SI

Super Bowl LX: Best Moments From Patriots Opening Night

New England’s entire roster spoke at the San Jose Convention Center ahead of Super Bowl LX.
Drake Maye did his best Tom Brady impersonation on Monday night.
Drake Maye did his best Tom Brady impersonation on Monday night. | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

In this story:


SAN JOSE — Between Marshawn Lynch’s infamous “I’m just here so I won’t get fined” quip, Tom Brady welling up while answering a question about his childhood hero, and Guillermo sprinting from riser to riser delivering one-liners for Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Super Bowl Media Night has become quite the spectacle over the last decade-plus.

It’s the perfect intersection of everything that makes Super Bowl week so amazing, and also completely commercialized, all at once.

RELATED: Why We’re Still Dissecting Marshawn Lynch’s Iconic Super Bowl Interview

On Monday night in California, both the Patriots and Seahawks took to the podiums scattered throughout the San Jose Convention Center, answering questions—from anyone who’s anyone in the media world—ranging from how they’ll match up against their opponents in Super Bowl LX to their favorite fruits. Literally.

And so, on the topic, here are the top five moments from Patriots Super Bowl opening night.

Drake Maye plays coy about his shoulder injury

Patriots quarterback Drake Maye enters the week nursing a shoulder injury that has him listed as questionable for Super Bowl LX. While he told reporters at opening night that he felt he “turned a corner” on the team’s flight to the West Coast, he stopped short of saying he is fully healthy.

“How are you going into Super Bowl Sunday?” Maye was asked by NFL Media’s Scott Hansen.

“I feel great,” said the quarterback, before Hansen followed up to ask if he was 100%.

“Feeling great,” Maye said quickly dropping the mic to his side.

Looks like New England’s quarterback plans to keep this one close to the vest.

Mike Vrabel was asked the obvious

Is this a must-win game? Of course it is, it's the Super Bowl. But that didn’t stop one reporter that exact question to Patriots coach Mike Vrabel.

“A must win? Yeah every time we go out it’s a must win game. I mean it’s kind of the attitude that I’ve always taken in the National Football League.”

All things considered, a pretty measured answer to such an obvious question.

Stefon Diggs tell us his favorite Cardi B song ... sort of

Stefon Diggs is about to play the most important game of his career this Sunday afternoon, but that didn’t stop him from instead being asked about his favorite song by his girlfriend, Grammy Award–winner Cardi B.

“I can’t say it,” the 31-year-old said with a smile. “It’s an old song ... It’s P.A.W. backwards.”

He’s, of course, talking about the song W.A.P.—which stands for ... well, I’ll let you figure it out.

Drake Maye did his best Tom Brady impersonation

Drake Maye was asked the same question former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was several years ago about who his childhood hero is—and while their answers weren’t identical, they were similar enough to dub the two videos together highlighting their strong family ties.

“I think my hero would probably be my older brothers,” Maye explained with a grin. “I think my heroes, I think growing up with them, having somebody that’s that close to me ... [and] to just learn from them and be the youngest brother and have the opportunity to have something to chase. I was chasing my older brothers. They all had a passion, and I was just trying to find a passion for myself that I could, kind of, follow them. And it happened to be football and now I'm here.”

Oh, and don’t worry—Maye was asked about his wife, Ann Michael, and his answer was a sweet one.


More NFL on Sports Illustrated


Published
Mike Kadlick
MIKE KADLICK

Mike Kadlick is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, he covered the New England Patriots for WEEI sports radio in Boston and continues to do so for CLNS Media. He has a master's in public relations from Boston University. Kadlick is also an avid runner and a proud lover of all things pizza.

Share on XFollow mikekadlick