The Patriots quarterback had a reason (yet unconfirmed) to be excited on Saturday evening after Orb won the Kentucky Derby. As the three-year-old horse’s connections were filtering out of their box while celebrating, Brady filed in with a small entourage to get in on the excitement.

Brady was joined by Tedy Bruschi and Dan Koppen in the celebration. Wes Welker was also in Louisville for the Derby, and that may just be the former New England wide receiver jumping on Brady and Bruschi at the end of the video. Bruschi found the feeling familiar, yelling “You just won the Super Bowl!” at one point.

There’s a rumor out there that Brady may have had some money on Orb. That would explain the overt glee expressed by Brady and his buddies after the big win.

Rumor at the track is Tom Brady put $4700 on Orb to win

—
Smart Football (@smartfootball) May 04, 2013

Click here to check out Brady and other celebrities at Churchill Downs>>

Brady was offered to join the connections in the winner’s circle, but declined. Check out Brady and his former teammates celebrating Orb’s victory in the video below (there may be some barely-audible NSFW language, but it’s so faint we can’t really tell).

Photo of the Day

That’s a nice catch by former Red Sox Josh Reddick.

Tweet of the Day

This seems to be the consensus after another disappointing Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight.

We need another Tyson, ya'll.

—
  (@RumfordJohnny) May 05, 2013

Video of the Day

This video should serve as a lesson to always hustle — even in the infield.

That may have been obvious with Jamie Collins‘ 10 sacks and 92 tackles as a senior. And it may have been evident when he ran a 4.59-second 40-yard dash at the NFL combine. But the most ridiculous thing he did in Indianapolis this February was out-leap his competition by a significant margin.

The Southern Miss linebacker/defensive end set a combine record with an 11-foot-7 broad jump. The next best prospect jumped 11-foot-4, and the next best measurement we could find was 11-foot-5, back in 2005. The broad jump is supposed to measure explosiveness, so expect Collins to be firing off the line of scrimmage during his NFL career.

The video of Collins’ broad jump is a sight to behold. The markers only go to 12 feet, and half of Collins’ foot is hanging over that margin by the time he sticks his landing. Collins also had the second best vertical leap at the combine at 41 1/2 inches. New Seahawks running back Christine Michael beat him by 1 1/2 inches.

Collins was a true workout warrior at the combine. He churned out the eighth best 3-cone among pass rushers, fourth best short shuttle, eighth best 40-yard dash and the best 60-yard shuttle. Great workout numbers don’t always mean great play, but athleticism goes a long way in the NFL.

Check out Collins’ insane jump in the video below.

Photo of the Day

That’s one big pitcher — new Arizona Cardinals guard Jonathan Cooper.

Tweet of the Day

Ya think?

Patriots love them some Rutgers. In third round, Patriots took Rutgers CB Logan Ryan and Rutgers S Duron Harmon.

—
Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 27, 2013

Video of the Day

This Jets fan wasn’t pleased by the Geno Smith pick.

The Patriots entered Sunday’s AFC Championship game against the Ravens as the heavy favorites, but Baltimore’s stunning victory further proved that any team can win on any given Sunday in the NFL.

There are probably plenty of Patriots fans who still think New England is the better team despite the Ravens winning rather handily on Sunday. CBS NFL analyst Boomer Esiason tends to agree with those folks, but he also believes there’s an intangible component to Baltimore’s current playoff success.

“There’s something else going on here,” Esiason said Monday on WEEI’s Dennis and Callahan. “I still believe that the Patriots are a better team. But those words probably ring hollow to a lot of people this morning, simply because the Ravens, in the second half especially, really played a whale of a football game.”

The Ravens, of course, have thrived in the wake of Ray Lewis announcing that he’ll retire after the season. And, as Esiason points out, they’ve also rallied around wide receiver Torrey Smith, whose brother died in a motorcycle crash back in September.

