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Tom Brady’s dad: ‘We expect to beat the Patriots rather handily’

The elder Brady made the prediction Thursday on a Boston sports radio station.
 
Tom Brady, center, poses with his parents, Tom Brady Sr., right, and Galynn Brady, left, as they arrive to celebrate Brady's selection as the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year on Dec. 6, 2005 in New York.
Tom Brady, center, poses with his parents, Tom Brady Sr., right, and Galynn Brady, left, as they arrive to celebrate Brady's selection as the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year on Dec. 6, 2005 in New York. [ HENNY RAY ABRAMS | Associated Press (2005) ]
Published May 13, 2021|Updated June 17, 2021

Perhaps it’s a good thing Tom Brady currently ranks as the world’s ninth-highest-paid athlete. Tom Brady Sr. just wrote a hefty verbal check his son must cash in early October.

Calling in — unannounced — Thursday morning on a Boston sports-radio station, the elder Brady predicted the Bucs would remain undefeated after his son’s ultra-hyped return to Foxboro for an Oct. 3 prime-time game against the Patriots.

“I saw the schedule come out (Wednesday) night,” Brady Sr. said on the Zolak & Bertrand show, “and I started salivating when I saw that we play the Patriots in the fourth game of the season, and that we’re coming up here to make our record 4-0 after the fourth game. So it’s a pretty fun time.”

Related: Bucs kick off season with Cowboys, first of record five prime-time games

The elder Brady went on to proclaim his family’s love for New England, where his son won six Super Bowls in a 20-season Hall of Fame career, calling the Patriots “our second-favorite team.” He noted one of his three daughters still lives in Boston, which he called the family’s “second home.”

But during the course of the 20-minute segment, he didn’t back off his prediction. To the contrary, he reiterated it.

“It’s a game where we get to root against nobody,” Brady Sr. said. “We get to root for the Patriots, but our most favorite team of course is the Buccaneers, so we expect to beat the Patriots rather handily, frankly.”

The Patriots showdown — Brady’s first return to New England since signing with the Bucs in March 2020 — represents the heart of arguably Tampa Bay’s most formidable stretch in 2021.

For all practical intents, the Bucs will be working on a short week following a Sept. 26 game against the Rams in Los Angeles (4:25 p.m. kickoff). A 1 p.m. home game against Miami — which tied for the NFL lead with 18 interceptions in 2020 — follows on Oct. 10.

“I’m glad it’s early in the season,” Brady Sr. said.

“The weather will be good, and there won’t any mooing and complaining about winter or anything either negatively or positively in the Boston area, or if it was in Florida. But it’s going to be great. I think we’re going to have a great time, and again, I think the Buccaneers are kind of licking their chops to get up here and take the Patriots down a notch or whatever.”

One prediction the elder Brady wouldn’t touch was how much longer his 43-year-old son will play. In March, Brady agreed to a one-year extension keeping him under contract with the Bucs through 2022, when he’ll be 45.

Related: Breaking down the Bucs' 2021 schedule

“You know, I truly don’t know (when he’ll retire) — and I’m not sure that he does, too,” Brady Sr. said.

“It just depends on how you feel. And we’ve talked about this in the past; if you enjoy doing what you’re doing and you’re good at it, and people still want you to do it and you’re not embarrassing yourself, then do it until it makes you unhappy.”

Contact Joey Knight at jknight@tampabay.com. Follow @TBTimes_Bulls.

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