BEREA, Ohio -- Cleveland Browns coach Hue Jackson used four words to describe the prospect of facing the New England Patriots' Tom Brady in the quarterback's first game after his Deflategate suspension.
"Not fun at all."
Which is not surprising, given that Brady's success in the NFL will land him in Canton five years after retirement. Jackson also knows what the quarterback's frame of mind will be like coming off the four-game suspension.
"He has not had his passion, which is football, other than his family and his life, over the last four weeks, so he will come back ready to play," Jackson said. "No question about that.”
Jackson said he knows Brady from the days when Brady was deciding where to attend college. Jackson and Steve Mariucci were at Cal and recruited him.
"We thought we were going to shoo him over there, myself and Coach Mariucci," Jackson said. "He ended up staying at Michigan, and obviously, his story is one of the greatest ever told."
Brady's numbers speak for themselves -- a 172-51 record as a starter, four Super Bowl wins, 12 wins in each of the past four seasons (the Browns have averaged 11 losses in those seasons), 22-9 in the playoffs. The numbers go on and on -- and they speak to the atmosphere the Browns expect on Sunday.
"It'll be a circus, I know that, from the standpoint of the media," Browns receiver Terrelle Pryor said. "But he's earned that. He's one of the greatest quarterbacks ever to play the game."
Brady has never been pleased about the way he was portrayed in the Deflategate investigation. He maintains he never had anything to do with the pressure in the footballs and appealed the suspension. He initially won and the suspension was voided.
The NFL then appealed that decision, and the suspension was reinstated.
The next battle would have been fought in the U.S. Supreme Court, but Brady and the NFLPA chose not to continue, so Brady served the four games and no doubt will return ready to prove he can win.
An angry Brady is not a good Brady to face. A more motivated Brady is even more dangerous.
"He will be chomping at the bit," Jackson said.
Consider last season's opener against Pittsburgh, when Brady was in a similar frame of mind. He had won the initial ruling on the suspension and was determined to prove he could win regardless. He threw for 288 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions.
Over the next three games, he racked up seven TDs, with no interceptions.
That Tom Brady likely will be the one the Browns face.
The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook listed the Patriots as 10-point favorites over the winless Browns, which isn't surprising given New England is 3-1 and now has Brady back.
The Browns have dealt with a slew of bad breaks, though, playing well enough in the past three games to have won them all. Jackson will not give in, no matter who the other quarterback is.
The Browns also can point to recent history if they want some hope.
Brady has played the Browns six times. His quarterback rating against Cleveland: 87.4, nine points below his career number. His rating is lower against only five other teams.
ESPN Stats & Information dug through some numbers and determined that even though the Browns have played New England only twice since 2010, no team has played the Patriots tougher.
Among the numbers:
New England averages 20.5 points in those two games, its lowest average against any of the 24 teams it has played at least twice in that time.
The Browns are plus-9.5 points per game in the two games, the best of any team.
Cleveland led by at least 16 points in each game; only the Bills (who played the Patriots 13 times in that time) have managed that.
Cleveland also led in the games for 92 percent of the time.
The Browns won 34-14 in 2010 when Peyton Hillis rushed for 184 yards and two touchdowns. In 2013, they lost 27-26 in New England after leading 26-14 with 2:39 to go. In that game, a controversial pass-interference call set up New England's go-ahead touchdown.
The Browns' roster overhaul may make those games a little less applicable to today. But in 2010 they were 5-11, and in 2013 they were 4-12.
Sometimes the teams with poor records play the best teams well.
It's just that the slope gets a little steeper when the opposing team has a Hall of Fame quarterback making his season debut.