Shane Vereen: Can’t ‘Lay an Egg’ Against Colts
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Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images(FOXBOROUGH, Mass.) — The New England Patriots are making their third straight AFC Championship game appearance on Sunday when they host the Colts.
Patriots running back Shane Vereen stressed the importance of getting off to a fast start and making sure they do everything they can to punch their ticket to Super Bowl 49.
“If we go out there and lay an egg then it really doesn’t matter if we’ve been here before or not,” Vereen said on Friday. “Each year is something different, each team each year is a different animal, and we have our hands full this Sunday.”
New England joined the San Francisco 49ers to become the first teams since the Eagles (2001-04) to go to at least three straight Conference championships after they beat Baltimore on Saturday.
“Unfortunately since I’ve been here we kind of got stopped a little quicker then we wanted to,” linebacker Dont’a Hightower said on Friday. “You kind of want to leave those things in the past. I definitely feel throughout this week, we’ve all been kind of approaching it as doing as much as you can each day.”
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has won five AFC title games out of eight appearances, which puts him in a tie with Hall of Famer John Elway for the most conference titles in NFL history during the Super Bowl era.
“As you get older experience is definitely good as long as you play well,” said Brady, who has three Super Bowl rings. “It’s a game like all the other games. We’re very fortunate to be in this position.”
The Patriots last Super Bowl appearance was in 2012 when they fell to the Giants, 21-17. Their last Super Bowl title came against the Eagles in 2005.
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