New England Patriots
“I was a young player then, so really didn’t know — thought that was the standard, but it was good to see.”
K.J. Britt playing for the Dolphins in 2025. AP Photo/Adam Hunger
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FOXBOROUGH – Tom Brady’s preparation stood out to K.J. Britt more than anything.
The newly-acquired Patriots linebacker began his career in Tampa Bay playing two seasons with Brady as a member of the Buccaneers.
Britt was drafted in 2021, the year after Brady led Tampa Bay to victory in Super Bowl LV, but he still got a glimpse of what made the legendary Patriots quarterback successful.
“He was prepared. He was fun to play with,” Britt said. “He commanded the field. When he took the field he had an aura around him and it was like ‘here we go’. It was good, I was a young player then, so really didn’t know — I thought that was the standard, but it was good to see.”
Brady is one of four quarterbacks in NFL history to beat all 32 teams. He got his lone win against the Patriots on Oct. 4, 2021 at Gillette Stadium. Tampa Bay triumphed 19-17 despite the fact that New England’s defense held Brady without a touchdown.
“That was crazy. I’ll never forget, that game was so live,” Britt said. “It was a Sunday night game and that whole week of practice, just the urgency that Tom had coming back, and to win here we know how much that meant to Tom … there was a little moxie behind it. I remember that week of preparation. It was fun. Everybody wanted to go out and win for Tom.”
Brady spent 20 seasons with the Patriots, but Britt said Foxborough did not come up much during his conversations with Brady.
“When we were there, we were more focused on winning there, but everybody knows this is an historic organization,” Britt said. “Six rings. A lot of winning that went on here, so you don’t really have to ask much. You know what it takes to win in this league.”
Britt, a 26-year-old inside linebacker, spent last season with the Dolphins after four seasons in Tampa Bay. The 6-foot, 235-pound linebacker could help fill in the Patriots’ depth behind Robert Spillane and Christian Elliss at that position. New England also drafted rookie inside linebacker Namdi Obiazor in in the sixth round.
It’s been four years since Brady retired, but his impact on teammates is still remembered.
“When you see stuff like that you want to try to duplicate it, but you know Tom had his own story,” Britt said. “You learn that throughout the league. Tom is the greatest quarterback. You have to learn that he did it his way.”
“He worked and he took care of his body and did stuff his way. Everything that worked for Tom probably won’t work for you, but just to watch him and play with him was a treat.”
Khari A. Thompson
Khari Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com. Before joining the team in 2022, Khari covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.
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