Tom Brady and Bill Belichick were allies for 20 years.
The history and the success they attained over that time was the fuel for what turned out to be an epic primetime NFL contest in Week 4. With everything that has transpired in the sport and the world over the past 18 months, the two men hadn’t had an opportunity to talk formerly since Brady left New England for Tampa Bay in free agency.
On Sunday night, October 3, after the Bucs’ hard-fought 19-17 win over the Patriots, Brady and Belichick had a long-overdue discussion. It was a private meeting and Brady explained why the meeting wasn’t for public consumption.
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Brady Explains Why His Meeting With Belichick Was Private
Brady and Belichick seemed intent on making sure this conversation would be kept private.
Brady told Peter King of NBC Sports:
We’d known each other for 20-plus years and when I left here, we just didn’t have a chance — he was out of town — to meet. When I went down to Tampa it was COVID. I was thinking about my season and so was he.
It was just, we’ve known each other for a long time, and we didn’t have a chance to talk, and tonight we did, and it was great. It was a very personal, private thing. We’ve always had that type of relationship where we can say things to each other.
You know, whoever characterizes our relationship is completely wrong. People want to focus on so much stuff that’s so unimportant. You know? We were together for 20-plus years and we were so productive and successful and I learned so much from him. Loved my experience here, loved my relationship with him.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer took his best guess at what the two legends may have discussed, suggesting “maybe they got that closure behind that [Buccaneers locker room] wall.”
They reportedly spoke for over 20 minutes alone in the locker room postgame and kept the media waiting, so what might have @TomBrady and Bill Belichick have said to one another?
@AlbertBreer talked it out with us:
What’s Next for the Patriots?
New England will finally get another game that they should win–at least on paper. The Patriots head southwest to take on the Houston Texans.
New England lost on the road against the Texans last year, but Houston had QB Deshaun Watson and a ton of other things were different.
The Texans are coming off a 40-0 beatdown at the hands of the Buffalo Bills, so it appears the Patriots might be catching this team at the right time. Belichick has feasted on rookie quarterbacks during his coaching career and after throwing four interceptions against the Bills, the Texans’ Davis Mills looks ripe for the picking.
Here is a look at what the Patriots have waiting for them the rest of the season.
Patriots 2021 Regular Season Schedule
- Week 1 (L) – Miami Dolphins 17, New England Patriots 16
- Week 2 (W) – New England Patriots 25, New York Jets 6
- Week 3 (L) – New Orleans Saints 28, New England Patriots 13
- Week 4 (L) – Tampa Bay Buccaneers 19, New England Patriots 17
- Week 5 – at Houston Texans at 1 p.m. ET – CBS – October 10
- Week 6 – Dallas Cowboys at 4:25 p.m. ET – CBS – October 17
- Week 7 – New York Jets at 1 p.m. ET – CBS – October 24
- Week 8 – at Los Angeles Chargers at 4:05 p.m. ET – CBS – October 31
- Week 9 – at Carolina Panthers at 1 p.m. ET – CBS – November 7
- Week 10 – Cleveland Browns at 1 p.m. ET – CBS – November 14
- Week 11 – at Atlanta Falcons at 8:20 p.m. ET – FOX/NFL Network/Amazon – November 18
- Week 12 – Tennessee Titans at 1 p.m. ET – CBS – November 28
- Week 13 – at Buffalo Bills at 8:15 p.m. ET – ESPN – December 6
- Week 14 – Bye Week
- Week 15 – at Indianapolis Colts Time TBA – December 18
- Week 16 – Jacksonville Jaguars at 1 p.m. ET – CBS – January 2
- Week 17 – at Miami Dolphins at 1 p.m. ET – CBS – January 9
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Tom Brady Explains ‘Private’ Meeting With Bill Belichick