Friday Patriots Notebook 6/14: News and Notes
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Some Patriots news and notes on this Friday:
Patriots owner Robert Kraft announced during Tom Brady’s Patriots Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Wednesday night that the club has already commissioned a 12-foot statue that will be placed outside Gillette Stadium in his honor, which will reportedly happen at some point during the 2024 season.
The news wasn’t really much of a surprise to fans, with the retired Patriots legend certainly providing nearly 20-years of unbelievable memories during his tenure as quarterback here in New England.
Among players, coaches, and even owners who have statues around the NFL include Peyton Manning, Ray Lewis, Jim Brown, Pat Tillman, Barry Sanders, Johnny Unitas, Jerry Richardson, Lamar Hunt, Vince Lombardi, Don Shula, Art Rooney, Tom Landry, Dan Marino, Steve Gleason.
The most recent statue unveiled appears to have been for long-time Lions running back Barry Sanders, which was unveiled last September. However, the club seemingly used a photo by a photographer named Allen Kee, who snapped the photo during a game against the Steelers back on September 3, 1995.
Kee was reportedly not contacted during the design and didn’t provide permission, and he filed a lawsuit back in January over the club’s use of his photograph due to the fact the statue resembles that exact photo.
As for how Brady’s 12-foot statue might compare to some of the current ones in existence, here’s a quick rundown of some of the sizes of the existing NFL Statues that are out there:
No word yet on the design they’ll use, but it should be interesting to see what they come up with.
Given the other coaching names listed above, one would have to believe there will also be another outside the stadium at some point for Belichick as well.
While former Patriots coach Bill Belichick joked about their time on the golf course together while recalling a funny memory with his quarterback Wednesday night, he also talked about one part of their relationship that meant a lot to him.
Belichick said that their weekly meetings were what he called, “some of the best days” over the course of his time coaching the team.
“The opportunity I had to meet with Tom, at least twice a week, we met a little bit more than that earlier in his career, but twice a week, I met with Tom,” explained Belichick. “Those were some of the best days I had as a coach in my entire career because I learned so much. I saw the game through his eyes, which, as we all can imagine, is phenomenal.”
“He taught me so much about how he saw the game. I tried to teach him how I saw the game as a coach, but not as a quarterback. And he taught me how he saw the game as a quarterback, not as a coach. I mean, those were just some of the very best meetings, very best times, honestly, in my coaching career.”
Belichick also talked about the practices that they had and the fact that having to go up against Brady made the players around him better. He credited that competitiveness to their success, with Brady’s approach each week on the practice field playing a big role there.
“Tom’s competitiveness rubbed off,” said Belichick. “The defensive competitiveness made Tom better. Tom made the defense better. The scout team made the offense better. And the competitive practices that we had, and they’re always indelibly etched in my mind, is one of the big reasons why those six banners are flying up there.”
Given the narrative that has played off during the majority of last season and this past offseason as it pertained to Belichick, it was interesting listening to Michael Felger on 98.5 The Sports Hub on Thursday as he reacted to Wednesday night’s ceremony.
The popular radio host initially both sounded and looked (based on the video of the segment from the station), like he wanted to take a negative slant on Belichick after seeing the fan reaction. However, it both looked and sounded like he reversed course mid segment.
“I thought his speech was largely boring. But that closing was genuine, we played that for you there, that’s how he closed his speech, and that was a nice moment. But that intro, that pop that he got, was … I’ll play it for you, it’s over 2-minutes [plays part of the audio]. And it kept going. And this is … fellas, folks, fans, ladies and gentlemen, he kind of ran your football team into the ground.”
“You’re 4-13, you’re at the bottom of the league, and he kind of ran the thing into the ground. You’ve had to start over all over the place because not only did he draft poorly and sign bad [players] … he got selfish, and egotistical, and nepotistic, and he stopped looking for the best people. He did a lot of wrong things, and you are now in the abyss. You’re the odds-on favorite to have the #1 overall pick. You suck. And he’s the reason. Listen to you last night.”
[ audio continues …]
“They wouldn’t let him talk. Go ahead, keep going.”
[ audio continues …]
“They start chanting his name. 4-13 people. You’re at the bottom of the league. You blow.”
Then, after Jim Murray jokes about the fact “It was about 20 years of the great dynasty,” Felger appears to pause and shift gears.
“So, I say that to set it up. Because what I really feel is, good for you. Like, he deserves it,” said Felger. “It’s a great run. That’s what you’re celebrating. You’re celebrating the 20-years. You’re celebrating that run with Tom Brady. And so celebrate that, and you’re able to separate the two, so, you know what? Pretty good moment.”
Felger then goes on talk about the overall sentiment ahead of Wednesday night, where most fans seemed like they wanted Belichick gone. However, with the point of things during the ceremony being to celebrate their historic run together, Felger notes that he was surprised fans were able to separate the two.
“The Belichick moment, I find it fascinating. Because, again, I think most people were good with the team firing him,” said Felger. “I think over 50% of fans wanted Bill gone, were done with him, the people that wanted him gone felt strongly about it, there was a lot of anti-Belichick sentiment here over the last couple of years. It certainly wasn’t 100% to nothing but I think it was over 50% wanted him gone and the ones that wanted him gone were strong about it.”
“And he did a lot of wrong things, a lot of bad things that put you where you are, which is at the bottom of the league. And yet, when it came time to that moment, it’s like, well, what are we doing here? We’re going to celebrate you for the run because that’s what this is about. So I thought that was pretty good and deserved for Belichick. I thought that was pretty cool, but fascinating nonetheless that fans were able to parse that out.”
Definitely an odd segment, and it felt like as much as he wanted to criticize the former coach, it appears he read the room and decided that wasn’t the best way to go – at least for now.
Still, give him credit. He’s one of the best when it comes to pulling the strings and firing people up, and it remains the reason why he and Tony Massarotti continue to dominate the afternoon ratings.
Belichick credited former offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia for the protection Brady received, which he called ‘exceptional.’ “Dante and his guys took really good care of Tom, and the communication that was necessary between the quarterback and the offensive line to handle the different things that we saw on a weekly basis was just exemplary,” said Belichick. “The preparation that That Dante did with his guys and the way his guys protected Brady was exceptional.” … Belichick also continued his support of Rodney Harrison when it comes to a potential bid for the Hall of Fame. “Rodney Harrison, who deserves to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame,” said Belichick. “And I really hope he gets there.” … Former Patriots defensive back Stephon Gilmore, who was at Brady’s ceremony Wednesday night, reportedly hasn’t heard from the team to this point and told Barstool Sports, “you never know,” as it pertained to a reunion. It’s safe to say many feel that would be a great move, as it would solidify what’s already a pretty talented secondary. … The Patriots have reportedly agreed to terms with rookie wideout Ja’Lynn Polk, who becomes the final member of his draft class to sign his contract.
From our archive - this week all-time:
April 4 - April 19 (Through 26yrs)
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