Brady All Business In Belichickian Press Conference Before AFC Championship
By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- Wednesday might have been the first time in Patriots history that Bill Belichick came off as more gracious and welcoming than Tom Brady.
Assuming the two didn't switch bodies for the day, it's likely that Brady simply didn't want to deal with the barrage of nonsense that would come from the overstuffed press room at Gillette Stadium. With national hot-takers invading Foxborough for the AFC Championship Game, it's hard not to blame Brady for entering Wednesday's presser a little guarded.
The Patriots QB took some cues from the Belichickian press conference playbook, trimming the fat from all his answers and maintaining a dour tone throughout. It should be a welcome sight for Patriots fans. Brady was subpar against the Texans on Saturday and needs to be better to get past the Steelers; he shouldn't exactly be all smiles.
That didn't stop certain reporters from broaching the week's hot topics, one of which was Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin's description of the Patriots as "a-holes." Tomlin's words were utterly harmless in the grand scheme of things and no one on the Patriots seems to care, but that's not going to stop professional opinion-havers from scrounging for another scorching Brady take.
Gary Myers of the New York Daily News asked Brady about Tomlin's comments, even hearkening back to former Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie calling Brady an "a-hole" before the 2010 AFC Divisional Playoff game. What is it about the Patriots that elicits such strong words?
"I'm not sure, Gary. I don't know."
Not that Brady would have given that question any insight even if he were bright and chipper, but that answer essentially confirmed that he simply was not in the mood for it today. The typical Brady play with a question like that is to flip it around and praise the person who said bad things about him. He didn't even do that.
In all, Brady was asked 13 questions. The topics ranged from Roethlisberger hanging his jersey up in his office to whether he had a cold. None of his answers eclipsed the 50-word mark. Most were well short of that.
If the quarterback's presser indicated anything, it's that he is laser-focused heading into Sunday's showdown with the Steelers. He can't waste time feeding into everyone's takes. Not a word was wasted, just like not a second will be wasted in getting ready for the game.
And he gets to do it all over again on Friday.
Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Have a news tip or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.
