Brady, Belichick ready to square off Sunday

Tom Brady’s legacy is forever steeped in each of the six Super Bowl championship banners he had a part in hanging above New England’s Gillette Stadium.

Yet, the Tampa Bay quarterback might as well be playing in front of a mirror when he returns to face the Patriots on Sunday.

Everything will be in reverse.

“I know that home locker room. I know that home tunnel. I know which way the wind blows. I know everything about that,” Brady said. “So, in some ways it’ll be unique. I’ve never had that experience. New England will be the first time for me being on the other sideline.”

Brady will be back in Foxborough, Mass., on Sunday night to meet the Patriots for the first time since he left after 20 seasons to join the Buccaneers. He’ll be opposite not only former coach Bill Belichick, but past teammates who have also never taken an NFL

field and looked across at Brady wearing another team’s jersey, let alone ever had a chance to tackle him.

“Certainly, Tom has an intimate knowledge of everything that we do here, more so than any other player in the league by far. So, I’m sure he’ll use it to his advantage. I would expect him to,” Belichick said. “I don’t think it would be in our best interest to go in there and do everything differently than we’ve done it all year. What we need to do is continue to do the things we do and do them better. That would help us more than anything else.”

Las Vegas news: When the Raiders play the Chargers on Monday night, Las Vegas may not have to worry about facing Los Angeles’ second-leading tackler.

Linebacker Kenneth Murray, who has 20 tackles, is listed as questionable because of an ankle injury suffered in practice. Murray set a franchise rookie record last year with a team-leading 107 tackles. Medical report: Tampa Bay tight end Rob Gronkowski, Brady’s longtime teammate in New England, will miss the meeting with the Patriots because of a rib injury. Green Bay put wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling on injured reserve because of an ankle injury suffered in a game against the 49ers last Sunday. The list of players going on IR also includes Baltimore defensive end Derek Wolfe (back, hip injuries) and Indianapolis guard Quenton Nelson (ankle). The list of players activated from IR includes Houston kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn, Arizona linebacker Dennis Gardeck and Jets safety Ashtyn Davis, a Cal alum.

Briefly: Baltimore promoted running back Le’Veon Bell from the practice squad to the active roster . ... The list of players promoted from practice squads includes former 49ers defensive back Rashard Robinson by Tampa Bay; former Raiders offensive lineman Chaz Green by Pittsburgh; linebacker Hardy Nickerson, a Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland and Cal alum, by Houston; and former Stanford linebacker Curtis Robinson by Denver.