Patriots' Brady looking forward to London, Bucs

In his 10th NFL season, New England quarterback Tom Brady sounded as giddy as a rookie Tuesday when discussing the Patriots' upcoming trip to London to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Wembley Stadium.

"This is a game we've been looking forward to since we first heard about it,'' Brady said during a conference call with American and international media to promote Sunday's matchup at Wembley Stadium. "It's not often we fly east to play a game. Wembley is as historic as any stadium in the world. This is a game we'll be remembering for the next 40 or 50 years of our lives.''

The Patriots, on top of the AFC East Division at 4-2, will cross the Atlantic on Thursday, one day ahead of the Bucs. When the team plane touches down, Brady will be a natural focal point for fans and media, along with Patriots coach Bill Belichick and owner Bob Kraft.

Brady, 32, appeared in top form Sunday, when he threw five second-quarter touchdown passes against Tennessee in a 59-0 romp in the snow at Foxborough, Mass. He missed the final 15 games of the 2008 season after tearing ligaments in his left knee and he has regained his timing just in time to face the 0-6 Bucs, who have suffered 10 consecutive losses.

"Tampa Bay has some very active players up front, and they're a dangerous defensive team,'' said Brady. "They're all fast and aggressive, and the Bucs have always been a great defensive team. It'll be a good challenge for our offense. We've been a little bit inconsistent this year. At moments, we've played pretty good football. Obviously, we played our best game of the year last week.''

Brady, who married Brazilian model Gisele Bundchen in February, knows he will be a marked man for the British press when New England arrives overseas Friday morning.

"I've been there a couple of times as a tourist,'' he said. "I've seen all the sights, taken the tours and walked the streets. I've also played golf in Scotland and Ireland. Anyone who has been in that part of the world comes away with a greater sense of history.''

Brady has led the Patriots to three Super Bowl wins this decade and has no intentions of retiring in the near future, pointing to 40-year-old New England linebacker Junior Seau as a role model.

"If it was up to me,'' he said, "I'd play as long as I could until nobody wants me anymore. I want to play for a long time, I'd love to play as long as Junior is playing. Every time I take the field, there's something I'm learning. It's a very challenging game.''