Patriots' Brady to fans: 'Drink early'

BOSTON, Sept. 15 (UPI) -- New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said he had a message for the team's fans about the upcoming game with the San Diego Chargers: start drinking early.

Asked if he had anything to say to fans heading to Sunday's home opener in Foxborough, Brady replied, "Yeah, start drinking early."

"Get nice and rowdy. It's a 4:15 game, a lot of time to get lubed up. Come out here, and cheer for the home team."

The Patriots were quick to attempt to clarify Brady's "drinking early" remark, The Boston Globe reported Wednesday.

"He meant 'stay hydrated, drink a lot of water. Be loud, drink responsibly,'" the team said.

Brady said he was aware Gillette Stadium has been a quiet place for the home team over the last few years.

"Look, we make good plays, they're going to scream," he said. "If we don't make good plays, they're going to probably boo us. So we're going to focus on making good plays.

"The crowd, it always helps when they're loud but we got to give them reasons to be loud, we've got to give them reasons to cheer for us."