Chris Russo isn’t buying the buildup around Tom Brady’s return to Foxborough.
On Wednesday’s edition of “First Take,” the longtime radio host took aim at FOX Sports for leaning hard into Brady’s first game back at Gillette Stadium as part of the broadcast team. FOX is sending Kevin Burkhardt and Brady to cover Sunday’s matchup between the Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots, and the network has already rolled out a 76-second promo spotlighting Brady’s biggest moments from his Patriots run.
Russo thought the whole thing was overblown.
He called the promotion the “dumbest thing in the world” and brushed off the idea that Brady being in the booth makes this a major event. The Patriots and Packers are both 5-3 and in the playoff mix, but Russo made it clear he doesn’t see Brady’s return as the headline.
“The idea now that this is a big deal that Tom’s in the booth and he’s doing the game…Who the h- cares?” Russo said.
“Call the game on the moon! I mean, this is the dumbest thing in the world.”
Brady, who won six Super Bowl rings with New England, said the trip back to Foxborough will mean something to him. Speaking to Colin Cowherd, via 98.5 The Sports Hub, he said the emotions will be there when he steps back into the building where he spent so much of his career.
“It’ll be certainly emotional,” Brady told Colin Cowherd, via 98.5 The Sports Hub. “I mean, every inch of that stadium I’ve been through so many times, from the locker rooms to the meeting rooms, the fields.
I had just so many memorable plays in that stadium. Big games, you know, championship games and rivalry games, you know, division clinching games.
So to be back there and to really understand what that Patriot organization is all about, and to convey that to the fans in a way where I’m not like talking about myself. I’m really talking about this awesome program that’s been built, and the Patriots just always seem to do things the right way.”
Kickoff for Packers-Patriots is set for 4:25 p.m. ET.
In Other News...
Tom Brady Had The Perfect Reaction To Gronk And Edelmans Latest Bit
Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman are back together in a familiar lane, this time using Fox Sports new digital series, The Gronk & Jules Show, to mix football talk with a little bit of personality. The project includes a song called Talkin Football, and the former Patriots teammates are leaning into the kind of easy chemistry that made them such a staple in New England for years.
Tom Brady noticed, too, and he had the sort of lighthearted reaction that fits the whole thing. He reposted the video with a joking comment, giving the series an extra boost from one of the most recognizable names in franchise history, while Gronk and Edelman continue building out a show that will feature conversations with players, coaches and insiders. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Fans Have A Few Week 9 Results To Watch Closely
With the Patriots still trying to sort out their place in the AFC race, Week 9 brings a few scoreboard-watching opportunities that could matter almost as much as what happens in Foxborough. The schedule includes matchups like the Jaguars at the Ravens and the Jets at the Chiefs, and both games carry ripple effects for New England as the playoff picture starts to take shape.
Baltimore is one of the more interesting teams to track because of the way its quarterback situation has developed, while New Yorks trip to Kansas City is another one Patriots fans will have an eye on for reasons beyond simple rivalry. New England has its own business to handle, but these are the kinds of results that can quietly change the math around the AFC standings before the season gets much deeper. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Suddenly Face A Running Back Decision They Didn't Expect
TreVeyon Hendersons availability has suddenly become a major Patriots storyline after a medical emergency sent the rookie running back to the hospital and left his return date unclear. For a team that had been counting on him as part of its backfield plans, the situation has quickly turned from a football issue into a broader roster concern, with New England now having to think through how it handles the position if the uncertainty lingers.
With the trade deadline approaching, the Patriots are at least being mentioned in the kind of running back speculation that usually surfaces only when a team feels pressed to act. The names being floated around the league are the sort that would reshape a backfield in a hurry, but for now it is still just that, speculation, as New England waits for more clarity on Henderson and weighs whether outside help becomes necessary. [Read more 🡒]