Category: Tom Brady

What Patriots are saying about Dante Scarnecchia’s retirement

The definition of the Patriot Way

After 34 seasons with the New England Patriots, offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia is calling it quits.

The Patriots will have a tremendous void to fill, but they have time to figure out a replacement. Robert Kraft, Bill Belichick and Tom Brady made sure pay respects to man that kept the offense’s foundation strong. New England doesn’t typically carry the most talented offensive line, but Scarnecchia always found a way to make it work.

Kraft released a statement shortly after Scarnecchia announced his retirement.

“Dante Scarnecchia has been unbelievable in every way. As a coach, he was extraordinarily talented at teaching his players and bringing the most out of each of them,” Kraft said. “Dante put everything he had into helping his players achieve their maximum potential — the mark of a great coach. His contributions to our team and to the game of football are unprecedented over the last four decades. Yet even more remarkable is the impact Dante has had on countless players, coaches and staff members who have walked through our doors.

“He modeled the principles he believed in through his hard work, diligence and integrity. He held himself accountable. He trained alongside his players. He treated everyone with respect. There truly is no way to sum up the incredible career he’s had, the positive impact he’s made on our franchise or how much he will be missed. We are forever grateful for Dante and wish him the absolutely best in his next chapter, along with his lovely wife Susan and his family. The New England Patriots are better because of Dante Scarnecchia, and he will always have a home with us.”

Belichick followed up with a thoughtful comment.

“It was a privilege to coach with Dante for so long,” Belichick said. “I knew that long before his initial retirement and throughout a second act of continued excellence. Dante is among the very best assistant coaches ever.”

Brady commented on the Patriots’ Instagram post, showing his respect for the pivotal assistant coach.

Scarnecchia, 71, was the longest-tenured coach in 2019 and he’s spent the most time as a coach in New England’s history. He’ll go down as one of the greatest assistant coaches ever.

The Patriots have lost Scarnecchia, Joe Judge and Bret Bielema from the coaching staff so far this offseason.

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Rob Gronkowski’s advice for Tom Brady: ‘Go test out the market’

“Go test the market.”

Rob Gronkowski seems to think Tom Brady has earned free agency.

The retired New England Patriots tight end and current FOX Sports analyst spoke to reporters on Tuesday during Super Bowl week in Miami, and he addressed the burning question about Brady: What does the quarterback’s future look like? Gronk had some advice.

“I truly believe he deserves the opportunity to go explore, see what’s out there,” Gronk told reporters, via NESN’s Doug Kyed. “He’s been playing for so long — just the way he’s been play, the level he’s been playing at — he definitely deserves an opportunity to go out there and test the market.

“I mean, why wouldn’t you? You’ve never done it before in your career. He’s going to be a free agent for the first time in his career, so good for him. Go test out the market and then do what’s best for himself. That’s the decision he has to make: what’s best for himself, what’s best for his family.”

The Patriots and Brady can agree to terms on an extension at any point prior and past the start of the new league year, but he is scheduled to be a free agent in March 2020. It would be his first foray into free agency during his 20-year career. And if he signs with a new team, it would be a strange shift after Brady has thrown 11,614 passes for the Patriots, with six Super Bowl wins along the way. It’s bizarre to imagine Brady in a different uniform.

“Everyone gets used to it after a little bit, but it would definitely be strange for a few weeks,” Gronk said. “It may be strange. But everyone adapts like any other time it happens.”

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Drew Bledsoe says he once thought Tom Brady would never be a starter

“He’s never going to be a starter.”

When Tom Brady entered the NFL, there can’t have been many people who believed he would be a starting caliber quarterback. Every NFL team, including the Patriots, passed on him in the draft until he fell to 199th overall in the sixth round. So as quarterback Drew Bledsoe reflected upon Brady’s career, Bledsoe was honest about the early days.

“Here’s the real truth of it,” Bledsoe said before making his confession. “So when he was on the practice squad his rookie year, I actually called my financial advisor about him like, ‘Hey, I really like this kid. He’s never going to be a starter. He’s just going to be Jason Garrett or one of those guys who are just around forever, but you’ll really like the kid.'”

Bledsoe and Brady have had a long-standing friendship, even after Brady supplanted Bledsoe in 2000 and went on to win the franchise’s first Super Bowl (with five more coming later).

