The New England Patriots will miss quarterback Tom Brady the most during his 4-game suspension, but his divisional rivals are sad to see him go.
"I can't wait to play [the Patriots]," Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Marcell Dareus explained on NFL Network’s Total Access. "I hate that Brady's not going to be there. But when he comes back...
“If we win, all right, we win. But I don't feel like I really won until I beat the guy. I love playing against Brady. I get up for him. I play against him every year, and he knows I'm coming. So for him not to be up there tears me up a little bit. But the second time I see him, I'm going to be excited to play against him."
Dareus has faced the Patriots nine times in his five season career and has just one win under his belt from the very first game. He has lost the past eight games (he was inactive for the 2014 finale where the Bills beat the Patriots back-ups in Foxboro) and he wants another crack at beating a Brady-led Patriots offense.
While Dareus is a great player and has a $96 million dollar contract, his value against the Patriots has diminished over the years as New England has pushed the tempo and reduced the impact of defensive pass rushers. He will likely be better equipped to take over a game against an inexperienced quarterback like Jimmy Garoppolo than Brady.
The Bills travel to Foxboro to face the Patriots in week 4 of the regular season. Buffalo has not beaten the Patriots first team in Gillette Stadium, which opened in 2002, and the Bills players would reasonably take more value from a victory against the Brady-led Patriots.