There’s a phrase written in bold letters on the walls near the locker rooms at Gillette Stadium: Block out the noise. Tom Brady may no longer be a New England Patriot, but he seems intent upon heeding those words of advice from coach Bill Belichick.
When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback faces off against the Patriots on Sunday in Week 4, Brady will push aside his nostalgic feelings, he said on his SiriusXM podcast, “Let’s Go! With Tom Brady, Larry Fitzgerald and Jim Gray.”
“When I think of 20 years in one place … I know that locker room,” Brady said in a recent interview. “I know that home locker room, I know that home tunnel, I know which way the wind blows, I know the way it smells, I know what a night game’s like, I know what the fans are going to sound like, so, in some ways, that’ll be really unique … it’ll be a first time for me being on the other sideline, so I’m not going to necessarily reminisce. I don’t think this is the moment for that. I’ll have plenty of opportunities to reminisce about my football career, none of which I really care to do right now, because I’m so much in the moment. I’m not going to be thinking about 20 years of history.
“I’m going to be thinking about one night of football, a Sunday night game coming off a really tough loss. They’re coming off a really tough loss. Both teams are going to be fighting and clawing for a win. I know it’s not going to be easy. I know what this team is all about. I’ve sat in that meeting room, I’ve heard the scouting reports, I know exactly what they’re going to attempt to do for us, and I know it’s going to be a challenge for our team.”
New England will likely honor Brady, particularly when he eclipses the all-time passing record, a milestone that will only require 68 passing yards. It will be interesting to see how much or how little the Patriots acknowledge their connection with Brady during the day’s proceedings. Belichick has already made a point of saying he doesn’t want to rehash the story of Brady’s exit from the organization.
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