Getty Tom Brady will be honored at halftime of the Patriots' season opener.
Former New England Patriots cornerback Ty Law expressed his dismay over the timing of the Tom Brady celebration on September 10 in Foxborough.
The Patriots will honor Brady at halftime of the Week 1 season openers against the Philadelphia Eagles. Law, who played with Brady from 2000 to 2004, considers the opponent a poor choice on the day Brady will be honored for his 20-year career and six Super Bowl wins with New England.
“Let me put this on record: If this was really planned out right, you don’t pick the Philadelphia Eagles to honor Tom Brady,” Law said on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show” on Thursday, September 7. “It’s like going to college for the homecoming — you pick the team you’re supposed to win, in my opinion. I wouldn’t have picked Philly.”
New England had an 8-9 season last year, and the Eagles reached the Super Bowl in 2022. The Eagles return many key players from that squad, including MVP-caliber quarterback Jalen Hurts and a loaded defense.
In addition, Brady’s last Super Bowl loss came against the Eagles in 2018 when former Philadelphia quarterback Nick Foles out-gunned Brady in a 41-33 shootout. However, Brady had one of his career-best moments against the Eagles when he helped the Patriots beat a Donovan McNabb-led Philly squad in the 2005 Super Bowl.
On Sunday, New England will test its mettle against one of the Super Bowl favorites as questions surround the Patriots. Whether or not quarterback Mac Jones can turn things around after a sophomore slump remains unknown, the offensive line has been injury-riddled and short on talent, and the wide receiver corps don’t have a top playmaker.
Patriots Will Beat Eagles, Ty Law Predicts
Despite the odds stacked against the Patriots on the field, Law predicts an inspired performance by the team and a victory.
“I’m saying we’re going to feed off the energy of Tom Brady,” Law said on “The Greg Hill Show” on Thursday. “If Tom Brady was not coming, I wouldn’t be comfortable picking the Patriots even though that’s my team. I’m always going for them. But because Tom Brady’s coming, there’s going to be so much energy there. Hopefully, Tom can go in there and talk to the team and get them ready to rock and roll. I know [Bill] Belichick is always going to be prepared to have a good game plan. It’s up to those guys to go out there and make no excuses and play lights-out football. I think that energy will come from Tom Brady, so they can squeak one out.”
Regardless of how the Patriots do on the field against the Eagles, more opportunities to celebrate Brady’s career with a win remain. Patriots owner Robert Kraft said September 10 will mark the “first of many” celebrations to honor Brady when the announcement came out in May.
Ty Law: ‘Everybody’s Coming to Town’
New England will play in front of an extra-experienced audience on September 10 due to Brady’s ceremony. Law told WEEI on Tuesday, September 5, that droves of former Patriots will attend the game.
“Everybody’s coming to town,” Law said on “The Greg Hill Show”. “A lot of the guys are coming in.”
Law couldn’t say specifics on what’s planned for the ceremony, which fans can watch on Patriots.com. However, Law shared his hopes on how Brady should be honored for his legacy.
“I’m not hearing too much about anything when it comes to what they’re going to do, what the program is,” Law explained. “I was hoping with all of that construction, I was hoping to see a statue or something, I think that man deserves a statue like the great ones, like the Michael Jordan’s, the Kobe’s, like what they do up in L.A. I really was hoping to see something like that. I’m just throwing it out there, I don’t know. As far as run of show, they’re not telling anyone.”