“Tommy was a young kid out of Michigan, a skinny little twerp,” Bledsoe told me in 2019. “The one thing that stuck out about Tommy when he was a young kid was that he was immediately an extremely hard worker and had a great personality about him. People naturally gravitated toward him. None of us — at that point — thought he would be something special.”

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Tom Brady sends honest message to Eli Manning about retirement, and the Giants QB responds

Eli Manning wasn’t so sure Tom Brady was joking.

Tom Brady reached out to Eli Manning on Twitter this week to issue words of congratulations to the New York Giants quarterback, who is retiring from the NFL. Brady, however, didn’t have exclusively nice things to say. The New England Patriots quarterback admitted that he wished Manning hadn’t won both his Super Bowl appearances.

Those victories came over Brady’s Patriots. Manning delivered two of Brady’s three Super Bowl losses, including when the Giants ruined the Patriots’ perfect season in 2007, with an 18-1 record after a loss in Super Bowl XLII. Brady is 6-3 in Super Bowls, with two losses to New York and a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Most people labelled Brady’s message as playful or joking. Manning, however, wasn’t so sure Brady was messing around.

“I’ve been around Tom a number of times and see how competitive he is,” Manning said. “We joke around a little bit, but I think it’s not real funny to him.”

Added Manning: “Everybody wants to make it me versus Tom Brady. It’s the Giants versus the Patriots. The defense was outstanding, guys made plays. David Tyree, Mario Manningham, Plaxico Burress in the corner of the end zone … You just cherish those moments.”

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Tom Brady reacts on Twitter to Kobe Bryant’s reported death

Tom Brady mourned Kobe Bryant’s reported death on Sunday.

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady quickly tweeted after seeing the reports that former Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant died on Sunday in a helicopter crash in L.A.

Brady wrote: “We miss you already Kobe.”

When Bryant visited the Patriots during organized team activities during the summer of 2018, Brady was not present. And yet New England’s players admitted they saw huge parallels between Bryant and Brady after hearing the former Lakers star deliver a lecture to the Patriots. (Bill Belichick invited Bryant to attend practice and speak to the team afterward.)

“When he was telling us about his training regimen, how he approached a day, a light bulb went off in my head: That’s Tom,” Patriots safety Duron Harmon told Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer in 2018.

Brady is famous for the TB12 Method, a wholistic fitness regime that the quarterback has fine-tuned to help him sustain peak performance. It sounds like Bryant’s methodology isn’t far off.

When Bryant retired from the NBA, Brady showed his respect.

“Football is so important in my life and I make a big commitment year round to try and be the best I can be for my teammates when it really matters and he’s one of the those guys too. You can see how much he loves the game and how infectious his spirit is and I think that’s what I’ve always appreciated about him — there’s no off time for him,” Brady told the Hollywood Reporter in 2015.

It’s unclear how well Brady and Bryant knew each other. But they both are among the best to ever play their respective sports.

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Danny Amendola weighs in on Tom Brady’s pending free-agency decision

“I’m holding on just like everybody else is.”

It’s time for everyone who knows Tom Brady to speculate about the New England Patriots quarterback’s future. He has given zero indication about whether he’s going to return to his team of 20 years or whether he’ll test the market when free agency opens in March.

In the meantime, the NFL world will spend the absent time wondering what Brady will do. So when Danny Amendola, a Detriot Lions receiver and one of Brady’s good friends, appeared on ESPN, he fielded questions about Brady’s impending decision.

“It’s going to go however he wants, I think,” said Amendola. “He’s the ultimate competitor. I think as his kids get older — Vivi, Jack and Benny — he wants to spend more time with his family. I think that’s going to weigh heavily on his decision and where he goes, and he can set that up the way he wants. But his competitive nature, his ability is still through the roof, and whatever team gets him — if he stays in New England or if he goes somewhere else — he’s going to bring a high level of football there.”

Would he go to L.A.?

“It’s hard for me to see him in any other jersey than a Patriots jersey, so I’m holding on just like everybody else is,” Amendola said.

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The case for and against Tom Brady with the Steelers

Could Tom Brady sign with a fierce AFC rival?

