NFL: Kraft says thank you to Brady in full-page Tampa ad

LOS ANGELES -- Tom Brady, who left the New England Patriots to sign a two-year NFL deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, received a public thank you Sunday from Patriots team owner Robert Kraft.

Kraft thanked Brady in a full-page advertisement in the Tampa Bay Times newspsper on Sunday, two days after the 42-year-old quarterback signed with the Bucs.

Under the headline "THANK YOU TOM", the Kraft family described Brady as "the GOAT (greatest of all time) and forever a part of our family" and told Buccaneers fans to "take care of him. You got a great one."

"For 20 amazing years, you gave us everything you had," the advertisement said. "When you arrived as a sixth-round pick -- and the best selection this franchise has ever made -- no one imagined all you'd accomplish or how much you'd soon mean to an entire region."

Brady left New England having won an NFL record half-dozen Super Bowl titles and 41 playoff games since 2001.

Agence France-Presse

Typecast Patriots take stage again as Super Bowl villains

MINNEAPOLIS - Every great drama needs a hero and a villain and on Sunday the New England Patriots will assume their role as the National Football League's most hated team when they take on the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl.

For the Patriots it is type-casting. On the NFL stage they play no other role. Fans criticise them for being just too successful in a league designed to not have dynasties and can not forgive two rule-bending scandals in the last decade.

The Eagles, however, are far from angels. Their fans after all once booed Santa and pelted him with snow balls.

But such behavior can be overlooked alongside what has become known as the New England Evil Empire, a championship machine that operates with ultimate efficiency.

They have reached the Super Bowl for the eighth time since 2002, hoisting the Vince Lombardi trophy five times, including twice in the past three seasons.

The Patriots, however, have also twisted the rules to their advantage -- including videotaping opposition coaches in 2007 and deliberately under-inflating balls in a playoff game in 2015 -- which have left a tarnish on their legacy.

It is a role Patriots owner Robert Kraft understands.

"When I actually bought the Patriots there were 23 lawsuits out. I know the league was thinking about buying the team and everyone was so nice to me for those first few years," Kraft told reporters during Super Bowl Opening Night on Monday.

"Once we went to the Super Bowl in 1996 a lot of the people who were kind and gracious, changed.

"Everyone loves a door mat in this league."

It is that kind of attitude that resulted in a Public Policy Poll released just before last year's Super Bowl that showed their quarterback Tom Brady and coach Bill Belichick were at the top of the most hated list.

Belichick could take some small comfort in that fans disliked NFL commissioner Roger Goodell more.

Brady, however, is a more enigmatic figure. The poll also found him to the NFL's most popular quarterback as well.

For fans outside of New England, however, he is simply too smug, too rich and too good.

In the Super Bowl setting it is hard to see what anyone could dislike about Brady.

He arrived at Opening Night, smiled, answered questions, was playful and disarming.

But there is also the win at all costs Brady who was suspended four games for his part in deflating the balls.

Belichick, on the other hand, emanates a 'keep your distance' vibe and appears to endure media conferences rather than enjoy them and rarely gives anything away.

Only Kraft is willing to offer a hint about the deeper philosophy. "I think it's good (there is a team like the Patriots) but there are 31 other cities that don't agree," said Kraft. "I understand everyone wants their team to win.

"I'm just happy we are in our position.

"Every roof has a leak, every heart has some sadness, you just work through it and you do your best.

"Someone out there will work hard and take us down but I hope it's not this Sunday."

(Editing by Greg Stutchbury)

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Focused Patriots 'ignore the noise' ahead of Titans clash

The New England Patriots are no stranger to controversy and on Tuesday the players said they would not let a reports of internal turmoil within the organization distract them from their quest to repeat as Super Bowl champions.

A report last week said there was a rift between Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, coach Bill Belichick and owner Robert Kraft but tight end Rob Gronkowski said he and team mates were not losing any sleep over it ahead of their playoff opener on Saturday.

"The reputation that coach tries to get us to have is just ignore the noise. Ignore the noise from the outside and I feel like that's what myself, a lot of other players have been doing," tight end Rob Gronkowski told reporters.

"You've just got to keep ignoring the noise and just keep our focus on what we've been doing all year and that's preparing hard, studying our opponent, getting ready mentally and physically for the big game."

