In saying he's not intimidated by facing Tom Brady, Titans All-Pro safety Kevin Byard ripped another playoff quarterback.
“It’s a playoff game, so it’s not like it’s the preseason where I can go out there, ‘Oh, it’s Brady,’ and I’m chillin,'" Byard told the Tennessean.com. “This is a playoff game. So I don’t really care if it was Joe Montana. You know what I’m saying? I’m trying to go out there and win the game. I want to make him look like Blake Bortles if I can and try to catch a couple picks."
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It's a safe bet Brady won't have fewer passing yards than rushing yards, as Bortles did (87 yards to 86), in getting the Jacksonville Jaguars and their struggling offense past the Buffalo Bills in the wild-card game Sunday.
Byard led the NFL with eight interceptions this season and picked off Bortles twice in the Titans’ 15-10 victory over their AFC South rivals in the regular-season finale that clinched Tennessee's first playoff berth in nine years.
Bortles threw 13 picks this season, Brady eight, including six in his past six games.
New England Patriots
Titans linebacker Derrick Morgan was quick to play the disrespect card for Tennessee, a 13 1/2-point underdog to the Pats.
“You see the noise and you see the disrespect from the media, from y’all, but it comes with the territory,” Morgan told the Tennessean.com “We haven’t been a very successful team in the last 10 years. It’s easy for people to overlook us. So we’ve got to take care of business and start winning games like this to get the respect that we desire.”
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