Tom Brady: It's been a good year thus far

AP Photo/Stephan Savoia

Fresh off his bye week, which included a trip to Miami for Halloween with wife Gisele Bundchen, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady addressed the media for his weekly Wednesday press conference, speaking about the season so far and looking ahead to what is yet to come.

Brady elaborated on his previous comments that he was feeling better now than any other time, citing the lack of sacks he's taken this year and how his increase throwing in the off-season has helped him on the field.  He also added that he's looking forward to the second half of the season, noting "We have some great opponents, a lot of division games."

The Patriots meet the division rival Miami Dolphins this Sunday, in what the quarterback called "a huge game for us" and adding "They beat us here, last year, in the worst defeat that we've ever had here at Gillette Stadium. It's going to be important for us to come out and play our best game."

He went on to emphasize the importance of playing well in division games, as "You're not going to win the division and be 3-3 every year."  Brady used his favorite word again, stating the team needs to "execute" well and make those plays in these important games.  Brady is expecting a challenge this weekend, citing the strong defensive front of the Dolphins led by defensive coordinator Paul Pasqualoni and the powerful linemen like Jason Taylor and Joey Porter. 

Joey Porter had his own words for Brady, telling Rich Eisen of the NFL Network that he feels there are a special set of rules for Brady compared to other players in the league.  Porter told Eisen, "When a guy can tell a ref when to throw a flag, and he gets it, he's got his own rules. They made the rule that you don't go at the legs for Tom, so when he feels that someone is going at his legs, he just points to the ref and he gets a flag. So I can honestly say that he gets his own rules."

The Patriots and Dolphins are sure to explore that "natural hate" that comes with a divisional rivalry, as both teams will be fighting hard for the win.  Kickoff is at 1:00 p.m. EST from Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.