When you’ve built the kind of career that Tom Brady has, losses like the Patriots’ AFC Championship Game defeat on Sunday night mean just a little bit more.

With that in mind, reporters asked Brady to elaborate on what the loss means in the context of his legacy, particularly as a missed opportunity to do more. Brady, far more reserved than his coach, noted in his postgame news conference that he’s absolutely disappointed, admitting that a loss like Sunday’s takes a while to get over. However, in true Patriot fashion, he also stuck to platitudes about “execution” and other such topics when pressed for specifics about New England’s game plan.

Check out Brady’s comments in the video above.

Did you really think now was when Bill Belichick would get chatty?

Clearly perturbed after losing the AFC Championship Game to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night, Belichick took to the podium and, true to form, said very little of substance. Of course, he congratulated the Ravens on their win and noted deficiencies within his own team, but anyone looking for specifics would be left wanting.

Check out Belichick’s testy postgame comments in the video above.

Matt Chatham is no stranger to playoff football, having suited up for all three of the Patriots’ Super Bowl championship teams.

The former special teams maven gave NESN Daily some insight into a player’s mindset the night before a big game — like the one New England will play against the Ravens on Sunday. Each player has his own routine leading up to game day, and Chatham stressed the importance continuing that same preparation regardless of the stage or conditions.

“It’s going to be a cold game tomorrow, but you still have to prepare your body,” he said. “Guys still need to hydrate, which I know sounds a little odd because it’s not going to be 75-80 degrees out [with] high humidity. … You still need a great night of rest. You can’t be overcome by the anxiety.”

Check out Chatham’s full interview in the video above.

On Sunday night while the Patriots were trampling the Texans at Gillette Stadium, Brendon Ayanbadejo was sitting at home stewing while watching New England’s no huddle offense.

That’s when the Ravens’ special teamer took to Twitter to air his grievances with the Patriots’ hurry-up ways. Unfortunately, he likely did more harm than good for Baltimore by pointing out what he thought was cheating by New England.

Former Patriots linebacker Matt Chatham thinks Ayanbadejo’s critical comments will get New England fired up, and the 36-year-old three-time Pro Bowler could find himself targeted while running down the field in kickoff coverage. WEEI’s Rob Bradford thinks Ayanbadejo’s comments were mostly harmless and that they were successful for one reason — in getting his name in the headlines.

Watch the video above to hear Chatham and Bradford debate whether Ayanbadejo should have blasted the Patriots on social media. The two also take sides on whether Tom Brady is the key to the Patriots’ success against the Ravens.

Thumbnail via Facebook/Brendon Ayanbadejo

FOXBORO, Mass. – As the Texans were taking warmups on Sunday afternoon before their divisional round game, J.J. Watt spit on the Gillette Stadium Patriots logo and rubbed his feet into it. To some, it looked like a disrespectful maneuver, meant as a shot at New England. But Watt says he does that before every game.

“I do that every game, home or away,” said Watt after the Texans lost to the Patriots 41-28. “I go out to midfield. I jog out there, spit a little bit, wipe my feet off, then I go through my stretch. No drama there. That’s 100 percent what I do every game — home or away.”

So, that clears that up. Watt finished the game with four tackles, 1/2 sack and one quarterback hit. He was held swatless for the second game against New England this year.

With the Broncos eliminated from the playoffs, it would be tough for the Patriots not to look ahead and realize that if they beat the Houston Texans on Sunday, the AFC Championship Game would be played at Gillette Stadium. But former Patriots linebacker Matt Chatham says players have to look past that and just focus on the game against Houston.

Even after pummeling the Texans 42-14 in Week 14, the Patriots face a challenge on Sunday evening. Houston will try to get revenge against New England, and the Patriots found out in 2010 that a regular season victory doesn’t necessarily mean the same will occur in the playoffs. New England beat the Jets 45-3 in Week 13, then lost in the divisional round of the playoffs to New York 28-21.

