FOXBOROUGH — All last week ahead of returning to Gillette Stadium, Tom Brady said he was treating it like any other game and also noted he knew everything there was to know — how the stadium is for a night game, how the Patriots prepare, how he’d feel, etc.
Brady seemed to downplay any emotions of returning to the place he spent 20 years of his career and won six Super Bowls, but speaking after the game he opened up on it all.
“I tried not to predict what was going to happen and how I would feel,” Brady said. “Had a few emotional in the moments this week just thinking about the people that have really meant so much to me in my life and that are a part of this community. Just very grateful for an amazing time here. Like I said, my football journey took me somewhere else, but I'm really enjoying that, and great to get a win. 3-1, I know to make it about the game, but 3-1 against a really good football team tonight is what we wanted to get done.”
He added: “Just a lot of emotions. It was a very emotional week. Again, these guys are like my brothers, you know what I mean?
“There are two groups of people, all my Bucs teammates that I love and I'm going to battle with every week, and then there is another group of guys that I see, and those are my friends that I been with for a long time. Matt Slater and Kyle Van Noy and Dont'a Hightower and John and Devin [McCourty] and David Andrews and Hoyer. There is a whole crew. Josh [McDaniels]. These are the people that I've shared my life with. Very grateful for everything they've kind of contributed to my life. Very blessed.”
The Patriots played a one-minute tribute video just before Brady and the Buccaneers took to the field for the game, but it’s unlikely he saw any of it. The quarterback did do his traditional 100-yard jog to the opposite end of the field before early pregame warmups and gave a huge fist pump like he’s done at the stadium so many times before.
This prompted the first “Brady, Brady, Brady” chant of the night, which occurred a few other times as well.
“It was awesome,” Brady said.
After the game, Brady hugged Bill Belichick at midfield and then had a close to 20-minute chat in he visitors locker room to catch up.
