Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - The Brady Legacy: Tom Brady’s Place in New England Patriots Lore, Boston Sports and More

Starting point is 00:00:00 Is Tom Brady the legend of all legends in Boston sports? Stick around. You're about to be locked in to the Locked On Patriots podcast. You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful, and thank you once again for making Lockdown Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage and also your first listen every day. Remember, Locked On Patriots is free and available on all platforms, including YouTube. So smash that subscribe button, download, subscribe to follow Locked On Patriots wherever you get your podcasts.

Starting point is 00:01:01 I am your host, Mike DeBate. I cover your New England Patriots for Patriots Country of Sports Illustrated. Reach out to me. Let me know what's on your mind on Twitter at MDABATENFL. And while you're out there showing some love to the Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Lockdown Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. Today's episode brought to you by our friends at PrizePix. Daily fantasy made easy. Pick two to five players, and if they score more or less than their PrizePix projection, you can win up to 10 times your money on your entry. First-time users can receive a 100% instant deposit match up to $100 with the promo code

Starting point is 00:01:39 LOCKEDON. That's prizepix.com, promo code LOCKEDON. Pats fans, we've had a day to digest the retirement part two announcement from tom brady obviously calling it a career on wednesday morning via social media capping a remarkable 23 year career that really folks the accomplishments and the accolades are far too much to mention one podcast. You name it, Brady's done it. And in my humble opinion, he's done it better than anyone else who's ever worn shoulder pads. He is truly the GOAT in my opinion. And I know a lot of you feel the same way here in New England,

Starting point is 00:02:17 but Tom's retirement is stirring up a lot of feelings amongst a lot of Patriots fans all over. Did the legacy get tarnished a little bit by his leaving New England, or did it get tarnished by a brief 40-day flirtation with retirement? Some people are making the argument that that is indeed the case. Others believe wholeheartedly that his place was cemented long ago as the greatest of all time and that nothing that the man can do short of anything you know rash or drastic could ever change anyone's opinion on that again i believe the man happened to be the greatest quarterback the greatest player of all time but there is a lot of wiggle room on that and a lot of people will continue to debate that but i think in new eng, all of us here,

Starting point is 00:03:05 whether it be members of the media, whether it be fans, whether it be teammates, people that have played with Tom, coached him, the ownership, whatever, have a real interesting and very unique perspective on Tom Brady. And I'm very pleased today here on Locked on Patriots to be able to offer you the opinion of someone that I've admired for quite some time, good friend, and also a phenomenal columnist for The Athletic. You also know his amazing work from the Boston Herald for 24 years.

Starting point is 00:03:34 Steve Buckley will join me in just a moment here on Locked On Patriots. And Buck has been around. He's seen it all, done it all. One of the great historians here in New England. And he's going to share with you his feelings on Tom Brady, his legacy, his place in Boston sports. He's even going to share with you an anecdote that I guarantee it was going to make you smile and make you laugh.

Starting point is 00:03:53 And it's extremely fitting for the type of question that Tom asked Steve. I think you'll really, really enjoy this one. So sit tight, folks. Buckley will be with me in just a moment. But before we get to that, yesterday here on Locked On Patriots, the illustrious Clazzie Claire Cooper and I talked about Brady's place in Boston sports. We talked about his legacy on the field with the New England Patriots. But one thing I didn't get a chance to really process and really get a chance

Starting point is 00:04:21 to think about was my favorite Tom Brady memory. Now that we know that he will be riding off into the proverbial sunset, we hope so, folks. We think so. I'm taking Tom at his word and he says, this is it. I truly do believe this is it, by the way. We all think of some of the great moments in history. Obviously, you can start with him coming in for Drew Bledsoe, obviously under very scary circumstances for Drew. That was a very scary injury. A lot of us watching at the time didn't realize how scary until after the game, until subsequent weeks after when we found out the real severity of Drew's injury. And also you can talk about the tuck rule. You can talk about the first

Starting point is 00:05:01 championship. You can, you know, mention a lot of the different, the comeback in Super Bowl 51. All of those types of memories have an indelible mark on all of us as fans. And you remember exactly where you were. You can pick it out. You can remember what you were doing, the superstitions you were following at the time, how you enjoyed watching some of the greatness unfold as Tom Brady quarterbacked the New England Patriots with Bill Belichick on the sidelines and some phenomenal teammates that he's played with throughout the years like Randy Moss and Rob

Starting point is 00:05:34 Gronkowski and Julian Edelman. The list can go on and on there. As you can probably figure out, a lot of you, I'm sure, believe that Super Bowl 51 carries some of your favorite Tom Brady memories. It carries my favorite Tom Brady memory, but maybe for a different reason than some of you. I think some will share my feelings on this. Some of you may be thinking more big picture in terms of the historic comeback, 28-3, 34-28, no question about it. If that's your memory, that's a good one, and I would definitely stick with it. But I remember February 5th, 2017 for a little bit of a different reason, and probably for, I would say, personal reasons as well.