Chatham will be doing color commentary for the BBC on Sunday, and he learned some new British slang for the broadcast. Watch the video above to hear why the former Patriots linebacker thinks the Patriots will be able to focus on the Texans despite the good news about home-field advantage, and to hear the new phrase he’ll be ending sentences with.

It’s the Patriots, and last we checked Bill Belichick was still their head coach. Did you ever expect the team to lose its focus?

During Week 14 the Patriots manhandled the Houston Texans 42-14. Now, in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs, the two squads are slated to go head-to-head once again. But just because the Texans are making a return trip to Foxboro, the Pats aren’t taking anything for granted — in fact, they’re giving full respect to Houston.

Check out some words from Vince Wilfork, Deion Branch and Rob Gronkowski as NESN Daily reports from Patriots practice on Tuesday.

When you break the Patriots-Texans matchup down to Tom Brady and Bill Belichick against Matt Schaub and Gary Kubiak, well, you start to think that maybe Dan Shaughnessy had a point in his column blasting Houston’s chances against New England.

It’s obvious that the Patriots’ quarterback and head coach hold an advantage over the Texans’ combination, but the question is, which is bigger? In Brady versus Schaub, you have a three-time Super Bowl Champion, who’s proven himself over and over again in the postseason, against a quarterback who won his first playoff game just days ago.

Kubiak has one more playoff win than his quarterback, but he still doesn’t stack up to Belichick, especially after the Texans dropped three of the last four games of the regular season and lost their first-round bye.

In NESN’s Two Sides debate, Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald took Brady over Schaub, while Mike Mutnansky of WEEI took Belichick over Kubiak. The two also tackle whether Mike Shanahan should have taken Robert Griffin III out against the Seahawks on Sunday.

Mutnansky won the debate, according to NESN Daily viewers, but which side are you taking? Watch the video above to watch Howe and Mutnansky tackle the important NFL issues.

Editor’s note: Each day during the week of Dec. 31, NESN.com will feature content based on key events from Robert Kraft’s tenure as owner of the Patriots. “Krafting a Legacy” will examine how the Patriots got to where they are today following Kraft’s purchase of the team.

Robert Kraft is not only well respected within his own organization. He’s considered by many to be one of the most influential owners in all of football.

At no point in NFL history was Kraft’s impact on the league more apparent than during and immediately following the 2011 NFL lockout. Despite spending his days alongside his ailing wife, Myra, Kraft still found time to be a key player in the painstaking labor negotiations.

Kraft’s involvement in getting a deal done and helping to ensure the NFL didn’t miss any games as a result of the labor dispute didn’t go unnoticed, either. Many of those associated with the negotiations or who followed the negotiations were quick to point out Kraft’s major rule, in some cases labeling him the man most responsible for saving the season.

When Jeff Saturday, a Pro Bowl center and member of the NFLPA Executive Committee, embraced Kraft at a news conference to announce that a deal had been struck, it was clear that Kraft was more than just a driving force at the bargaining table.

He was football’s savior.

Editor’s note: Each day during the week of Dec. 31, NESN.com will feature content based on key events from Robert Kraft’s tenure as owner of the Patriots. “Krafting a Legacy” will examine how the Patriots got to where they are today following Kraft’s purchase of the team.

Cold. Wet. Snowy. The night just screamed, “football.”

The evening in question is Jan. 19, 2002. Location: Foxboro Stadium.

The Patriots, led by a young whippersnapper by the name of Tom Brady, hosted Pro Bowl quarterback Rich Gannon and the Oakland Raiders in an AFC divisional round showdown. The Pats entered the contest on the heels of a six-game winning streak to close out the regular season, but there was still a great deal of curiosity about how Brady would fare in his first postseason as a starting quarterback.

The one thing that appeared to be working in New England’s favor was the weather, although Oakland’s experience had the potential to outweigh the unsavory conditions. In fact, it looked like the Raiders’ veteran poise would ultimately reign supreme, until one call helped change everything.

