NFL

Brady revels in 'very cool record' after emotional Patriots reunion

By Sports Desk October 04, 2021

Tampa Bay Buccaneers superstar Tom Brady revelled in his "very cool record" after becoming the all-time passing yards leader during his emotional Foxborough homecoming against the New England Patriots.

Brady broke Drew Brees' NFL record and led Super Bowl champions the Buccaneers (3-1) past former team the Patriots (1-3) 19-17 on Sunday.

All eyes were on Brady as the seven-time Super Bowl champion made his first appearance in New England since leaving the Patriots for the Buccaneers ahead of the 2020 season, having won six rings at Gillette Stadium.

Brady received a warm welcome from Patriots fans, with the 44-year-old going on to eclipse Brees' mark of 80,291 yards and join Brett Favre, Peyton Manning and Brees as the only QBs to defeat all 32 NFL franchises.

"I just think it's amazing statistic in that so many people can share in it with me," Brady told reporters after finishing 22-of-43 passing for 269 yards without a touchdown or interception, while he rushed for three yards on four carries.

"Quarterback doesn't throw and catch. Quarterback can just throw it. It's yards. Passing yards have to be caught, so I just hope that everybody who caught passes from me over the years just had a little smile on their face tonight knowing they contributed to a very cool record."

"It's not that I would predict what would happen," Brady said. "There were a few emotional moments thinking about the people that meant so much in my life. My football journey took me somewhere else."

Brady shared an embrace with Patriots head coach Bill Belichick following the game, which saw a desperate 56-yard field-goal attempt from Nick Folk bounce off the upright in the final minute as the former got the better of New England.

"All of that is personal," Brady said when asked about what was said between him and Belichick. "We've had a lot of personal conversations that should remain that way.

"So much is made of our relationship... nothing is really accurate that I ever see. I have a lot of respect for him as a coach and this organisation."

"It was a tough, hard-fought game. It was a very typical Patriot-type weather. Very tough to come into the environment. I thought the fans did a great job. That little, what do they call that horn? That foghorn or whatever? That thing's loud," Brady said of the noise that plays before opponents' third-down plays.

"You don't think about it much when your defense is on the field. I just had to be on the field when that thing was going off."

It remains to be seen whether Brady will play another game in Foxborough as the five-time Super Bowl MVP said: "It's been a great stadium for me for a long time. I don't know what the future holds, obviously. So there could be an opportunity to come back here. So we'll see."

After the reunion, Belichick added: "We went against Tom Brady every day, every day in practice defensively. So it's not like we've never seen Tom Brady before."

Related items

  • Milan 3-1 Hellas Verona: Leao double condemns visitors to Serie A relegation play-off Milan 3-1 Hellas Verona: Leao double condemns visitors to Serie A relegation play-off

    Milan signed off the Serie A season with a 3-1 victory as Rafael Leao's double condemned Hellas Verona to a relegation play-off with Spezia.

    The Rossoneri wrapped up a frustrating campaign on a winning note at San Siro, with a late Leao brace enough to seal three points.

    Milan had already secured Champions League football for another term but struggled at times against the visitors, who cancelled out Olivier Giroud's first-half penalty through Marco Faraoni's 72nd-minute strike.

    Yet Leao struck in the 85th minute and again seven minutes later, leaving Verona to face a relegation decider with Spezia, who succumbed to a late 2-1 loss at Roma.

     

  • Udinese 0-1 Juventus: Chiesa strikes but Bianconeri miss out on top-six Serie A finish Udinese 0-1 Juventus: Chiesa strikes but Bianconeri miss out on top-six Serie A finish

    Juventus missed the chance to finish sixth in Serie A despite Federico Chiesa's strike sealing a 1-0 victory over Udinese at Dacia Arena.

    After Paulo Dybala's late penalty helped Roma to a 2-1 victory over Spezia, Massimiliano Allegri's side were unable to leapfrog the Giallorossi and were forced to settle for a seventh-place finish in the league.

    Chiesa's second-half strike was the difference for Juve, who were deducted 10 points for violating financial rules earlier in a rollercoaster campaign, but they suffered their lowest finish in Serie A for 12 years.

    Meanwhile, Udinese finished 12th in Serie A following their 10th defeat in 12 meetings with the Old Lady. 

    Udinese had lost their last three but went close after just four minutes when Beto somehow headed Florian Thauvin's cross over from inside the six-yard box.

    Federico Chiesa’s deflected effort hit the side-netting before Juve saw a headed opportunity go begging as Leonardo Bonucci nodded against the crossbar from seven yards out following Arkadiusz Milik's flick-on.

    Chiesa continued to cause Udinese problems down the left flank, yet the sides headed into half-time goalless after a profligate showing from both teams.

    Juve squandered a great chance to break the deadlock just after the hour mark, Adrien Rabiot firing wide despite being found by Milik in acres of space inside the box.

    But the visitors eventually opened the scoring in the 68th minute, Chiesa receiving the ball from Manuel Locatelli before bending a brilliant shot into the bottom-right corner.

    Locatelli and Angel Di Maria went close to extending the advantage and though the single goal was enough, former Juve forward Dybala was to snatch sixth place for Roma from under his old club's nose.

  • Celta Vigo 2-1 Barcelona: Veiga double secures safety as Celestes stun champions Celta Vigo 2-1 Barcelona: Veiga double secures safety as Celestes stun champions

    Gabri Veiga scored twice as Celta Vigo clinched survival with a surprise 2-1 win over champions Barcelona on a dramatic final day of the season in LaLiga.

    Starting the game in 17th, Celta knew a victory would preserve their top-flight status, and Carlos Carvalhal's men took charge as Veiga struck either side of the break. 

    The 21-year-old drilled into the bottom-left corner to spark wild scenes at the Balaidos shortly before half-time, then saw a fortuitous 65th-minute cross sail in off the far post.

    Celta clung on after Barca substitute Ansu Fati nodded home, clinching a 13th-placed finish as Real Valladolid went down, while Barca ended the campaign 10 points clear of runners-up Real Madrid.

    Barca thought they had an 11th-minute lead when Franck Kessie latched onto a rebound to beat Ivan Villar, only for a VAR review to show the midfielder was offside.

    Oscar Rodriguez skewed a first-time shot just wide as Celta went close, while Robert Lewandowski saw a curling effort clip the outside of Villar's left post.

    The offside flag thwarted Rodriguez as he capitalised on Marc-Andre ter Stegen's error to flick home, but Celta did go ahead on the stroke of half-time when Veiga raced onto Haris Seferovic's pass to finish across goal.

    With Barca struggling for momentum, Veiga put Celta 2-0 up when his mishit cross from the right swerved over substitute goalkeeper Inaki Pena, clipping the woodwork before nestling in the back of the net.

    Fati ensured a nervous finish by heading in Ousmane Dembele's cross 11 minutes from time, but Celta clung on to ensure another season of top-flight football.

© 2023 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.