Starting point is 00:06:14 Super Bowl 51, obviously, a big, huge moment for the New England Patriots, a big comeback against the Atlanta Falcons. That type of euphoria, that historic victory still celebrated to this day. You go to Gillette, you go anywhere in and around New England, somebody is wearing a 28-3 or a 328 t-shirt, they're waving the flag, they're doing all of that. And that type of game, that type of legacy doesn't go anywhere anytime soon. But I think a lot of us forget that it wasn't always possible even while we were watching that game even up till halftime

Starting point is 00:06:51 some kept the faith but the majority of patriots fans and no i'm not going to mention any celebrity names that left at halftime we can leave that to the imagination but i will go there and say that a lot of us felt like chief brody in jots. We're all looking at it. We're saying, you know what? You're going to need a bigger boat. You're going to need a bigger boat, Bill, to win this one. But credit Tom Brady and credit Julian Edelman, because I think in a lot of ways, they believed and all of those guys in the locker room equally believed that this was not only possible,

Starting point is 00:07:21 but it was probable. And really got to give a lot of credit to Julian Edelman. That determination really taking center stage in the locker room at halftime. We all know the story about him going over, sitting next to Tom and saying, we're going to come back. We're going to come back from 21 to three. We're going to win this thing. And it's going to be a hell of a story.

Starting point is 00:07:38 And here we are years later, and we're still talking about that hell of a story. Edelman's catch, the catalyst to starting it. huge sack in the backfield by Dante Hightower. And of course, Tom Brady orchestrating comeback drive after comeback drive. Danny Amendola, just all of that really, really absorbing and getting into the bloodstream of New England at the time. But the thing I'll always remember is Julian Edelman on the sideline, looking at Tom Brady and saying, let's go win this thing. Let's win this thing for your mom, bro. And that hit home. That hit home to me because I lost my father in my late 20s,

Starting point is 00:08:16 which is not an age where you're at a crossroads, but it's also at an age where your dad is starting to become your equal instead of just your father. And anytime you can relate to someone either losing a parent, or you can relate to a situation that you've been in where you need to muster up strength in order to make sure that you make your parents proud or in order to take care of your parent or things of that nature, that has a motivation in a son or daughter that really does drive you to heroic things. And while I can't equate some of the heroics that people have shown in the face of either losing a parent or caring for a sick parent with something you see on a

Starting point is 00:09:02 football field, it doesn't truly seem fair to me. What Tom Brady did on that field that night was heroic because it was a situation where he refused to give up and he used his mother's determination. Galen had been battling cancer. At the time, we did not know that that was the case. And Tom just mustered up that gumption. He mustered up that motivation to be able to not only play at a high level, but also come back. And this is a player that we always talked about who looks to the next one. And I point to that story again of Tom talking to the equipment manager in Michigan who had

Starting point is 00:09:42 all of these rings. And Tom just asking him, what was your favorite one? He said, you know what, Tommy, the next one's my favorite one. Tom Brady never forgot that. He always looked to the next one and he was looking to the next one that night. I truly do believe that. But for the first time, maybe in the first time, I can't speak for Tom, but for one of the few times in his professional career, I can confidently say that that next one didn't indicate an additional first down. It wasn't about a divisional victory. It wasn't even about getting a Super Bowl victory.