   
Brady, Belichick and Kraft later issued a joint statement flatly denying the ESPN report.

The Patriots, who last year won their second Super Bowl title in three seasons, had a first-round bye after finishing atop the AFC and will host the Tennessee Titans on Saturday in the divisional round of the playoffs.

"The intensity has been high every single week all year long," said Gronkowski. "You've just got to keep on continuing that, keep on preparing how we have been and get ready for the big game."

Few NFL teams have faced controversy over recent years to the extent of the Patriots, and none have enjoyed their level of success.

Just last season, the Patriots overcame the NFL's four-game suspension of Brady stemming from a plot to deflate footballs used in the AFC title game two years prior.

In 2015, they blocked out the noise over 'Deflategate' to beat the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl.

In 2013 they dealt with the arrest and subsequent murder conviction of tight end Aaron Hernandez.

Six years before that, Belichick was fined $500,000 and the Patriots lost a first-round draft pick after an investigation found New England had videotaped an opponent's signals on the sidelines in what became known as 'Spygate.'

Beyond all that, they have navigated through the mundane ups-and-downs of injuries and bad calls, reaching 11 AFC title games in the Brady-Belichick era practicing the Patriot Way of stressing personal accountability and a business-like approach.

Defensive back Devin McCourty, who has been a team captain since 2011, said the Patriots were not going to be motivated by the report but were fuelled by a desire to claim the franchise's sixth Super Bowl title.

"I mean, I don’t care about it and I think a lot of guys don’t really care about what goes on outside and who writes what and if we suck, if we’re great – it doesn’t matter," said McCourty. "So, I just think guys are motivated by playing for each other, their families more than an ESPN article."

(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto)

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Patriots owner Kraft backs Brady in 'Deflategate'

NEW YORK -- New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft backed embattled "Deflategate" quarterback Tom Brady while coach Bill Belichick evaded the issue as the reigning Super Bowl champions began pre-season workouts Wednesday.

"I continue to believe and unequivocally support Tom Brady," Kraft said. "The league's handling of this entire process has been extremely frustrating and disconcerting."

The Patriots remain uncertain who will be the starting quarterback when they face Pittsburgh in September in the NFL season opener since Brady, a four-time Super Bowl winner, has been suspended for four games by the league but is taking the case to court in a union-backed appeal.

Brady, who can take part in pre-season training activities with the Patriots, is likely to be allowed to play for the Patriots while the legal process plays out, although at the risk of still facing a four-game ban later in the campaign.

One of the most high-profile athletes in American sport, Brady was found by Goodell to have been at least "generally aware" of a plot by Patriots staff to improperly reduce the air pressure of balls used by Brady during the American Conference playof final against Indianapolis earlier this year.

The Patriots defeated the Colts 45-7 on their way to winning the Super Bowl.

After NFL commissioner Roger Goodell rejected Brady's appeal Tuesday, the quarterback released a statement on Facebook saying he was not required to turn over his cellphone under the NFL-union deal and did not destroy it to hide evidence, with Kraft and Belichick later standing by their man.

"The decision handed down by the league yesterday is unfathomable to me," Kraft said. "The league still has no hard evidence of anybody doing anything to tamper with the (air) level of footballs."

Kraft said he now regrets not going to court to fight league penalties against the team, saying he thought the move would make it easier for the NFL to avoid banning Brady.

"I wanted to return the focus to football," Kraft said. "I was willing to accept the harshest penalty in the history of the NFL because I believed it would help exonerate Tom.

"For reasons that I cannot comprehend, there are those in the league office who are more determined to prove that they were right rather than admit any culpability of their own. I have come to the conclusion that this was never about doing what was fair and just.

"I want to apologize to the fans of the New England Patriots and Tom Brady. I was wrong to put my faith in the league. Personally, this is very sad and disappointing to me."

Kraft said the NFL wanted to distract from its lack of evidence by pointing to Brady destroying his cellphone.

"It intentionally implied nefarious behavior and minimized the acknowledgement that Tom provided the history of every number he texted during the relevant time frame," Kraft said. "And we had already provided the league with every cellphone of every non-(union) employee that they requested."

Belichick was asked time and again about Brady and would only respond with unspecific talk about the start of training camp.

"We're going to take it day to day, just like we always do," he said.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com