BOSTON — Tom Brady is returning to Foxborough. This has been in the news. It’s a whole thing.
While this will mark the first official return to New England since retirement, the greatest player in Patriots history will certainly not be the last. But now, Brady is feeling a little sentimental.
Brady launched his Threads account on Friday and told his followers: “Back in New England this weekend! What’s your favorite Foxboro touchdown in the last 20 years?”
Brady then said, “I’m starting,” and shared a video of his famous two-pass touchdown in the Patriots’ 2007 win over the Steelers.
The play involved a backward pass to Randy Moss, who mishandled Brady’s short jumper. Moss then passed the ball back to Brady on the other side of the court, and Brady prepared to pass the ball to Jabbar Gaffney. It wasn’t a perfect throw, but it was enough for Gaffney to catch the ball in the end zone for a 56-yard touchdown.
“That’s how we designed it, shortening the first one really sells the fake,” Brady said with some laughing emojis.
It was just one of Brady’s 541 regular season touchdowns as a member of the Patriots, but it was part of a memorable day for the Patriots. You may remember Steelers safety Anthony Smith from the week in 2007 when he made a splash by guaranteeing a 12-0 victory over the Patriots. While the Patriots publicly played down the comments this week, it clearly had an impact on them, with Brady directly attacking Smith multiple times throughout the game, hitting the young safety in the face after a touchdown superior.
It was a rare moment when Brady allowed the world to see a special side of his insane competitiveness.
“I don’t want to repeat what I said, especially when my mom reads it,” Brady said at the postgame press conference when asked about the exchange. “She’s not going to be happy.”
Even Bill Belichick — Mr. “Ignore the Noise” himself — got in on the postgame fun.
“I’m telling you, we’ve played a better safety than him,” Belichick said after the 34-13 win.
Brady threw for 399 yards and four touchdowns in that game as part of a 16-0, 50-touchdown record for New England that year.
Of course, Brady has a few other “favorite” touchdowns, but the pick That touchdown, presumably for That Reasoning goes that for a competitor like Brady, the flame never really goes out.