Starting point is 00:10:13 It was more or less about leading his team, having that moment culminate in a victory that he wanted to have in honor of his mom. And that, to me, told me all I need to know about the legacy of Tom Brady. It was about the chance to again make his mother proud. That was the next one. And it hit home for me because I try to believe that my dad's spirit is with me. And I try to believe that I make him proud just by being a decent person. I try to be. But at the same time, Tom is doing it on a stage in front of a grand audience, the biggest audience in the world on Super Bowl Sunday. And that moment to me poignantly showcased Brady's emotional durability. All of a sudden, the guy who seemed too good to

Starting point is 00:10:58 be true, the one that we would see in 007-like mattress commercials, and, you know, I would see him dressed to the nines at certain openings and things of that nature. All of a sudden, Tom Brady became human. He became real, and that moment, I think, is where we can all identify with the man on the field, and that's the moment that I identified with most. That'll forever be my favorite Tom Brady memory. It wasn't even a memory where I had where I was able to cover a game or be able to see him in a post-game press conference or, you know, put the microphone or watch his microphone was put in his place in the locker room. It was really about watching from afar and admiring what he was able to do on the field and the inspiration that that provided to me and the inspiration I'm sure it provided to all of you who remember watching that game. So those moments, those motivational factors tend to be the most poignant

Starting point is 00:11:49 for a professional athlete. And I think in that regard, just another example of why I believe Tom Brady to be the greatest to ever play the game. And that's something that I'm fairly confident and fairly secure in saying. So a tip of the cap, Tom, thank you very much for all of your contributions and for really providing inspiration for all of us here in New England for so many years, whether you're members of the media, whether you're fans or whether you're connected with the Patriots, your life has been touched by Tom Brady. If that has been, if the Patriots have been a part of your life for the last 20 years,

Starting point is 00:12:26 Tom Brady is a big reason why. And we all thank him for that. And that's why we're dedicating today's show to him and what he brought to the table. So folks, don't go anywhere because in just a moment, Steve Buckley of The Athletic, formerly of the Boston Herald,

Starting point is 00:12:39 will come in and he will lend his wisdom and counsel on the Brady situation. And he'll also, again, give us an anecdote that I think you're really going to enjoy. Definitely do so and stick around because this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast will continue in just a moment. But first, folks, please remember that our friends over at PrizePix are the sponsor of today's show. And let me give you a little example as to how daily fantasy made easy really works you pick

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Starting point is 00:14:54 That's fanduel.com slash locked on. Make every moment more with FanDuel, official sportsbook partner of the NFL. Patriots fans, I am honored to be joined today by a Boston sports media legend. He is a senior writer for The Athletic covering Boston sports, previously a sports columnist for the Boston Herald for nearly 24 years after spending time as the Boston columnist for the National Sports Daily and a contributor on ESPN2, Steve Buckley joins me today. And Steve, from one legendary person to another, who better to speak to about Tom Brady's legacy here in New England?

Starting point is 00:15:36 Of course, calling it a career, capping a 23-year NFL tenure, the likes of which really will not be seen again. Steve, you had a front row seat from start to finish for Brady's career. And in your column, brilliant column, by the way, on his retirement for the athletic, you mentioned that Tom's retirement was simplistic, but spectacular. I'm going to let you have the floor, my friend. Give us a little background and a little explanation as to what you meant by that. Well, first of all, I would hardly thank you for inviting me to come on. Number one.

Starting point is 00:16:09 Number two, I would hardly call the press box at Gillette Stadium a front row seat, considering that we're way up on top of it. Yeah, from personal experience, I can tell. That's just a little, you know, sports writer whining. But as far as the Brady announcement goes, he had this tremendous career, obviously. So I'm not going to say anything you don't already know. The six Super Bowls with the Patriots,

Starting point is 00:16:34 another one with Tampa Bay. And I thought that if there was the obligatory guns a-blazin', Klieg lights, live at five, press comments. We'd all be screaming and shouting questions, and there'd be a real clattering to it. And we would have been breaking down every word he said,

Starting point is 00:16:55 the way football players break down tape, looking for a weak spot, looking for an in, looking for a way to say, well, maybe he didn't say. So I know he sort of retired a couple of years last time and then came back. However, I choose to believe, maybe to a fault,

Starting point is 00:17:13 maybe I'm naive, I choose to believe this is for real. And it was short, it was succinct. As I wrote in the column in The Athletic, it looks as though one of his kids did this thing. And you can hear the wind and the waves in the athletic, it looks as though his, one of his kids did the, you know, did, did, did this thing. And you can hear the wind and the waves in the background. And it's, I think I, I, I think it was 53 seconds. And, and, and here we are talking about it. He goes out the winter, he goes out on his terms.

