played in Seattle, but he has heard plenty of lore about how difficult Seahawks fans can make it to play at CenturyLink Field, and he's aware that opposing offenses have averaged 2.36 false starts per game there since 2005. But the Patriots quarterback sees Sunday's game as an opportunity to, well, shut them up.
"[Silencing fans is] the fun part about being on the road," Brady said. "There’s nothing better. Like in Buffalo a few weeks ago, there were more of our fans there at the end than their fans. We’ve done that in Pittsburgh, we’ve done that in some very loud environments.
Doing it in Seattle, a city that has remained supportive even in lean years, may be a taller task then quieting a Buffalo crowd, but Brady is hoping to have the home crowd "booing their own players" by the end of the game.
"It’s always nice when you take 53 guys on the road and you say, ‘This is all we’ve got and this is all we need and this is what we have to do,’" Brady said. "And see 70,000 fans, if you can keep them quiet or turn them on their own team. I think that’s an exciting part for road teams."
That comment alone might give Seattle fans a little extra motivation to get loud Sunday.
Gronk's health: TE Rob Gronkowski battled a hip injury the last two weeks with varying degrees of success. He topped 100 yards in a Week 4 win over the Bills, but he was held to 35 last week against the Broncos. Gronkowski still isn't 100 percent and is still receiving treatment for the injury.
"Feeling good," he said when asked about his status. "Just working with the training staff every day, getting out there, (trying to get better)."
Sped up: Seahawks coach Pete Carroll has seen plenty of offenses during his career, but he isn't sure any in the NFL operate as quickly as the Patriots. In fact, he had to go back to his days as USC coach to find a comparable unit.
“The Oregon Ducks. They’re the ones that play similar to this,” Carroll said during a conference call. “I’m sure there are some other college teams that have done it, but there’s nobody in the league that’s close at this time."
Carroll also believes that other teams will soon copy New England's style and begin dialing it up on offense.
"There will be [copycats]. They will affect other people, I’m sure, because they have had so much success already," Carroll said. "It’s their willingness to go this fast as consistently as they have demonstrated that separates them from other teams. ... They have taken on a different approach and philosophy that I think singles them out, in their commitment to their tempo. It’s cool to watch.”
Pratice report: Wes Welker was among a group of players who was limited during Wednesday's practice at Gillette Stadium due to an ankle injury.
Tight ends Rob Gronkowski (hip) and Aaron Hernandez (ankle) and quarterback Tom Brady (right shoulder) were also limited.
Here's the full practice report:
Did not participate: WR Julian Edelman (hand), S Steve Gregory (hip), TE Michael Hoomanawanui (concussion), LB Tracy White (foot). Limited: RB Brandon Bolden (knee), Brady (right shoulder), DE Brandon Deaderick (ankle), DT Justin Francis (ankle), Gronkowski (hip), Hernandez (ankle), LB Dont'a Hightower (hamstring), G Logan Mankins (calf/hip), OL Nick McDonald (shoulder), CB Sterling Moore (knee), RB Shane Vereen (foot), OT Sebastian Vollmer (back/knee), Welker (ankle). Full: DT Kyle Love (knee).
Nick Underhill covers the Patriots for MassLive.com. Follow him on Twitter @CBSPats or @nick_underhill.