Things might get awkward Sunday night at Gillette Stadium.
Tom Brady returns to New England as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this weekend for the first team since leaving the Patriots in March 2020. The greatest quarterback of all time helped the Patriots win six Super Bowl titles over 20 seasons, but his relationship with head coach Bill Belichick became a little strained over his final years in Foxboro.
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So, how will things play out Sunday when Brady battles his former boss? Ex-Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman has some thoughts about the matchup, which he shared Thursday on Twitter using a terrific clip from NBC's "The Office."
"The Office" fans will recognize this scene from the classic "Dinner Party" episode, which includes some cringeworthy tension when Michael and his girlfriend Jan host a disastrous dinner party that results in Jan hurling one of Michael's "Dundie Awards" at his TV on the wall.
In Edelman's version, Belichick is Jan, who shoots daggers at Brady (aka Michael) as he hangs up his Buccaneers Super Bowl champions banner in the living room, then throws one of his many Lombardi trophies in an outburst of frustration.
New England Patriots
The analogy is pretty spot-on: We're sure Belichick didn't enjoy watching Brady lead Tampa Bay to a Super Bowl in his first season since leaving New England -- especially as Belichick's Patriots sputtered to a 7-9 season with Cam Newton at quarterback.
Will Belichick get his revenge on Sunday night in the form of a victory over his ex-quarterback? (Most) Patriots fans will be rooting for that outcome -- as long as no TVs are broken in the process.
Kickoff for Patriots-Bucs is set for 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC's "Sunday Night Football."