Devin McCourty details Patriots’ use of virtual meetings to move on from Tom Brady

“Not just to harp on it, and talk about it, but to actually move on and try to prepare.”

Tom Brady is no longer a New England Patriot and that reality must be accepted sooner rather than later.

This is a tough reality for everyone on the team, especially the younger players who didn’t spend as much time with the legendary quarterback. That’s why Bill Belichick made sure to re-sign free agents Devin McCourty and Matthew Slater this offseason — keeping long-tenured leaders in the locker room.

Brady has been the heart and soul of the Patriots for 20 seasons and he’s simply irreplaceable. But, the team can’t harp on his absence and will have to quickly move on if they expect to put together a winning season in 2020. McCourty explained how the team is starting this process while joining ESPN Radio 98.7 last week.

“One of the biggest things we have to do as a team, and as players individually, is move on, lock in, and get focused on life without Tom,” McCourty said, transcribed by WEEI. “Not just to harp on it, and talk about it, but to actually move on and try to prepare. I think the virtual meetings have been good for us to start that process.”

The Patriots, along with everyone else, are in a unique space right now with the coronavirus pandemic. Second-year quarterback Jarrett Stidham will likely take over as the team’s starter and he’s not capable of getting reps or spending time with teammates this offseason.

New England has to make significant changes in order to win this year, but the leadership in the locker room will be the focal point in the process.

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How old was each of the 2020 first-round picks when Tom Brady was drafted?

Tom Brady has been around a long time. So long, some 2020 NFL first-round picks had not celebrated their first birthday.

Tom Brady has been around a long time. How long you ask? So long, he no longer recognizes the house he is supposed to be visiting. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ quarterback was drafted by the New England Patriots in the sixth round April 16, 2000. How old were the 2020 first-rounders on the date the Patriots made arguably the greatest draft pick in NFL history?

1. Joe Burrow

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Birthdate: Dec. 10, 1996
Age at time of 2000 NFL Draft: 4 years, 3 months and 15 days

Rob Gronkowski says he hinted an NFL return to Tom Brady 2 months ago

Rob Gronkowski hinted toward and shut down the idea of an NFL return ever since he retired. 

Rob Gronkowski hinted toward and shut down the idea of an NFL return ever since he retired.

After the first few times, it became difficult to take Gronkowski seriously. He missed the entire 2019 season and didn’t look like he’d ever put on an NFL uniform again. That all changed when Tom Brady signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — and Gronkowski followed right behind him.

Gronkowski, 30, will continue his Hall of Fame career in Tampa Bay and spoke about the decision to return. He threw the football around with Brady before signing the contract and hinted to a future in the league.

“We rarely talked about what his decision was gonna be, where I’m at,” Gronkowski said. “But we did talk about [it] for one second. I told him that — we talked just real quick — like, ‘Hey, I’m kinda getting that fire underneath me again.’

“I said, ‘I’m definitely interested in your decision that you make.’ I didn’t put any pressure on him. I said, ‘If there’s a right opportunity out there, and you go somewhere and that opportunity is right — even if you go back to the Patriots and I feel like the opportunity is right — there’s a possible chance that I would definitely love to reconnect.'”

Gronkowski said Brady was fired up after hearing the news.

“Playing with Tom is special. He’s one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time,” said Gronkowski. “And to build a connection with a quarterback, too, is something special. You’ve seen it many times with many other players — they can switch teams, and they might not have the same chemistry as they’d have with one of their other quarterbacks. So we have a great chemistry out there. And every time we get together, it’s just like the old days. It doesn’t matter if we take a month off or six months apart; we just go out there and we’re throwing the ball just like it’s a normal practice, no matter what.”

Brady and Gronkowski connected for 78 touchdowns in New England and formed one of the most dominant duos in NFL history. Gronkowski’s laundry list of injuries forced him to retire early, but he says he’s in a better place now.

“My body started feeling good. My desire to play the game of football was coming back,” Gronkowski said. “And I knew that, by the time the season would be rolling around again, I would want to be back out there. So that desire, that passion, has lit into me, and I just felt like, in the last couple weeks, it was the right time to hop on before it was too late.”

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Tom Brady shows Julian Edelman love, weighs in on the WRs future

There’s no love lost between Tom Brady and Julian Edelman.

There’s no love lost between Tom Brady and Julian Edelman — at least from Brady’s side.

The former New England Patriots quarterback brought Rob Gronkowski along with him to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Edelman won three Super Bowls with the two future Hall of Famers and formed an extremely close bond.

That’s why people were shocked when Edelman unfollowed Brady on Instagram for a brief moment. Brady joined the NFL’s “DraftAThon” live stream prior to the draft on Thursday and spoke about his relationship with Edelman.

“Jules knows how I feel about him. I love that guy. He’s like a brother to me,” Brady said, transcribed by WEEI. “We have been through so much and nobody is as big a fan (of) Julian than me. He will be great (with) whoever he plays with. As you guys know, there’s a business side to sports. Things happen. You have to take it day-by-day like we’re all experiencing. Things change pretty quickly in the world and in our lives.”