Starting point is 00:17:39 He doesn't limp off into the sunset. He's not being carried off. He doesn't have any goods. I mean, who knows what the next 30 years will show as we learn with football players, but he's going out healthy and on top. I like that about that. Yeah, I think all Patriots fans can agree with that. And really, I think all NFL fans, whether you love Tom Brady or whether you love to hate Tom Brady, there is always, I think, an undercurrent of respect for most NFL fans. And we have a lot of listeners here, Steve. Hate listeners sometimes, I like to call them,

Starting point is 00:18:11 but constructive criticism, I think, is the best way to put it. Buffalo Bills fans, Miami Dolphins fans, New York Jets fans even, you know, sending DMs to the Lockdown Patriots account saying how much they respected Tom while he played and how much they're glad he's not coming back to the AFC East as well. We got a few of those mentions. But Steve, you mentioned the brief flirtation that Tom had with retirement last year. And of course, there was always that undercurrent of, well, maybe he stayed one year too long at the dance. Maybe there was just a little bit left on the table for Tom in terms of what he wanted to accomplish. When you look at something like that and making a statement and then 40 days later, backtracking and saying, nope, I still got more

Starting point is 00:18:57 to prove. Do you think it tarnished or really, I guess tarnished is kind of a bad word to use, but do you think it maybe lessened his legacy going off in that way than as opposed to riding off into the sunset last year after nearly taking his team to another Super Bowl? No, I don't think it doesn't. I mean, in the moment, it's what we do. We are going to talk about Tom Brady's retirement. And if you tune into any program, if you go to any website, we've already got seven pieces in The Athletic on this, and we're going to touch on every aspect of Brady's career because it's in the moment. Right.

Starting point is 00:19:36 What happens is time goes on. The discussion always, 100% of the time, becomes celebratory. And you look at Willie Mays. Now, I know that every once in a while there'll be somebody, Willie has sort of become the guy that you talk about when you talk about a guy who played too soon because he was clearly past his prime when he was with the New York Mets. I get that.

Starting point is 00:20:03 But who does that? People my age and older. And the whole vast configuration of things, people who look at Willie Mays are going to look at one of the greatest 5'2 players in baseball history. Home runs, batting average, defense, everything. The arm, the great catch he made up with Vic Wertz in the 54 World Series. And no one's going to focus on the fact that he was old and slow at the end. Another example, I mean, is it just popping into my head. So Johnny Damon leaves the Red Sox after the 05 season. He signs with another team, comes back as a Yankee,

Starting point is 00:20:41 comes back with different teams, gets booed off the field. And it's not my spot to tell fans. They buy the tickets. They can boo whoever they choose to boo. And I've always been very adamant about that. It bothered me a little bit in Damon's case because he always played in pain. He was always very available for autographs. He was a pretty charming guy.

Starting point is 00:21:03 But they booed him. So he goes back now. very available for autographs. He was a pretty charming guy, but they booed him. So he goes back now, and he was just at one of the casinos that opened up the other day here in Boston, and everyone loves him. He's big fun-loving. He's the idiot from the 04 Red Sox. Roger Clemens left the Red Sox to sign with the Toronto Blue Jays, and they booed him when he came back.

Starting point is 00:21:22 It was a late Saturday afternoon start, his first time back at Fenway, and they booed him off the field. I think he pitched seven or eight shutout innings. And then they went to the bullpen, and they booed him, so he wiped off the field. He comes back now. He throws batting practice. He does a thing for the Jimmy Fund, which is the fundraising mechanism

Starting point is 00:21:41 for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, as we all know. And he volunteers to pitch BP at Fenway. And they'll show him up in the monster seats or in the booth or in the legend suite. He gets a standing ovation because over a period of years, the old wounds heal and people look at the big picture. And they don't focus on, and it's going to be the same with Brady. They're not going to focus on Deflategate. That's part of the story. They're not going to focus on the fact that he left the Patriots to go to Tampa Bay, though that's part of the story.

Starting point is 00:22:12 Again, you sit back. You let the big picture play out in front of you. That's a long answer, isn't it? No, I think it's a very poignant answer. Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen. Very, yeah, tip your waitress no all kidding aside i think you're absolutely spot on and really i think when it comes to legacy and it comes to a player that has meant as much to the nfl and as much to football and really when in essence steve

Starting point is 00:22:37 as much as he's meant to the new england patriots i mean really bringing this organization to the forefront as to one of the more revered organizations in all of professional sports. Tom Brady has been a centerpiece. You mentioned Bill Belichick, you mentioned Robert Kraft, and you mentioned Tom Brady and that holy trinity, that triumvirate that really has been indelible in making their mark in this business, in this industry, and in this sport for the New England Patriots. That kind of lends me very nicely into my next question for you. And really, I cannot think of a better person in all of Boston sports media to ask this question than you, my friend, because when you look at Brady's standing in the pantheon

Starting point is 00:23:18 of Boston sports legends, we talk about the Rushmore and Mount Rushmore and things of that nature. Ted Williams always comes up. You always. It is. This has caused more bar fights over the years. It really has. It's a topic that's really silly and really important at the same time.

