Patriots' Belichick Reveals Favorite Brady Moments: 'Six Of Them!'
The New England Patriots are just a few days away from their season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, but it also marks a special occasion beyond the start of a new campaign.
During the game, the Patriots will welcome back legendary quarterback Tom Brady in a ceremony that owner Robert Kraft called "the beginning of many celebrations" to honor the G.O.A.T. Brady spent 20 years in New England and led the Patriots to six Super Bowls before spending three seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and helping them win a ring as well.
Brady was synonymous with Patriots football for two decades, and to many he still is. Naturally, his return to Foxborough is a big moment for everyone in the organization. Ahead of the big day, Patriots coach Bill Belichick reflected on some of his favorite moments with Brady, and his choices shouldn't come as a surprise.
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"Well, there are six of them that come to mind," Belichick said, per MassLive. "Can’t say enough about Tom – what he’s meant to this organization, what he’s meant to me personally. He just epitomized everything you would want in a player – his work ethic, his ability to handle and process a lot of things on and off the field. His critical playmaking ability, instinctiveness and anticipation and decision making at the most critical times in the biggest games in the team’s history not to mention the seasons."
Belichick and Brady were the two pillars of the Patriots' 20-year dynasty, one of the greatest runs by any team in NFL history. Even though the debate over who contributed more to the dynasty has intensified since Brady's departure, the reality is that New England wouldn't have been anywhere near as successful without both of them.
This also isn't the first time that Brady has returned to New England. He returned as a member of the Buccaneers in Week 4 of the 2021 season, a game that ended in a 19-17 Tampa Bay victory. Perhaps not-so-coincidentally, Brady also became the NFL's all-time passing yards leader in that game.
"For so many years, he set a standard of daily performance which turned into yearly performance which turned into not only a Hall of Fame career, but probably the best career of all time in the National Football League," Belichick said.
With Sunday's game getting the top billing on CBS, the NFL world will be watching closely as the Patriots honor a franchise and league icon.
