Bill Belichick is going to be peppered with questions about Tom Brady for the foreseeable future, but we already know the New England Patriots coach is going to avoid answering them at all costs. Less than a month after Brady officially signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, that trend has already begun.
Belichick spoke with reporters on a pre-draft conference call on Monday, and there were several questions about Brady. In response to one of them, Belichick said it is not possible to sum up everything Brady accomplished in New England over the past 20 years. The coach also said the Patriots are “moving forward.”
Belichick on Tom Brady: "It would be impossible to sum up everything Tom did in 20 years in one comment. I meant everything I said (in the statement) … I am sure we will be talking about him in the years and decades to come. Right now, we are moving forward.”
— Ryan Hannable (@RyanHannable) April 13, 2020
Belichick was then asked if he wanted Brady back. To no one’s surprise, he didn’t take the bait.
Q: Did you have a desire bring Tom Brady back?
Belichick: "Water under the bridge. We're really focused on this season and trying to look at our opportunities and make decisions and plan and prepare to be as competitive as we can this year."
— Ryan Hannable (@RyanHannable) April 13, 2020
The Patriots appear to be headed for an open quarterback competition between Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer, though they could draft a QB or add another veteran at some point. Belichick would not shed much light on the QB situation, only saying that the team has a “pretty good feel” for both players and will give everyone a chance to compete.
There has been a lot of speculation that Brady’s decision to leave the Patriots stemmed from a rift with Belichick, but the four-time Super Bowl MVP dumped more cold water on that during his recent interview with Howard Stern. Belichick has always avoided speaking about players who are no longer with the Patriots, and he will do his best to treat the Brady departure no differently.
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