Starting point is 00:23:40 Right. And there is no correct answer. I'm going to give you my answer. And somebody's going, how could he leave out so-and-so? But continue. Go ahead. No, I mean, and what I was going to say was I wasn't going to put you on the spot and ask you to name your Rushmore. But the names that come up in that discussion, inevitably, Ted Williams, obviously. In the last few years, we've seen David Ortiz come into that argument as well. We've seen Bobby Orr. We've seen Larry Bird, Bill Russell, Red Arbok,

Starting point is 00:24:12 Bill Belichick. I mean, you've seen these names. Tom Brady, obviously, is always in that discussion as well. For a town that is so revered for having indelible sports icons such as Boston has, one of the few cities really that still has that type of legacy in all four of the major sports. Where do you believe that Brady ranks in that pantheon? Oh, it's easy for me. It's four guys that you could make an argument are the greatest in the sports history. Maybe not the greatest, but in that top 10. It's Bobby Ortt, Bill Russell, Ted Williams, and Tom Brady. And you say, oh, where's David Ortiz? Because David Ortiz is not the best player in Red Sox history.

Starting point is 00:24:57 He's the most important player in Red Sox history because he changed the entire culture. They had never won a World Series, or not since 1918, before he came along. And then he played in 0-4, 7-13. So that's a pretty big hunk of significant history. But is David Ortiz one of the greatest players in baseball history? No, he's not.

Starting point is 00:25:16 Ted Williams? Yes, he is. Tom Brady? Yes, he is. Bobby Orr? Yes, he is. Bill Russell? Maybe not one of the top one, two, three.

Starting point is 00:25:23 But when you factor in 11 championships in 13 years and the way he manhandled Will Chamberlain all those years, he's got to be on that list. My apologies to John Havlicek, to Bill Russell, to David Ortiz, to Pedro Martinez, to Roger Cummins, but yes, or Russell, Brady, and Teddy Ballgame. Yeah, without question. I think you're right on the money.

Starting point is 00:25:47 But not without question, because someone who's listening to you thinks I'm nuts. How could you leave David Ortiz off? Well, in my humble opinion, I'm going to say without question, because I happen to agree with you spot on. But yeah, I think, and you know what, the beauty of this argument, Stephen, I think you hit the nail right on the head, is that it is subjective. Everybody wants to have an opinion. Everybody's entitled to one. And really, you can make an argument for so many great Boston sports legends that have come through and worn a Patriots uniform, a Sox uniform, a Bruins uniform, a Celtics

Starting point is 00:26:14 uniform. They've all meant something individually to everyone that cheers them on. And they've all had their own legacy stamped in this town, in the city, and in this region throughout the entirety of New England, because it really is a community here. And, you know, we celebrate one of our own today when it comes to Tom Brady because of that reason. And I think that leads me very nicely into what will be my final question for you today. And I don't like to put my guests on the spot, but I'm going to. You've covered, obviously, Tom for his entire career here in Boston.

Starting point is 00:26:47 You've seen it all. You've been there for it all. Take us home today with your favorite Tom Brady memory in the last 23 seasons you've watched him grow. Well, I'm going to give you a goofy one because, I mean, yeah, I can give you the tuck roll and, you know, not taking a knee against St. Louis and all that. Let me give you something that's really fun and personal. There was a day years ago when Brady was supposed to speak to the media at 1 o'clock in the interview room. Stacey James came through and said, hey, Brady, he's going to leave early.

Starting point is 00:27:21 He's not talking. He'll talk tomorrow. So I said, OK, so he's not going to speak at the podium. But the locker room was open. And it's understood that even if you see Brady, you can't talk to him because he's not talking today. So we all went in there. And then all of a sudden, Brady's at his locker. He calls me over. So I kind of went, no, no, you're off limit.