As we near the 2020 offseason of the NFL, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots are in a situation they have never delved in before. Brady is a free agent come March 18. And although there is a strong chance he returns, other teams will be vying for his services. Here is a look at one of the teams that could be interested in Brady’s services. Should Brady consider signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers?

Case for Brady signing with the Steelers

Pittsburgh is well-ran organization that flexed its muscles in that area this season, when they were treading water at 8-5 under perhaps the worst quarterback room in the league, before missing the postseason thanks to a December swoon.

This is a credit to Mike Tomlin, who’s no-time-for-b*ll sh*t attitude is similar to Bill Belichick’s. Under Tomlin, the Steelers have one of the league’s very best defenses that should only improve with young starts like T.J. Watt, Devin Bush and Minkah Fitzpatrick.

On offense, Pittsburgh sports one of the league’s better offensive lines, but is in need of one or two more playmakers. JuJu Smith-Schuster is an excellent X-type receiver option with slot ability, but has struggled some as the team’s No. 1 receiver, while James Connor’s has cooled down as the team’s starting running back.

Luckily for Pittsburgh, they draft skill-position players well, particularly wide receivers. With James Washington and Dionte Johnson already showing upside, the Steelers can attempt to draft a receiver or two in what looks to be the best wide receiver draft class in recent memory, to help build an offense around Brady that would compliment their top-five defense.

All this would depend on Ben Roethlisberger retiring, of course, which is not out of the question. He’s severely beat up and will need surgery on his right elbow yet again. But this is unlikely.

Then again, Pittsburgh could decide they have a better chance at winning a Super Bowl with a healthy 43-year-old Brady than a beat-up 38-year-old Roerthlisberger, and jettison Big Ben in favor of signing Brady.

Case against Brady signing with the Steelers

The Steelers are in some salary cap trouble.

Pittsburgh enters this offseason with roughly just $1.4 million in cap space, according to Over The Cap.

The Steelers can cut ties with a few veterans to create some space to attempt to lure Brady, but they also have several key free agents, most notably EDGE rusher Bud Dupree, who has helped form a successful tandom with T.J. Watt.

Even if Pittsburgh opts to sign none of their major free agents, and do all they can for cap relief, they still may not have enough to give Brady the deal he wants.

Also, with hopes lying with the draft to build their offense, this means Brady is going to work with more inexperienced pro pass catchers, as opposed to veterans.

Additionally, Brady would be leaving the Patriots for one of their biggest rivals, and would compete in a conference with them and the loaded Kansas City Chiefs, while battling the Baltimore Ravens in the division.

How good is the fit?

Had the Steelers had the cap room to give this a realistic shot, it would be one of the more underrated fits for Brady this offseason. But alas, the Steelers are cap-strapped. And playing with a band of unproven youngsters, even if those players were all drafted by the Steelers — a team that almost always hits on their draft picks on offense  — is not the most ideal fit for Tom.

Fit: 4 out of 10

The case for and against Tom Brady with the Browns

Could the Browns abort Baker Mayfield plan in favor of Tom Brady?

As we near the 2020 offseason of the NFL, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots are in a situation they have never delved in before. Brady is a free agent come March 18. And although there is a strong chance he returns, other teams will be vying for his services. Here is a look at one of the teams that could be interested in Brady’s services.

Should Brady consider signing with the Cleveland Brown?

Case for Tom Brady signing with the Browns

Brady could arrive in Cleveland, supplant Baker Mayfield as the starter, and the Browns would still have a bit of cap space to work with, whether Mayfield remained or if he was traded — although the former would make for an awkward batch of team chemistry.

Although the Browns failed to live up to expectations in 2019, they are still loaded with talent, and have rid themselves of one of their biggest problems, Freddie Kitchens at head coach. Nothing against Kitchens, who had a rapport with Mayfield, but he was not yet ready to lead this team of egos.

Brady is ready to lead talented bunch.

From the outside looking in, it appears Brady has built a friendship with Odell Beckham Jr., who would be his new No. 1 receiver in this scenario. Additionally, Jarvis Landry manning the slot and former first-round pick David Njoku make for solid weapons.

And then there is Nick Chubb. A former teammate of Sony Michel’s at Georgia, Chubb is now one of the NFL’s best running backs. Chubb and the uber-talented Kareem Hunt — if Cleveland decides to keep the restricted free agent — would supply Brady with a running game capable of taking the pressure off Tom.

