Tom Brady isn't going to say anything bad about his former team's struggles anytime soon.
While Brady's new team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, enter Week 9 with a 6-2 record, the team he previously spent 20 seasons with is experiencing an uncharacteristically bad start to the 2020 NFL season. The New England Patriots are currently 2-5 and third in the AFC East, a division they've won 17 out of 20 seasons since Brady was drafted in 2000.
The Patriots have also finished first in the division during each season since 2008, which saw Brady experience a season-ending knee injury in Week 1. Brady's decision to join the Buccaneers this past summer was shocking given his career-long run in New England and may have led to speculation by some that he left on bad terms.
However, the six-time Super Bowl champion refused to say anything negative about the Patriots amid the team's slow start when asked about it during a press conference on Thursday.
“I have a lot of relationships with a lot of teammates. I wish everybody the best all the time,” Brady said via Boston.com. “I don’t ever wish for anyone to not perform at their best. I certainly wish for our team to play its best. Maybe the only team I don’t root for is the team we’re playing on that particular Sunday.”
“Other than that, it’s just about us being the best we can be, working hard every day to put ourselves in a great position to be successful.”
New England will face the winless New York Jets on Sunday at MetLife Stadium. The Patriots have recorded the fewest passing touchdowns in the NFL (3) and are averaging the third lowest passing yards per game (192) and the fourth-fewest points per game (19.4) during their first season in the post-Brady era.
Brady, on the other hand, was named NFC Offensive Player of the Month for October after completing 66 of his 159 passing attempts for 1,157 yards, 12 touchdowns and just one interception for a 110.0 rating, while also rushing for a touchdown and leading the Buccaneers to a 3-1 record last month.
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