Tom Brady is returning to Foxborough this Sunday for the first time since leaving the New England Patriots for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It’s been quite a change for both organizations in the time since, with Brady winning another Super Bowl while Bill Belichick retools and figures out how to win without his longtime quarterback.
There has certainly been a lot of speculation about why Brady decided to leave. Belichick tried to circumvent the discussion surrounding it but did admit that he thought Tampa looked like a better option for his former QB.
But what does Brady have to say about his time with Belichick and what it means to be back in the Boston area? Brady talked about it on Monday night’s episode of his Let’s Go! podcast along with Jim Gray and Larry Fitzgerald. As far as his relationship with Belichick, he sees it as a great 20-year experience learning from a true mentor.
Tom Brady on his 'Let's Go!' podcast with Jim Gray: "One thing I learned from the Patriots, Belichick would say 'Listen, if you love football, then 8:30 on Sunday night at Gillette Stadium is the place to be.' So I'll be there … It's going to be a great night of football."
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) September 28, 2021
“I have 20 years of being there and obviously he’s a great mentor for me,” Brady said. “And yes I think there’s definitely great lessons I’ve learned from him. He’s a great football coach, and he does a great job for his team.
“And, you know any player, I think they would just hope that their coaches give them everything they got. I’m sure every great coach wants every player to give them everything they got. And I think that’s what makes a great relationship.”
As far as what it means to be back in Foxborough and what it’ll mean to play against Belichick, Brady demured and deflected just like his former coach did.
“I’m not going to necessarily reminisce,” Brady said. “I don’t think this is the moment for that. I’ll have plenty of opportunities to reminisce about my football career — none of it, none of which I really care to do right now because I’m so much in the moment. I’m not going to be thinking about 20 years of history. I’m going to be thinking about one night of football, a Sunday night game coming off a really tough loss.”
Whether that’s true or not, both Brady and Belichick seem intent on keeping the focus on the field for Sunday rather than on them. Easier said than done as the reunion is likely to drive coverage all week long as well as the way the game itself is presented on TV.
