Brady says no talks of rest vs. Dolphins: ‘We'd like to finish strong'

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The Patriots were in a very similar spot to the one they're facing now just a year ago: They're headed to Miami with playoff seeding on the line.

Of course that didn't work out quite the way they wanted to in Week 17 of last season so over the course of two radio interviews in the last 24 hours, Tom Brady has emphasized the importance of finishing strong.

For him, that means preparing to as he always does. 

"I always love playing," Brady told Westwood One's Jim Gray on Monday night when asked about the season-ending leg injury suffered by Raiders quarterback Derek Carr. 

"To have the opportunity to play is great for all of us. It's tough when you see other players go down . . . That's part of the sport. it's a physical sport, it's a contact sport. You get twisted up, turned around and you get these bumps and bruises sometimes. Unfortunately for Derek, it's a pretty serious one. My thoughts are with him. Anytime someone gets hurt it's tough to see. We all understand what we're getting ourselves into every weekend." 

Though the Patriots have secured a bye in the first round of the playoffs, they have not yet locked up the No. 1 seed in the AFC. A win in Miami -- or a loss by the Raiders on Sunday afternoon -- would provide them with the top seed and homefield advnatage throughout the postseason. 

When asked about potentially resting starters in the regular-season finale in order to avoid injuries like Carr's, Bill Belichick said the numbers "just don't add up."

Brady said that he and the team haven't discussed any plans to reduce his workload.

"We haven’t discussed that," Brady said. "The game ended and [Belichick] gave us a couple of days off. We’re headed into work today, but I’ve been grinding on Miami yesterday, and I have all the stuff I normally have."

Brady added: "We’d like to finish strong. This will be a big game. They are a playoff team. They’ve won nine of 10, so they are playing as well as anybody. We’ve always had a tough time playing in Miami for one reason or another. It would be great to go down and finish 14-2."

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