Starting point is 00:27:41 He calls me over. And he leans into me and he starts talking to me and the other writers are like what's what's going on here what's what's he talking to buckley about because i'm not mr i'm not one of the beat guys who's in there every day i'm a you know lousy columnist and he's talking to me and talking to me finally pats me in the back and i walk up and karen garrigan i was working at Arrow at the time, and Karen Gregan was up to me and said, you got something? And I said, I'll tell you outside. And so I step out in the hallway while everyone's wondering what's going on. And what he did was he called me over and he said,

Starting point is 00:28:15 hey, you're a baseball guy. I want to go see Moneyball. And my wife doesn't want to see it because she thinks it's just a baseball movie. What do you think? And I said, oh, no, no, no, no. Tell her it's a, you know, Brad Pitt. He's got a, you know, he's the general manager of the Oakland A's. He's got a 13-year-old daughter. He's a single parent. He's divorced. And there's a subplot involving whether he should move. And because his daughter's out in the West Coast, I think your wife's going to love it. And Brady said, okay, great, thanks. And that was the story. And so for like five minutes, I was Mr. Inside with Brady.

Starting point is 00:28:51 And it was all over the movie Moneyball. So if you're looking for something entirely offbeat that's got nothing to do with fantastic finishes and championships and all that, that's my story. And that's a phenomenal story. You've got to love it. I mean, and really, who better to ask? He knew the guy to go to.

Starting point is 00:29:10 You are a baseball guy. You definitely know your stuff. I'm a baseball nerd. He listens to the radio enough to say, is there a baseball nerd? Oh, there's one. Come on over here. Yes, exactly. Yeah, and I think he gave a good assessment of the movie Moneyball as well.

Starting point is 00:29:24 I think he gave him some good advice. Pretty good flick. Yeah, I like think you gave a good assessment of the movie Moneyball as well. I think you gave him some good advice. Pretty good. I like it. Absolutely. Steve, what can I say? I thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to enlighten all of us here on Lockdown Patriots from, again, someone that's had a front row seat. And, yeah, I've been in that press box. I know what you're meaning by press box.

Starting point is 00:29:42 But a figurative front row, you know, um, front row seat, uh, for Tom Brady's career. Uh, again, I really appreciate you coming on today. Uh, folks, please definitely check out anything Steve does on the app for the athletic. You can check him out on Twitter at Buck in Boston. Uh, before I let you go today, my friend, is there anything else that you'd like to leave us with or, uh, any, uh, anything else that you'd like to leave us with or anything else that you would like to advise our listeners to be aware of that's coming down the pike from the great man, Steve Buckley?

Starting point is 00:30:12 Pitchers and catchers. Fort Myers two weeks from today. I'll leave you with that. Absolutely. Can't do better than that, folks. Check out our good friends over at Locked on Red Sox because they'll be covering everything with regard to pitches and catches coming up. After the season that the Patriots had, I think a lot of people are going to be having a sharp eye on the Sox as well.

Starting point is 00:30:30 But maybe some optimism, Steve. We always live in hope here that, you know, Bill O'Brien can help resurrect the offense and maybe we can get back to some of the glory days. But until then, we'd love to have you back on. And we appreciate, again, you taking time out to enlighten us with Tom Brady and telling us a story, folks, you'll only hear here on Locked On Patriots. Steve, thank you so much tonight. Anytime. Take care.

Starting point is 00:30:55 Patriots fans, thank you once again for joining me here today on Locked On Patriots and making us a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. We hope you've made us your first listen today. And if you have, please make your second listen, our good friends over at the Locked On NFL podcast. All of the news you need, everything regarding the Shield, not just Tom Brady's retirement, folks, but they've got East-West Shrine Bowl recaps.

Starting point is 00:31:19 They've got Senior Bowl information. Already taken a quick look at the draft. And, of course, Super Bowl 57 looming on the horizon. They cover it all, and they do it all. You'll definitely find them wherever you get your podcasts, so download, subscribe to, and follow. And while you're at it, we'd appreciate if you download, subscribe to, and follow Locked On Patriots wherever you get your podcasts.

Starting point is 00:31:41 Once again, I am your host, Mike DeBate, and I thank you for joining me today. I also thank Steve Buckley of The Athletic for taking time out and sharing his wisdom and counsel and Brady anecdotes the way only he can. And folks, don't forget, Locked On Patriots, once again, free and available on all platforms, so make sure to smash that subscribe button on YouTube

Starting point is 00:32:00 and download wherever you get your podcasts. Until tomorrow, Foxborough faithful, stay safe, stay well, be the change you wish to see in the world, YouTube and download wherever you get your podcasts until tomorrow. Foxborough faithful. Stay safe. Stay well. Be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great day,

Starting point is 00:32:11 everyone.

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