In his 20 years with the New England Patriots, veteran quarterback Tom Brady had so many memories to look back to. However, there was this one time in 2007 that remains in his memory forever. In an episode of Apple TV+’s “Greatness Code”, Brady said he still can recall a game in 2007 against the Buffalo Bill in Week 11, which he called as a “perfect night.” In their 56-10 rout of the Bills, the Patriots scored touchdowns in each of their first seven drives while Brady completed 31 of his 39 passes for 373 yards and five touchdowns. “I almost giggle every time I think about that game,” Brady said, per a report by Adam London of New England Sports Network (NESN).
“Because in so many ways, for me, it was a perfect night,” he added.
In that game, Hall of Fame wideout Randy Moss caught 10 passes for 126 yards and four touchdowns. While many Patriots fans won’t remember that game when they think of Brady, the veteran quarterback considered it as the most memorable game in his Hall of Fame-bound career. That year, the Patriots went 16-0 in the regular season but lost to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII. After two decades with the Patriots, Brady joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after he signed a two-year deal worth $50 million in the offseason. Brady will face the challenge of carrying the Buccaneers to the postseason for the first time since 2007.
Patriots talked to former wideout about Newton
The Patriots made noise when they recently signed veteran quarterback Cam Newton to a veteran-minimum deal as a possible replacement for Brady. The move came as a surprise as the Patriots expressed disinterest in signing Newton, who won the NFL Most Valuable Player (MVP) trophy in 2015 after leading the Carolina Panthers to Super Bowl 50.
Before making the move, the Patriots made sure that they made due diligence. According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, the Patriots talked to their former wideout Chris Hogan, who played with Newton in 2019, regarding the move. Reiss added that the Patriots also consulted their former offensive lineman, Marshall Newhouse, about Newton.
Newhouse had inside info on Newton as he played for the Panthers in 2018 before signing with the Patriots last season. In an interview with Sirius XM NFL's "Late Hits" show, Newhouse expressed the belief that Newton and Belichick will be able to co-exist as they both like winning.
Patriots create additional cap room
The Patriots have created some salary cap room after reworking the contract of running back Rex Burkhead, according to Field Yates of ESPN. According to Yates, the Patriots reworked the final year of Burkhead’s contract, giving him $550,000 to sign and drop his base salary from $2.5 million to $1.05 million. Under the reworked deal, Burkhead can earn up to $400,000 in roster bonuses.
Yates said the move created a $981,250 cap space for the Patriots, which they can use to officially sign Newton. Last season, 30-year-old Burkhead ran the ball 65 times for 302 yards and three touchdowns in 13 games.