Still in need of a third receiver, the Browns could use some of their remaining cap space after the Brady deal to pick one up in free agency. Cleveland will enter the offseason with roughly $50 million in cap space, according to Over The Cap.

And although learning a new offensive system may be daunting, former Patriots wide receivers coach Chad O’Shea was recently hired by the Browns to coach that same position. The familiarity should help.

That’s a lot of upside on offense, without even mentioning a defense that boasts young talent in the form of Myles Garrett Denzel Ward and others.

Case against Brady signing with the Browns

Cleveland is in the midst of implementing an entirely new offensive system under new head coach Kevin Stefanski. And although the talent is there (both offensively and defensively) the Browns appear to be snakebitten when it comes to performing as one cohesive unit.

Furthermore, the franchise’s luck is a catastrophe, and it remains to be seen if Brady (and perhaps his family) would be willing to spend a boatload of time in smaller market city with cold weather, especially if the team fit is not perfect, with a handful of familiarity.

And lastly, the AFC North is a division on the rise in 2020, with Lamar Jackson and the Ravens, Ben Roethlisberger presumably returning to a defensively-loaded Steelers squad, and the Bengals beginning a rebuild behind the most- hyped quarterback prospect in years in Joe Burrow. The division could be a tough one.

How good is the fit?

Although the division is tough, and the thrown-together team of talent has yet to show any mental toughness, Cleveland does have a ton of potential. If the Browns were to lure Brady in with a mega-deal of three years, while also having a set plan to acquire more talent on both sides of the ball, there is the chance for success here. It’s just unlikely to happen. It would almost be shocking, really, for the Browns to ditch Mayfield to roll with a 43-year-old Brady at this juncture. But the fit is not bad.

Fit: 6 out of 10

Adam Schefter thinks Patriots want Tom Brady’s decision before free agency

Adam Schefter guesses what the Patriots’ timeline will be with Tom Brady.

The New England Patriots are likely to want an answer from Tom Brady before free agency.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter explained why he anticipates New England and Brady will have made up their minds about the quarterback’s extension — or lack thereof — before the tampering period begins on March 16 ahead of the 2020 league year.

“Here’s the situation: I don’t believe the New England Patriots are waiting until March 16 to get an answer from Tom Brady,” Schefter said on ESPN’s Get Up on Thursday. “Last year, Rob Gronkowski wound up retiring in late March. I don’t know the conversations they did and didn’t have before, but New England missed the window on free-agent tight ends. So, I don’t think they’re going to let Tom Brady go to free agency, all of a sudden, sign with Team X, and then on March 20, say ‘Well, what do we do at quarterback now?’ That’s not the way that organization operates.”

What’s more, the Patriots will have to work to accommodate Brady’s contract on their cap, along with the free agents they attempt to retain and add. Because New England has just $45 million to spend this offseason, they wouldn’t want to save cap space for Brady — only to find he isn’t coming. Similarly, they wouldn’t want to spend on other players, only to find they can’t appease Brady’s contract demands.

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9 burning questions about Tom Brady’s free agency decision

There’s so much uncertainty. Here’s what we know — and what we don’t.

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady will make a decision that could change the complexion of the NFL. He is set to enter free agency in March, and could play for a team not named the Patriots.

There haven’t been many rumblings about where he’ll play or when he’ll make his decision. Though Brady does a regular spot on Westwood One, the sports radio station has been unable to get a good answer from him about his future. So we’ll wait for his decision and we’ll study and scrutinize every indicator that appears even mildly relevant to his decision.

Here are nine burning questions about Brady’s free agency decision.

1. Is he coming back to New England?

It’s the obvious question, right?

Brady won’t say. Bill Belichick won’t say. Only Patriots owner Robert Kraft has provided a hint: He told a TMZ paparazzi that the Patriots “plan to” keep Brady. But even the best-laid plans can go awry.

The Patriots can afford to pay Brady at a premium — perhaps in the range of two years and $60 million. But then with only $45 million in cap space, New England may have difficulty surrounding Brady with talent. The Patriots have a handful of important pending free agents, including guard Joe Thuney, safety Devin McCourty and linebacker Kyle Van Noy, among others.

