Tom Brady admitted it was an emotional week before his return to New England, where he broke Drew Breeze’s record for the most passes in the NFL since the Tampa Bay Buccaneers forced out his former team.
There was always a danger that Tom Brady’s return to Foxboro would be over-publicized, oversold, as the media and fans predicted a blockbuster fight between the great quarterback and the greatest head coach in NFL history. But nothing about it was overrated.
It was the quarterback who prevailed over the manager, with the Bucs hitting New England 19-17 when Ryan Saccop scored a 48-yard field goal with 1.57 in the fourth quarter before Belichick dropped him in response. on the fourth and third. only to see Nick Falk miss his 56-yard attempt with 59 seconds left.
Earlier in the game, Brady contacted Mike Evans for 28 yards to become the NFL’s undisputed passing leader, surpassing Drew Brees’s previous record of 80,358 and eventually ending the game with 269 yards, bringing his total to 80,560.
“It’s pretty cool,” Brady said of breaking the record at Gillette Stadium in his post-match interview with NBC. “Nothing in this sport can be achieved without great teammates and coaches. I have just been blessed to be with wonderful people for 22 years. The quarterback can’t do anything if the guys don’t catch the ball.
“The guys have done a great job of catching for me over the last 22 years. All of them, I hope, felt a little happy looking at this today. Because everyone contributed. I can’t fucking catch anything, everything I’ve seen it’s a drop against the Eagles in the Super Bowl. But I can throw it a little and I’m glad I have so many great guys catching it. “
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Brady and Belichick, who won six Super Bowls during their time in New England, briefly hugged on the field after the game before the latter reportedly spent 20 minutes in the Bucs locker room. There were also meetings with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and Patriots owner Robert Kraft.
“I mean, it’s all personal,” Brady said at a press conference after the game. “So we have had a personal relationship for over 20 years. So he (Belichick) invited me here and I had a lot of personal conversations that should stay that way. And they are very personal. And I would say that so much is made of our relationship.
“And you know, as I said earlier this week, you know, from the player’s point of view, you just expect the coach to give you everything he has. And I’m sure as a player, he hoped for me as a player.
“But nothing is really accurate that I’ve ever seen. You know, it definitely has nothing to do with my personal feelings or beliefs, and I have a lot of respect for him as a coach and obviously have a lot of respect for this organization, and you know, everyone here is different people who are trying to be successful. “