Edelman, 33, will be the Patriots’ top receiver in 2020 after pulling in 100 receptions, 1,017 yards and six touchdowns in 2019. The Patriots still don’t have an answer at quarterback, with Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer as the options currently.

He’s now the Patriots’ longest-tenured offensive player and will have to develop more of a leadership role in an offense full of uncertainty.

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Tom Brady enters wrong house as he continues to get acclimated to Tampa

Tom Brady accidentally entered into the wrong Tampa home earlier this week.

It is certainly safe to say that Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady is getting used to his new surroundings. After being removed from a public park for trying to work out due to COVID-19, Brady almost visited the wrong house.

He was going to visit coach Byron Leftwich in order to pick up some football -related things earlier this month. Instead, he walked into the house of David Kramer, who has a side job as a comedian. Kramer is neighbors with Leftwich, something Brady apparently realized very quickly. He was certainly a little shocked when he realized he was in the wrong home,  as Kramer told to TMZ.

“I literally was just sitting here and I watch this tall guy just walk into my house,” Kramer said … “He didn’t even look at me. He just like dropped his duffel bags down on the floor and just kind of like looked up at me and I’ll never forget the look on his face.”

Added Kramer, “He was like, ‘I am so sorry! I am so sorry!’ Grabs his bags and just is gone. I don’t think I’ve seen someone leave a house faster!”

Over the past couple of days, he has certainly realized he isn’t in New England anymore. Brady will certainly have time to get acclimated to his new surroundings as he looks to begin a new chapter in his career. For his sake, let’s hope he is more acclimated to the Tampa area by then.

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Tom Brady accidentally trespassed into the wrong house in Tampa

New Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady accidentally trespassed into a stranger’s house, according to reports.

Tom Brady is still getting acclimated to his new environs in Tampa Bay and trying to find his way.

But here’s a whoopsie.

As first reported by TMZ, on April 7 Brady was headed to pick up some materials at the house of Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich.

The problem was, Brady walked into the house next door without knocking and, well, Leftwich’s neighbor, whose house looks similar to his, was startled but also amused.

So apparently Brady accidentally trespassed into a stranger’s place, in this case, David Kramer’s house.

Kramer told TMZ:

“I literally was just sitting here and I watch this tall guy just walk into my house. He didn’t even look at me. He just like dropped his duffel bags down on the floor and just kind of like looked up at me and I’ll never forget the look on his face.”

“He just goes, ‘Am I in the wrong house?!'”

Brady quickly apologized and split.

Says Kramer:

“He was like, ‘I am so sorry! I am so sorry!'” Kramer says. “Grabs his bags and just is gone. I don’t think I’ve seen someone leave a house faster!”

Nice move, Tom.

Is Brady Bunch of Blunders still trademarkable?

 

Tampa Bay’s odds to win Super Bowl LV before and after they got Brady and Gronk are stunning

If anyone was prescient enough to bet on Tampa Bay to win Super Bowl LV next February 7, 2021, and that eventually does happen, those gamblin’ men and women are gonna be in for a nice payout.

If anyone was prescient enough to bet on Tampa Bay to win Super Bowl LV next February 7, 2021, and that eventually does happen, those gamblin’ men and women are gonna be in for a nice payout.

Before the Buccaneers signed Tom Brady, their odds to win Super Bowl LV were 55-1. When Brady jumped aboard the pirate ship, they dropped to 16-1. And after Rob Gronkowski came out of retirement, was traded by the Patriots and joined his old buddy, TB’s odds are now at 9-1.

That’s tied with the 49ers for third. Only the Chiefs (6-1) and the Ravens (7-1) are ahead of the Bucs.

And consider this: Super Bowl LV will be played in Raymond James Stadium, where guess who plays … you got it, Bucs. So, a possible first-time Super Bowl home game. How convenient.

So, yeah, those early 55-1 bets gotta make ya feel good.

 

Rob Gronkowski and Tom Brady beat Bill Belichick at his own game

Gronk and Brady handled the situation like Belicci

If there’s one person who should feel hurt about how this offseason has played out, it’s Bill Belichick. Well, honestly it’s Julian Edelman. But past that, it’s Belichick. Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski are Buccaneers. But Belichick won’t bother feeling sorry for himself. In fact, the New England Patriots coach probably respects what his two former stars did to become his former stars.

Belichick would never hate the player and he definitely doesn’t hate the game. There probably aren’t hard feelings — at least not from Belichick. He probably respects Brady and Gronk for treating the situation with conniving ambition — the same quality Belichick has exhibited for years. It’s just business, after all. Belichick lives that motto better than anyone.

The Tompa Bay Gronkaneers probably wouldn’t have happened if Belichick hadn’t tried to trade Brady and Gronk at different points in the past few years. Belichick was interested in dealing Brady in 2017, according to Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller. When owner Robert Kraft intervened, the Patriots coach instead traded Jimmy Garoppolo to the San Francisco 49ers, according to ESPN. Similarly, Belichick had a deal in place to send Gronk to the Lions in 2018, ESPN reported. The haul would have been huge. But much like Brady, Gronk applied the leverage that he had. The tight end threatened to retire rather than play for a team not quarterbacked by Brady.

