Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels didn’t take the bait when the question turned to Tom Brady and the Seahawks.
McDaniels, who spent all six of Brady’s Super Bowl wins in New England on the Patriots staff, was on WEEI in Boston on Friday when the subject came up again. Brady had said in February, while New England was trying to win a seventh title against Seattle, that he didn’t have a “dog in the fight.”
That line has lingered. Since then, speculation has grown that Brady, now a Raiders owner, may have helped Seattle in its push to beat the Patriots. Patriots coach Mike Vrabel recently brushed off the idea, saying Brady was getting ready to hire Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak.
McDaniels was asked directly whether he thought Brady helped the Seahawks. His answer was simple: “I have no idea.”
He was then asked if that would bother him. McDaniels replied, “ I wouldn’t have a dog in that fight.”
It was a sharp little turn, sending Brady’s own phrasing right back at him.
The reaction around New England has clearly not cooled. Fans were upset when Brady made the comment, and the feeling has only hardened since then. For plenty of Patriots supporters, that moment pushed him from beloved icon to outsider, statue outside Gillette Stadium or not.
That tension is part of what makes Brady’s expected return to Foxborough so interesting. He’s set to call the Week 9 game between the Packers and the Patriots, and the question now is how the crowd will greet him.
Even if many fans cheer, it probably won’t be unanimous. Some still seem stuck on the idea that Brady didn’t publicly back the Patriots - and may have done more than that behind the scenes.
The fact that the topic surfaced in two different Friday interviews on WEEI, including one with linebacker Robert Spillane, says plenty. The locals remember. And judging by the tone, a lot of them still haven’t moved on.
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