He’s still the favorite around here
Brady’s had ‘incredible support’ from Pats fans
It’s been almost 11 months since Tom Brady played for the Patriots, yet he’s still feeling the love from New England.
SUPER BOWL NOTEBOOK
“Obviously any time you change teams, you don’t know how it’s going to go,” Brady said Wednesday during a conference call. “I think there has been incredible support I’ve had from — the team I used to play for, all the New England fans, and I still I have a lot of love for Boston and all of New England.”
Brady’s comments echoed earlier remarks made by Rob Gronkowski, who said he felt Pats fans will be rooting for Tampa Bay in Super Bowl LV. The Bucs are slated as three-point underdogs against Kansas City, despite playing the game in their home stadium. In his first season with Tampa Bay, Brady led the franchise to its first playoff win since 2002, then two more road victories to reach the Super Bowl.
On Wednesday, Brady called his time in New England “an amazing two decades.”
“I’ll always have a presence there. I have a lot of friends there. It’s just really cool to be able to have that experience in my life,” he said. “And then again, have my football journey take me to somewhere else and then come down here, and play for a different team but still have incredible support … it’s been really cool.”
Brady won six Super Bowls over his 20 years with the Patriots, who missed the playoffs this season the first time since 2008.
Brady: Next year will be better
Brady is about to shut the door on his best statistical season in years. Next season, when the Patriots will host the Bucs, he plans to be “a lot better.”
“As long as I’m playing, I want to improve and get better. And I think next year’s going to be a lot better than this year,” Brady said Wednesday. “I feel like I’ll be in a much better place mentally. I’m going to train a lot better this year. Physically, next year I’ll be in a better place.
“I know as soon as this game ends, we’re on to next season. So we’ll get ready for this and then start thinking about next year.”
En route to Super Bowl LV, Brady has led Tampa Bay to three straight road playoffs wins. During the regular season, he completed 65.7% of his passes for 4,633 yards, 40 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Brady finished in the top 10 of most statistical categories for quarterbacks and threw his second-most touchdowns in a season behind only his 2007 MVP campaign.
Brady’s mention of being “in a much better place mentally,” could be viewed as a reference to his parents battling COVID-19 last September. Brady’s father was hospitalized for weeks, while his mother was cared for at home by one of Brady’s sisters, a nurse. Last spring, Brady also uprooted his family from the northeast to move to Tampa Bay.
Next season, the Patriots will host the Buccaneers in the regular season. The date and time of their matchup is expected to be revealed in April or May, when the NFL annually releases its regular-season schedule.
Miller studied Edelman, Welker
Bucs wide receiver Scotty Miller was an early favorite of Brady’s in
Tampa Bay.
From what Miller revealed on Wednesday, it’s now easy to see why.
“I played more in the slot in college, so I remember trying to get my video guy to put stuff on my iPad so I could watch guys like (Julian) Edelman ,( Wes) Welker, (Danny) Amendola, Cole Beasley, those types of guys because that was more the role I was in, running option routes,” Miller said. “Those guys did a great job developing that trust with Tom.
“That’s something I’ve tried to do and continuing to try to have him trust me on every single play that I know exactly where I’m going to be. I’m going to win, and then I’m going to make the play on the ball. I think that’s a key piece for any quarterback is just getting on the same page and having him believe in you.”
Miller only played 24% of his snaps in the slot this season and was often listed behind Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Antonio Brown on the depth chart. But the 23-yearold nonetheless made his mark, totaling more than 500 receiving yards and three touchdowns in the regular season. Miller also used his speed to score a 39-yard touchdown and give the Bucs an 11-point halftime lead in the NFC Championship Game at Green Bay.
Moss: Brady is a kid again
Earlier in the week, Brady said he would “definitely consider” playing beyond 45, which has long been his stated target age.
On Wednesday, Pro Football Hall of Famer and ESPN analyst Randy Moss didn’t put any limits on his former teammate.
Why?
For starters, Moss said watching Brady now is like “seeing a kid in a playground.”
“Being able to see Tom, one, (it’s) his arm strength. And number two, just being able to see him having fun with the next generation of guys, I think when you see these younger guys — where Tom has competed against their dad, or played with their dad — I think it just energizes any individual,” Moss said on a conference call. “When it comes to defenses, and being sacked, and stuff like that, I don’t really think that’s really what’s going to move him out of the game.”
If Tampa continues to stock him with weapons, and they keep competing for championships, Moss didn’t stamp an end date for Brady. He also said being in a warm climate, as opposed to “the cold in New England” will also help Brady’s longevity going forward — if the 43-year-old wants to continue to play.
But mostly, the fact Brady seems to be having a ball just might be the most significant factor in how much longer the GOAT continues to defy Father Time.
“Twenty-plus years in the National Football League, and he’s still smiling, still being successful and now having a shot to go to a Super Bowl with another team?” Moss said. “I mean, the man’s having fun.”