Tom Brady and the Patriots

Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick:

“Tom was not just a player who bought into our program. He was one of its original creators.
Tom lived and perpetuated our culture. On a daily basis, he was a tone setter and a bar raiser.
He won championships in three of his first four years on the field and in three of his final six
seasons with us, while competing for championships in most every season in between. This is
a credit to Tom’s consistency and what separates him. He didn’t just perform. He didn’t just
win. He won championships over and over again.

“Tom and I will always have a great relationship built on love, admiration, respect and appreciation.
Tom’s success as a player and his character as a person are exceptional. Nothing about the end of
Tom’s Patriots career changes how unfathomably spectacular it was. With his relentless competitive-
ness and longevity, he earned everyone’s adoration and will be celebrated forever. It has been a
privilege to coach Tom Brady for 20 years.

“Examples of Tom’s greatness are limitless, going back even before he was drafted. We witnessed
how he prepared when he wasn’t playing, how he performed when he got his opportunity, what he
did to continuously improve, his leadership, his mindset, the example he set, and, of course, the
person he is. I am extremely grateful for what he did for our team and for me personally. “Sometimes
in life, it takes some time to pass before truly appreciating something or someone but that has not
been the case with Tom. He is a special person and the greatest quarterback of all-time.”

Patriots can't lose with incentive-laden deal for Cam Newton

Cam Newton’s one-year, incentive-laden contract with the New England Patriots is mostly a no-lose
situation in a post-Tom Brady world. So why wouldn’t the Patriots take the plunge?

If Newton is healthy and performs at the high level he did when he was named NFL MVP and led the
Carolina Panthers to Super Bowl 50, he could be the Patriots' starting quarterback and put them back
into the conversation as one of the AFC's elite teams.

If his previously injured foot doesn’t respond well or his performance and fit in offensive coordinator
Josh McDaniels’ system don’t measure up, there’s limited financial pain for the team in quickly moving
on.

So with Newton willing to accept what the Patriots have to offer -- a low-cost chance to battle with
2019 fourth-round pick Jarrett Stidham and 11-year veteran Brian Hoyer to be Brady’s replacement --
it adds a stick of dynamite to what was already a compelling situation.

[ snip ]

Belichick has always had respect for Newton as a competitor.

“When you’re talking about mobile quarterbacks, guys that are tough to handle, tackle, can throw,
run, make good decisions -- I mean, I would put Newton at the top the list,” Belichick said in 2017
prior to a game against the Panthers.

“Not saying that there aren’t a lot of other good players that do that, but I would say, of all the guys
we play or have played recently in the last couple of years, he’s the hardest guy to deal with. He makes
good decisions, he can run, he’s strong, he’s hard to tackle. He can do a lot of different things, beat
you in a lot of different ways. We saw that in the game down there in ’13, so I would put him at the
top of the list. Not saying the other guys aren’t a problem, because they are, but he’s public enemy
No. 1.”

Think he'll get a one-day contract to retire as a Patriot?

... for real this time?

end of an era...

Belichick leaving Patriots after 24 seasons
(espn)

This could have been ugly...