Some Patriots news and notes for this morning:
Tonight’s The Night For Tom Brady
It’s finally here, with tonight’s ceremony at Gillette Stadium set to see Patriots quarterback Tom Brady get inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame, with a massive extravaganza planned for fans who will be attending.
Patriots media relations director Stacey James posted a photo earlier from inside the stadium, with a stage set at midfield for Brady, which is also surrounded down at field level with tables and chairs, presumably for the former players and family members who are expected to attend.
Happy Tom Brady Day! pic.twitter.com/FkZoYP2suh
— Stacey James (@Stacey_James) June 12, 2024
While Brady’s former teammates are expected to be there, one of the more notable people expected to be on hand is former head coach Bill Belichick, with TheAthletic’s Chad Graff revealing that little tidbit earlier this week. It’s not really a surprise that Belichick would be present. He previously appeared on The Roast of Tom Brady on NetFlix and was among those who delivered one of the more memorable monologues during the event.
In addition to his Patriots Hall of Fame induction, the team is expected to retire his #12. That gesture is significant given that the team has mentioned in the past how difficult it is to do that given that during the summer, when the rosters are set to 90, there simply aren’t enough numbers to go around.
However, when you’re talking about the best player to ever don a uniform for the Patriots, as well as the greatest quarterback to ever play in the NFL, exceptions need to be made, and one is certainly happening this evening.
Another big question is whether or not the team might unveil a statue of their former quarterback. Former QB Scott Zolak was asked about that Monday on 98.5 The Sports Hub, and he apparently hasn’t heard anything definitive on that, but he believes it’s a possibility.
“I’ve heard yes and no on that,” said Zolak. “I’m leaning more yes.”
The event is scheduled to begin at 7:00pm, but the Patriots are encouraging everyone to “be in their seats by 6:30pm” to ensure they don’t miss out on anything.
NBC’s Mike Tirico is reportedly going to host the ceremony, but comedian Bill Burr is expected to deliver a monologue to kick things off. There are also expected to be musical acts who will perform. Tom Curran said during his Patriots Talk Podcast with Phil Perry earlier this week that two names he’s heard are Jay-Z and Kenny Chesney. “It’s going to be a concert-type event,” said Curran. “You are going to have a great time.”
(PHOTO: Mark L. Baer – USA TODAY Sports)
As for where you can watch it, the club already has the link for Wednesday night available on their YouTube account, which you can view via this link. According to the description, broadcasting is set to begin at 5pm ET.
Bill O’Brien Talks About His Infamous Sideline Altercation With Brady
Former Patriots offensive coordinator sat down in an interview recently with Next Up with Adam Breneman, talking about a variety of topics. One of those discussions centered on his infamous sideline flare up with Brady, which he believes was overblown and not as bad as it appeared at the time.
“That viral video has been blown way out of proportion,” said O’Brien, who joked that people still refer to him as “the teapot” due to what he said years ago was his Irish heritage.
The play happened in a match-up on the road against Washington back on December 11, 2011. With the Patriots leading 34-27 with just over 6-minnutes remaining in the game, Brady threw an interception on a throw to former Patriots receiver and current coach Tiquan Underwood in the back of the end zone. However, the ball ended up getting picked off after Underwood seemingly rounded out his route as Washington’s Josh Wilson slipped underneath and came up with the turnover.
As Brady sat on the bench, he was saying something to Underwood about the play and O’Brien stepped in, seemingly disagreeing with Brady’s assessment of what happened.
You can see Brady say something to him, and O’Brien then flared up and became quite animated, with former Patriots QB Brian Hoyer stepping in front of them as O’Brien began demonstrably yelling at his quarterback, to the point where Bill Belichick eventually steps in to help calm things down.
Meanwhile, Brady remained on the bench and didn’t reach the level O’Brien did. A few minutes later, O’Brien was seated on the bench looking at photos from the play, with he and Brady getting together shortly after and resuming business as usual.
Needless to say, as bad as it looked in real time, O’Brien remains steadfast that it wasn’t at the level of how it was perceived on the broadcast.
“It was a long story, but he came off on the sideline and he was pissed off,” said O’Brien of Brady. “He had just thrown an interception, and the guy that ran the route didn’t run a great route, got undercut. And Tom was mad, and he was pissed off at everybody, including me. And so we just started going at it. But it only lasted like, not even a minute.
“And Rex Grossman was the quarterback for the Redskins, and they were driving to go to overtime. They could tie it with a touchdown to go to overtime. And so we had to start reviewing what had just happened. So nobody ever talks about this, but right after that, I sat down next to him. We’re going through the pictures. And Jerod Mayo, who’s now the head coach of the Patriots, intercepted Grossman and we won the game. But nobody ever talks about that part.”
O’Brien, who has clearly re-watched it and listened to the audio, also blamed some of the hype on former analyst, Dan Dierdorf.
“Dan Dierdorf was the announcer, and he did a good job announcing that,” joked O’Brien.
O’Brien is currently the head coach for Boston College, with the former coordinator having accepted the job this past offseason.
Odds and Ends
The Patriots spent yesterday out in the community at various events, with players taking part in dodge ball and several other activities. They’re back at practice today for their final spring session before they take time off one last time before training camp, with Jerod Mayo saying this morning that the most important thing for players now is to not lose that momentum. “The message is don’t lose the gains that you’ve made,” said Mayo. “And either you’re getting better or you’re getting worse. There is no maintaining. So continue to work out at home and make good decisions off the field. If you do that, you’ll be okay.” … Mayo commented on the passing of basketball legend, Jerry West at the start of his press conference. “Lost a basketball legend today,” said Mayo. “I just saw it on the news. So my condolences to the family and all the people that he’s impacted.” … Mayo was asked about Davon Godchaux, who appears to be in the middle of a contract dispute after being present but sitting out. “DG, look, we want him here. He’s one of our best players,” said Mayo. “He’s working. I will say that, he is working. He’s here every single day, has been here every single day, and look forward to getting him on the field in camp.” … Mayo admitted that one area that has been challenging is looking at how the market values a player versus how a player views their own value. Now, he’s starting to experience dealing with that dynamic first-hand. “I don’t get into the player contracts. What I will say is, one thing I’ve learned is sometimes the value that the team has on a person is a little bit different than the value that the market has on a person,” said Mayo. “And so those are just things I’m learning, guys. Like I told you guys before, I’m green, but I’m learning. I’m evolving, and these are the conversations that have to be had.” … Other than Cole Strange, who Mayo previously called, “month-to-month,” he said the remaining injured players are tracking to be ready for training camp. “Everyone else is tracking,” said Mayo. “They’re tracking to be there, let’s just say, the first couple of weeks of training camp. So we’re fairly healthy.” … The Patriots made a roster move, claiming linebacker Steele Chambers from the Lions while waiving linebacker Jay Person. That had to sting for Person, who was let go so close to the end of minicamp before players return to battle it out in training camp just over one month from now.
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Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
