Patriots fans need to do two simple things when Tom Brady comes to town this season

Patriots fans just can't root for Tom Brady in this one.

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The 2021 NFL schedules were released on Wednesday and while we knew all along that Tom Brady and the Bucs would be going to New England this season, we now know exactly when that will happen – Week 4.

The buildup to this game is going to be ridiculous. The amount of attention it is going to get in the days leading up to it is going to be overwhelming. Tickets to the game are going to be sold at astronomical prices.

And you know what? All of those things should happen as it will be an event unlike anything we’ve seen in football.

Brady, of course, won six Super Bowls with the Patriots before leaving for the Bucs last season where he won his seventh. His departure was heartbreaking for New England fans and he’ll always be an absolute legend in that area of the country.

So what should Patriots fans do when No. 12 returns to Foxborough for one night in October? Two simple things – give Brady the standing ovation he deservers before the start of the game and then root as hard as they can for him to lose once the game begins.

It’s honestly that easy and I’ve been amazed to hear people asking Patriots fans like myself what they’re gonna do when he comes to town. I mean, what else are you going to do? There’s just no way any Patriots fan can root for him to win that game. The football season is just 17 games – there’s no room for getting cute and hoping something nice happens for a guy on the opposing team, no matter what he’s done for you in the past.

Last year it was fun rooting for Brady to win a Super Bowl and it was fun to see him win it, but there’s no way any Patriots fan can hope that he does well in the Week 4 matchup.

If you’re a Patriots fan you just can’t root for Brady in that game. Can’t happen. Can. Not. Happen. All those warm, fuzzy feelings of the 20 years he put in with the team need to be pushed to the side for three hours on that fall evening. They can come back after, but during that game Brady is the enemy and he must lose.

That’s just how it goes.

It’s going to be great to see what Belichick comes up with to attack Brady and to slow down a Bucs offense that has all its weapons back from last season.

And it’s going to be great to see how Brady attacks Belichick’s defense while trying to make yet another statement in his brilliant career.

And it’s going to be great to see how Patriots fans take it all in. But yeah, they can’t root for him.

Quick hits: Every crazy NFL schedule video… Kobe’s last Nike sneakers… Why Jags fell for Tebow… And more. 

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– Mike Sykes looks at what might be Kobe Bryant’s final two sneakers with Nike.

– Urban Meyer explained what his coaches loved about Tim Tebow during a few workouts.

– Angels star pitcher/right fielder Shohei Ohtani continues to do amazing things on the field.

– Charles Curtis ranked all the horses by name who are competing in the Preakness this Saturday. My favorite is Midnight Bourbon.