Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
Nate Ebner on Tom Brady:"It's Going to Be Weird Seeing Him in a Different Uniform"
Special teamer Nate Ebner shared a locker room with Tom Brady for the entirety of NFL career to this point, but in 2020, the relationship will shift to that of opponents.
Both Ebner and Brady left the New England Patriots this offseason via free agency. Ebner followed his long-time special teams coach Joe Judge to the Giants, while Brady shocked the NFL by signing with the Bucs.
It just so happens that the Giants are set to play the Buccaneers in 2020 at Metlife Stadium in a game that it's probably fair to say will draw quite a bit more interest than usual.
"It'll be different, that's for sure," Ebner told Bob Papa and Charlie Weiss on SiriusXM NFL Radio's Opening Drive Friday. "Like everyone else, I've seen Tom in the same jersey, same uniform, same team for quite some time. It's going to be just as weird seeing him in a different uniform as it is seeing him on the other team."
Ebner and Judge were fortunate enough to be the beneficiary of Brady's competitiveness from 2012 to 2019, but neither has been on the opposite side of the field against the future Hall of Famer.
That will change in 2020, as Ebner is expecting all the relentless gameday spirit and preparation he's become accustomed to seeing out of Brady, along with some "quiet" choice words.
"He'll jab a little bit, but he's going to talk his smack quietly," Ebner said. "He usually lets his play handle it for him, (but) he'll say some stuff at the end of the day."
Brady has been adamant about controlling his habits of on-field chatter in the past. In an interview with NBC Sports Boston in 2018, he weighed in on comments made by then Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey ahead of the Patriots-Jaguars matchup.
I think it raises everybody’s game as long as it doesn’t get to the point where you do something stupid. I mean, I think emotion in football is critical, and I think you have to have the energy and emotion. It’s a game of poise certainly, but it’s also a game of just cutting it loose.
When Brady leads the Bucs into Metlife Stadium in 2020, he's sure to have a little extra motivation against a franchise that handed him his two greatest Super Bowl defeats, those in Super Bowls XLII and XLVI.
It will also be a reunion of sorts for Brady, as in addition to Ebner and Judge, he'll see running back Dion Lewis and quarterbacks coach Jerry Schuplinski, both of whom were also with the PAtriots at some point during Brady's lengthy tenure.
Brady has a 4-1 regular-season career record against the Giants, most recently having engineered a 35-14 win last season in a Week 6 game played at New England.
He has never lost a regular-season game against the Giants in East Rutherford.
