{"id":47741,"date":"2023-09-10T05:00:08","date_gmt":"2023-09-10T09:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/?p=47741"},"modified":"2023-09-09T09:25:08","modified_gmt":"2023-09-09T13:25:08","slug":"patriots-news-9-10-players-to-watch-and-then-theres-tom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2023\/09\/10\/patriots-news-9-10-players-to-watch-and-then-theres-tom\/","title":{"rendered":"Patriots News 9-10, Players To Watch..And Then There\u2019s Tom"},"content":{"rendered":"

Good morning, and Happy Gameday, as the 2023 season begins today. Here are our Sunday Patriots news 9-10 and notes. The 2023 season for the Patriots begins later today when the NFC Champion Eagles come to Foxboro.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And as excited as we are to see the Patriots begin another season, I\u2019ve been following them since the Fenway Park days, Tonight will be an opportunity for fans and the team to honor the Greatest Of All-Time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

An Appreciation Post For Tom Brady <\/b>\u2014<\/b><\/p>\n

Tom Brady was drafted in 2000 with very little fanfare. He was a 6th-round draft pick (199th overall) from Michigan, where they kept trying to replace him with \u201cthe next greatest thing,\u201d that fact and his draft placement would drive him his entire career.<\/span><\/p>\n

When he took over from an injured Drew Bledsoe in 2001, no one could foresee what would transpire over the next 22 seasons. But the Patriots went on a ridiculous two decades of winning, the likes of which we have never seen in the NFL. And make no mistake, winning in the NFL is hard; that is why no one in the NFL has repeated as Super Bowl champions since the Patriots did in 2003-2004.<\/span><\/p>\n

That 2001 Patriots team bounced back from an 0-2 start and a 5-5 midseason record to win eight straight and defeat \u201cThe Greatest Show on Turf\u201d the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI. The Patriots were double-digit underdogs but led for most of the game. Brady went to work after the Rams stormed back in the 4th quarter to tie the game.<\/span><\/p>\n

Calling the game in the booth, legendary coach and announcer John Madden repeated over and over that the Patriots should play for overtime. But with each completion, Madden was coming around to watching greatness unfold. Just before Adam Vinatieri lined up for the game-winning field goal, Madden said, \u201cWhat Tom Brady just did gives me goosebumps.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Brady wasn\u2019t about individual stats. The only thing he cared about was winning. And in an 18-year period, the Patriots went to nine (9) Super Bowls, winning six. But his legacy isn\u2019t just about Super Bowls (he ended up going to 10 and winning 7); it was about being the consummate professional.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He was always the first one in and the last out. He took incredible control of his body and started the <\/span>TB12 clinic<\/span><\/a> so that other athletes could come to try a different method of training that extends their longevity\u2026and it works.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Not just for Tom but for anyone. When I was a writer for a military news site, I was curious if the TB12 method would work for tactical athletes (Special Operations personnel, Green Berets, Navy SEALs, etc.). I was invited to come to the clinic at Patriots Place.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I wrote a piece on the training regimen<\/a> after going through it myself. It was my favorite article that I ever wrote because Tom himself declared on his LinkedIn account, \u201cThis is a great article.\u201d So, I\u2019m biased. But not many sportswriters can ever say that about anything they\u2019ve written about Brady.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Brady treated practices like games and was very competitive to the nth degree. This drove his teammates to practice harder and was one of the reasons the Patriots rarely, if ever, beat themselves.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This week I was trying to come up with a list of Brady\u2019s best moments, but it was nearly impossible. With such a prolonged, consistent career of excellence, you could point to multiple games every season, and the list would go on and on.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Bill Belichick was asked about his list of Brady\u2019s best moments, and the ever-sarcastic Bill said, \u201cWell, six come to mind.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

My favorites include in no particular order, but are not limited to:<\/span><\/p>\n