EX-PATS SPLIT ON WHO TO ROOT FOR
Julian Edelman couldn’t have provided a better, more colorful, or more apt description of what it’s going to be like when Bill Belichick and Tom Brady reunite on the same field — competing on opposing sidelines for the first time since Brady’s departure.
“You know, it’s like going to a family barbecue … and you’re the step kid, or you’re like the kid who has divorced parents. And your mom and dad are there, and you don’t know how to react,” Edelman told reporters last week. “Are they going to fight? Are they not going to fight? It’s going to be interesting. But, I am excited. Who is not excited for it?”
On Sunday night, there will be nearly 70,000 fans in the stands, and millions more tuning in on national television, watching the divorced NFL power duo.
Belichick and Brady spent 20 years together tormenting the NFL before the split. There hasn’t been a more successful union in football.
The best coach/quarterback duo of all time won six championships over nine Super Bowl appearances.
But now they’re apart. It’s tough enough for fans to pick sides, but it’s even tougher for those players who were a part of the championship runs with the dynamic duo.
Which parent do you side with?
Ty Law, part of three championship teams with Belichick and Brady, weighed the pros and cons of the situation in a text to the Herald.
“I don’t look at it as Tom vs. Bill. It’s Bucs vs. Patriots. I’m rooting for Tom Brady EVERY time he plays. That’s my brother and teammate. But not next week!! Lol!! I’m a Patriot for life.”
Law is in the Patriots Hall of Fame after all, so he’s going with the Patriots. That’s one way to handle the divide.
Damien Woody, part of two early championships, wasn’t as conflicted. He made it very clear which side he was on.
“Listen, I’m rooting for Tom. Because I’m rooting for something you just don’t see,” Woody told the Herald. “When Tom is done, the game is going to miss him. But, to see a guy that’s 44 years old, and playing at this level, I’m rooting for that.
“I’m rooting for something you just don’t see. Even if he’s going up against Bill, I’m rooting for Tom, I’m rooting for him to have a special season.”
The defending Super Bowl champion Bucs were off to a flying start before hitting the skids last week against the Los Angeles Rams. Taking out the Patriots in Foxboro would get the chains moving again. So they’re beyond motivated to leave Foxboro with a win.
Heath Evans knows about big games. He was with the Patriots during their unbeaten regular season run in 2007.
He was a member of the team that lost that fateful Super Bowl to the New York Giants, one game short of achieving a perfect season.
He often expresses love for “Tommy.”
Just not in this game.
“Bill’s the one that gave me the job. Not Tommy,” said Evans. “Bill’s the one that put trust and faith in me. Bill’s the one who gave me the opportunity to meet Tom Brady. It is what it is.”
Edelman, meanwhile, pleaded the fifth.
“I want the Patriots to win. But I also want them to do well, Gronk (Rob Gronkowski) and Tom, so we’ll see ” said Edelman, now an analyst on Showtime’s “Inside the NFL” program. “I’m in the media now, I’m an analyst, I can’t be taking sides right now. For the integrity of the art of the analyst, I’m going to take the fifth on that one actually because I’ll have to see how both perform and then I’ll break it down afterward and give my opinions.”
In other words, Edelman hid behind his new job, which is totally understandable.
Charlie Weis had an interesting way to avoid giving a definitive answer. He was the offensive coordinator and chief architect of the Patriots playbook during the first run of championships. He’s tight with both Brady and Belichick.
So who is he rooting for Sunday?
“For me, I just root for people,” said Weis. “I’m rooting for Tommy, and I’m rooting for Bill. I’m rooting for both of them, so guess what? I’m going to win and lose no matter what. But I root for people, not outcomes. But it is tough when you’re rooting for people on both sides.
“I just hope it’s not a threering circus. But it has the potential to be.”
Dante Scarnecchia, meanwhile, also wanted no part of that hot potato.
Scarnecchia, calling in to WEEI from Maui last week
end, was asked by the hosts if he was rooting for the Bucs or the Pats?
The Patriots former offensive line coach, and a legend in his own right, felt like he was walking into a minefield.
“Do you want me to just jump off a cliff here in Maui?” Scarnecchia cracked. “Really, what am I supposed to say to that? I’m a Patriot guy through and through. I wish Tom nothing but the greatest success and the greatest of health going forward. I’m just going to pretty much leave it at that.”
Rodney Harrison, to no surprise, was also torn. First off, he’s rooting for a great game. After that, flip a coin.