If the Patriots pay Brady, they may put themselves in an uncomfortable situation where he’ll need to elevate the play of those around him, which he struggled to do in 2019. Brady may not want to return, if he’s not going to have a restocked arsenal of skill-players. His contract may make that challenging.

2. He won’t retire… right?

There is practically no chance. He has said he wants to play in 2020.

There’s only one scenario where Brady retires: no one gives him the money he’s seeking in free agency. It’s extremely hard to imagine that happening. A few teams will likely be willing to pay him handsomely, even if the Patriots aren’t one of them.

3. What’s the word on Brady’s house in Brookline, Mass?

Though a rumor swirled that Brady might be moving to Connecticut, the family does not have a house there, according to NBC Sports Boston’s Tom Curran.

The Brady-Bundchen house is up for sale for $33.9 million. It has yet to sell. Brady mentioned on WEEI that he simply felt it was a good time to sell the house, and would not address questions as to whether that sale was linked to his potential departure from New England.

4. Does Brady want to stay with the Patriots?

He won’t say. His lack of commitment to New England may be the most interesting part of this uncertain situation. After 20 years and six Super Bowls, Brady won’t provide assurances that he wants to return to the Patriots.

After New England’s playoff loss to the Tennessee Titans, the Patriots quarterback fielded (and dodged) a question about whether he thinks he’ll be back with the Patriots and whether he wants to return.

“I love the Patriots,” Brady said after the game. “They’ve obviously got the greatest organization. And playing for Mr. (Robert) Kraft for all these years and for coach Belichick, there’s nobody whose had a better career than me for just being with them, so I’m very blessed. I don’t know what the future looks like. I’m not going to predict it.”

That said, he has shown multiple signs of appreciation for the fans in New England, including a few posts on social media.

5. When can Brady and the Patriots sign a new deal?

The Patriots and Brady can ink a contract right now. New England has exclusive negotiating rights with the quarterback until the new league year starts on March 18. That’s when free agency starts. That’s when the other 31 teams can approach Brady.

6. And what if Brady hits free agency without a deal?

He is free to field interest. The Patriots quarterback put a clause into his latest contract which prevents New England from placing the franchise tag on him, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Brady will be an unrestricted free agency.

7. Who might be interested in Brady? Could their situation possibly be better than what the Patriots have?

A few teams come to mind for Brady in free agency: the Indianapolis Colts, the Los Angeles Chargers, the Chicago Bears, the Carolina Panthers, the Las Vegas Raiders, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Tennessee Titans.

Those teams will have to weigh their options; do they want to commit big money to a 42-year-old quarterback who showed signs of decline in 2019? A few will say, no. The remaining suitors — and there may be more (or fewer) than the ones listed above — will begin their pitches and bids for Brady.

There is always the chance that Brady finds the devil he know (Belichick and the Patriots) are better than the one he doesn’t. But the Colts are among the most compelling options, with enough cap space to pay Brady and a few free-agent skill players of his and general manager Chris Ballard’s choosing.

8. Who might replace Brady, if he leaves?

New England had three quarterbacks on the roster in 2019: Brady, Jarrett Stidham and Cody Kessler. Stidham, a 2019 fourth-round pick, would jump to the top of the depth chart, in the event of Brady’s departure.

If they don’t think he is ready to take over, they should have plenty of options. The draft boasts a handful of talented signal-callers, even if many of them could be gone by the time the Patriots pick at 23rd overall. Free agency may feature options like Marcus Mariota, Ryan Tannehill and Jameis Winston. And then there’s the trade market — quarterbacks Cam Newton and Andy Dalton could be available.

9. So what happens next?

Brady has indicated he is in no rush to get a contract in place, so it’s unclear when Brady, Belichick and the Patriots will return to the negotiation table. But if Brady does enter free agency, he will put New England in an uncomfortable situation. Should they wait on Brady’s decision and risk missing out on important quarterbacks and other talented players in free agency? Or should they do what’s best for the team and attempt to secure another quarterback before Brady makes a final decision?

In the meantime, we’ll wait. The Patriots and Brady have almost two months to agree to an extension. If that doesn’t happen, his entry into free agency will be absolutely surreal.

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