Tom Brady on Comparing Past Patriots Teams: 'Really Unfair to Set Expectations'

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady shot down the idea of comparing the 2017 Pats to previous teams he has played on when asked about his expectations for the squad Tuesday.

On WEEI's Kirk and Callahan (h/t ESPN.com's Mike Reiss), Brady expressed his belief that doing so could be a dangerous exercise: "It is really unfair to set expectations. To me, in my mind, it's really a setup. You're talking about some magical years that we've had that may never be duplicated again."

After overcoming a 28-3 deficit to beat the Atlanta Falcons in the Super Bowl last season, New England is heavily favored to repeat.

The Patriots didn't rest on their laurels during the offseason, as they added several new faces, including wide receiver Brandin Cooks, running backs Mike Gillislee and Rex Burkhead, tight end Dwayne Allen, defensive end Kony Ealy and cornerback Stephon Gilmore.

New England is undoubtedly brimming with talent, but Brady didn't want to put it ahead of any previous Patriots team in that regard:

"It is so far from those types of things. You're talking about some incredible teams that I've had an opportunity to be on and lucky to be on. This team is so far from where we need to be and we have so far to go.

"For this team, we need to be focused on so many other things than what people may think about us or say about us. There is so much improvement we need to make. I love the guys I'm playing with this year. It's a totally different version of a team we've had. We'll have our own strengths and weaknesses, but how the season plays out will be determined by what happens moving forward."

Brady has reached seven Super Bowls during his time with the Patriots, winning five of them.

Perhaps the best Patriots team of all time was the 2007 squad that went 16-0 in the regular season and started 18-0 including the playoffs before shockingly falling to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl.

Those Pats appeared virtually unbeatable on paper, and the same can be said of the 2017 version, which may be where Brady's apprehension comes into play.

The national audience will have its first chance to see just how good the 2017 Patriots are on Sept. 7 when they open the regular season against the Kansas City Chiefs.