Has Belichick ever failed to part ways with a superstar at the exact moment he wanted prior to Brady and Gronk? Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Lawyer Milloy, Adalius Thomas, Jamie Collins, Deion Branch, Mike Vrabel, Adam Vinatieri, Chandler Jones, Logan Mankins and Aqib Talib were all shipped out of Foxborough or allowed to leave. Belichick disposed of them when he was finished — and in some cases, when he wanted them back, they returned. (Surely, that’s possible for Brady and/or Gronk, too.)

But Gronk and Brady were different. They dictated the terms as best they could. And it was better than any player before them. For the most part, they beat Belichick at his own game.

It wasn’t a total victory, though. To a degree, Brady probably wanted to return to New England. He wouldn’t have waited until a few days into free agency to decide on Tampa Bay if he weren’t holding out hope Belichick would make a respectable offer. When that offer didn’t come, Brady didn’t bother playing the game where he would see what he could get in free agency before asking the Patriots to match — a game Belichick asked Nate Solder, Dont’a Hightower, Matthew Slater and Devin McCourty to play in years past. Brady probably felt he was above that.

When Brady announced he was leaving the Patriots, he didn’t say where he was going. Perhaps he didn’t even know where he was going. He just knew he wasn’t going back to New England. With Gronk, it was extremely similar. If he had to play for the Patriots, he’d rather stay retired. But the Buccaneers? He’s in. He’s back. He’s energized.

Again, that must sting for Belichick. But again, he respects what they have and he doesn’t: leverage. Gronk forced Belichick into what is likely to be a losing trade: a fourth-round pick in exchange for Gronk and a seventh-round selection. The Bucs had two fourth-round picks — they gave the Patriots the lower one. Why such a small return on Gronk? Because if Gronk unretired, his contract, which had one year remaining, would have put New England over the salary cap. They would have been forced to trade or release him. Belichick was basically powerless. He had to trade Gronk’s rights. Brady convinced Gronk to come out of retirement. The tight end obliged.

It was a string of ruthless tactics. Brady got, for the most part, exactly what he wanted. And Gronk did, too. Manipulation of the circumstances was what Belichick has long done so well. This time, Gronk and Brady figured out to get the upper hand. They had learned from the best.

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Tom Brady seems pretty happy to have Rob Gronkowski in Tampa Bay

Tom Brady is happy to be back with Rob Gronkowski.

There were a lot of emotions following the trade of Rob Gronkowski from the Patriots to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

New England fans were upset. Some felt slighted and others were just disappointed that one of the greatest players in franchise history was leaving for another team. Around the league, other fans were jovial to see the Patriots lose yet another piece from their dynastic run. Buccaneers fans were excited to bring in a Hall of Fame tight end for the low price of only a fourth-round pick to add to their already deep offensive arsenal.

However, the guy who might have been the happiest was Gronkowski’s quarterback, Tom Brady.

After the trade, the NFL’s Instagram account put up one of Patriots fans’ favorite videos, originally posted by Brady. The video depicts the quarterback and tight end celebrating their AFC Championship win over the Chiefs on their way to a Super Bowl 53 win. The post features rapper P. Diddy’s song “Bad Boys for Life,” with the lyrics “We ain’t goin’ nowhere. We ain’t.. goin’ nowhere. We can’t be stopped.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_QhKh6pYR2/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Brady commented on the NFL’s post, saying “run it back,” addressing that he and Gronkowski can be successful together again. He then shared the video on his Instagram story with a GIF depicting an excited Jonah Hill from the movie “Get Him to the Greek.”

The 42-year-old quarterback has a lot to be excited about. He’s on a new team with two 1,000-yard receivers, two starting-caliber tight ends, the 14th pick in the draft, a coach who understands the importance of family, $50 million, and a team that’s committed to him for multiple years.

Everything’s turning up Brady right now.

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Julian Edelman unfollows then re-follows Tom Brady on Instagram after Gronk trade

Julian Edelman unfollowed Tom Brady and then re-followed him.

There may be some trouble in paradise in the relationship between Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman and now Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady.

Following the news that Rob Gronkowski was traded from New England, along with a seventh-round pick, to Tampa Bay to join Brady, everybody scoured the internet for reactions. It would be expected for Edelman to post something or comment something about the trade on social media, but what was found was a lot more interesting.

Apparently, Edelman, who has been known to be extremely close with the former Patriots quarterback and tight end, has unfollowed Brady on his Instagram account.

However, it appears that someone found out about this becoming a story and Edelman re-followed Brady again.

It’s all very strange. Was it an accident? How long exactly was Edelman not following Brady? If it was on purpose what would it mean? Could Edelman be upset that Brady is choosing to bring Gronk to Tampa Bay over him? No one will really ever know the truth. If it addressed, Edelman will probably say it was an accident or a glitch, but who knows.

The social media game is a strange one, and unfortunately for those following along, there often aren’t answers.

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