One of the biggest regular-season games in NFL history takes place Sunday night when Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers take on the New England Patriots. This will be the first time that Brady, who spent his first 20 seasons with the Patriots, plays against his former team. Patriots coach Bill Belichick was on WEEI in Boston on Monday talking about the matchup and was asked about the success Brady is having in Tampa.
“Tom’s a great player. Nothing surprises me that he does,” Belichick said Monday morning, per ESPN. In Brady’s first season with the Buccaneers, he led the team to a Super Bowl title. Brady now has seven Super Bowl wins, which is more than any team than the NFL. Brady won six of his Super Bowls with the Patriots, leading the question of why he isn’t still in New England?
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“I think we’ve been through all the dynamics of that. There were a lot of things there,” Belichick said. “He looked at his options and made his decision. We weren’t as good an option as Tampa. You’d have to ask him about that, but it wasn’t a question about not wanting him, that’s for sure.” Belichick was also asked about Brady wanting to stay in New England and why the Patriots weren’t considered a better option for the future Hall of Famer.
“I’m not going to go back and rehash all that. We’ve talked about that. Really my focus is on the game here,” Belichick stated. “Look, I have so much respect and appreciation for Tom and everything he did here, and for me and for our team. We’re just getting ready to compete against Tampa this week and we’re going to keep our focus on that.”
The Buccaneers enter Sunday’s game with a 2-1 record. They lost to the Los Angeles Rams this past Sunday and are now in second place in the NFC South. The Patriots have a new quarterback under center, rookie Mac Jones who led the Alabama Crimson Tide to a national championship last year. They enter Sunday’s game with a 1-2 record, losing to the Miami Dolphins in the season opener before beating the New York Jets and Week 2 and falling to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