“I wouldn’t have been able to get to know Tom, if Bill didn’t give me the opportunity. You always go back to that loyalty, and that opportunity that coach gave me, but you also understand it’s about relationships and friendships,” said Harrison. “But at the end of the day, it’s one game. Everyone is making this out that this is something bigger than what it is. It’s a big game, but at the end of the day, it’s one game in the whole scheme of things.’’
One game, with an emotional tug-of-war gripping many who will be watching.
Bucs have Brady’s back
Brady’s Buccaneer teammates understand how much the game with the Patriots means to their quarterback. They get it.
“I want to make sure we get the job done. I want to win every game, but especially this one because of Tom being there for a while and now he’s down here,” said outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett. “It’s just something about when you’re leaving home and then you want to come back there and let them know they made a mistake.
“Then with him beating every team in the NFL, you want to be a part of that too. Whatever we can do to help him get that win, we’re going to do it.”
By beating the Patriots,
Brady can become the fourth quarterback, joining Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, and Brett Favre as the only quarterbacks to beat all 32 NFL teams.
Will the GOAT be emotional?
Brady recognizes all the emotions that are bound to be churning when he steps back into Gillette Stadium.
He says he’s going to keep the memories and nostalgia out of it, but that’s going to be a tall order.
Byron Leftwich, his offensive coordinator, thinks No. 12 will certainly feel a swell of emotion when he’s initially greeted by the crowd.
“It’s probably going to be different. I imagine it’s going to be different. I remember I went back to Jacksonville but thank God I was a backup when I went back. It’s going to be different,” Leftwich said. “Such familiarity to him up there. What they did together for 20 years is unique and special. It’s supposed to be emotional to be honest with you.
“That’s how it’s really supposed to be when you accomplish what they accomplished up there, it will be emotional. There’s no way around that. Tom’s a pro and knowing him, he’ll be ready to play his best football when we get up there.”
Forget about stakes
Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner completed dismissed the notion that PatsBucs game will be a referendum on who was more important, Brady or Belichick.
“All this stuff, if Tom wins, people will say Tom was more important than Bill, and, whatever. They were both great. They were both instrumental in what they did,” Warner told the Herald last week. “Go back to the first couple Super Bowls, and it was about defense. Go back to the later ones, it was probably more about offense. So, they were both instrumental in what they accomplished. I don’t buy into all that stuff.
“I’m sure there’s a part of their egos that says ‘hey, I want to win this game so people think I was more important or whatever,’ but ultimately you just want to win so people don’t have to talk about the other side of it, more than anything. But I think both of them appreciate each other. They know they wouldn’t be where they are without the other one, and Bill, I think he understands you don’t win in this business without one of those quarterbacks very often. To have the fortune to have the greatest to ever play on your sideline is a huge benefit, but again, Tommy had the best coach our game has ever seen on his sideline and that definitely benefited him as well.”
Tuesdays with Belichick
ESPN released a trailer for “Man in the Arena: Tom Brady.” It won’t be shown until November, but the sneak-peek was interesting. Brady essentially talks about the advantages of being coached by Belichick, and how much his Tuesday meetings helped develop him as an NFL quarterback.
“Even today, I look at some of these younger players, and ‘What do you think of this guy in his third or fourth year?’ And in my mind, I’m thinking, “OK, he’s talented, but who’s going to teach him to evolve and grow? Who’s going to assist him in his learning of what football’s all about?
“I had Coach Belichick there to teach me. Every Tuesday, we would meet and go through the entire defensive starting lineup, and their strengths and weaknesses, what we could attack, what he was watching and how I could see the things he saw, so I could gain confidence and anticipate.”
Those Tuesday meetings are now reserved for Mac Jones, and the rest of the QBs including Brian Hoyer.
“We try to meet with the quarterbacks and stuff and figure out just situational stuff, which helps, and I can’t go into details on that, but it is really beneficial,” Jones said Wednesday. “Just whether it’s the team we’re playing or whoever, just watching football, hearing it from a great coach like him and getting advice from the guys in the room that have played for a lot longer than I have, so just listening and trying to see what they see and pick up on things, and it definitely helps just kind of start the week off right I guess you could say.”
Jerry chimes in
The magnitude of Brady’s return to Foxboro and going against his former mentor extends beyond New England.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was asked about Brady vs. Belichick on Friday during an appearance on 105.3 The Fan (Dallas). Sounds like he’s a fan of the soap opera.
“Man, I’m interested to just see the matchup because they know each other so well. It’s a great story,” said Jones. “I don’t know what we’d do if we didn’t have these stories of exes and relationships. I’ll never forget this television executive told me the great thing about NFL football is all of the things off the field… Belichick and Brady are doing their part to keep people interested in NFL football.”