(Each week, MassLive will dig back into the past, pick a certain year, and time-frame, and relive what was happening with the Patriots)
The year: 2021
The news: In honor of the NFL schedule coming out, it seemed only fitting to flip back to one of the most highly anticipated schedule release years in Patriots history.
Five years ago, fans in New England and beyond couldn't wait to find out the date Tom Brady would be returning to Foxborough to take on Bill Belichick and the Patriots.
After 20 seasons, and six Super Bowl titles, Brady left in free agency, joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
With Tampa Bay on the Patriots schedule, that game held significant meeting. And then some.
I remember writing a column on the "epic" showdown the minute we knew it was a Week 4 game in prime time.
Brady vs. the Patriots. The greatest quarterback ever, against the greatest head coach to walk a sideline.
GOAT vs. GOAT.
“The whole league is waiting for that game,” CBS analyst Charles Davis told me at that time. “The whole country is watching this thing. Whether (any perceived animosity) is valid, the whole league is in on this one. Tom vs. Patriots, Belichick vs. Tom, they’re all in. It’s a heck of a deal.”
It's interesting that K.J. Britt, one of the recent free agent signings with the Patriots, was with Tampa Bay at the time. The linebacker recalled coming to Gillette Stadium, and playing in that game alongside Brady.
“Man, that was crazy. That was crazy. Man, that game, I’ll never forget that game, it was so live,” Britt said. “You know, it was a Sunday night game ... and, you know, that whole week of practice, you know, just the urgency that Tom had, you know, how much that coming back, and to win here for Tom, you know how much that meant for him ... just the little moxie behind it.
“I remember that week of preparation. It was fun. Everybody wanted to go out and win for Tom. We got the win. It was a good game, and I’ll never forget it.”
The Buccaneers held on for a 19-17 victory in the rainy Week 4 matchup.