NESN.com caught up with some of those who closely followed the famous “Tuck Rule Game.” Check out the slideshow above to hear all about how one game changed the course of NFL history.

The bye week can be a complicated one for NFL teams. With no opponent to prepare for, practice becomes much different. For the Patriots this week, they worked on themselves. And despite a 12-4 record, they apparently had a lot to work on.

Tom Brady told the media Thursday the team was given a packet on what they had to do better. Wide receiver Deion Branch also mentioned that the team was working on things they need to improve on.

The Patriots now face a three-day weekend, and they’re going into it as healthy as you could expect for this time of year. On Wednesday, Brady, Rob Ninkovich and Dont’a Hightower all missed practice. On Thursday, they were all back to work.

Watch the video above to get an update on the Patriots’ bye week from The Boston Globe’s Shalise Manza Young.

Editor’s note: Each day during the week of Dec. 31, NESN.com will feature content based on key events from Robert Kraft’s tenure as owner of the Patriots. “Krafting a Legacy” will examine how the Patriots got to where they are today following Kraft’s purchase of the team.

Bill Belichick brought a 36-44 career head coaching record, a hefty price tag and a whole lot of unpredictability when he was hired as the Patriots’ head coach in 2000. Let’s just say things have worked out OK.

Amid the Patriots’ success over the past 12 years, which includes three Super Bowl wins and five Super Bowl appearances, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that the man sailing New England’s ship almost joined the division rival Jets before owner Robert Kraft made a bold, yet wise decision. Belichick was slated to become the Jets’ head coach in 2000 after Bill Parcells stepped down in the Meadowlands, but he shocked everyone by resigning on the spot during a news conference to introduce him as New York’s new head man.

The rest is history, as the Patriots obviously turned around and hired their former assistant coach, which paved the way for New England’s subsequent dominance. But it wasn’t without controversy.

The Jets, obviously upset with being snubbed, insisted that Belichick was still under contract with the team, and thus demanded compensation. Commissioner Paul Tagliabue agreed, and the Patriots and Jets were forced to enter into negotiations. The Pats ultimately paid a big price (at the time), but the Jets paid a bigger price in the long run by not being able to secure Belichick as Parcells’ successor.

It took more than three weeks of negotiations, but the Patriots and Jets finally agreed on compensation, with a first-round draft pick from New England being the centerpiece of the deal. The other pieces headed to the Jets included a 2001 fourth-round pick and a 2001 seventh-round pick. The Pats, meanwhile, received a 2001 fifth-round pick and a 2002 seventh-round pick addition to their new head coach.

So how did this play out? We all know what happened when it came to each team’s success, but while it’s tough to track draft picks, given the rapid pace at which they’re dealt in the NFL, we wanted to take a look at what exactly the exchanged draft picks turned into.

First, the big one. The 2001 first rounder that the Patriots sent to the Jets was seen as crazy by some at the time, especially since Belichick was hardly a proven head coach. Kraft may have said it best at the time, though, and his words are even truer in hindsight.

“For a No. 1 draft choice, we can bring in a man that I feel certain can do something, rather than the uncertainty of a draft choice,” Kraft said after hiring Belichick. “And it wasn’t even close when I thought about it that way.”

The first-round pick the Jets received ended up evolving into a nice pick, although it hardly compares to the impact Belichick has had in New England. The pick turned out to be the 16th-overall selection in the 2000 draft. The Jets shipped that pick and a second-round pick (48th overall) to the 49ers in exchange for their 12th overall pick. As a result, the Jets ended up with defensive tackle Shaun Ellis, while the Niners ended up with linebacker Julian Peterson and cornerback Jason Webster.

Ellis and Peterson would both go on to be Pro Bowlers, while Webster bounced around a little bit — even logging three games with the Pats in 2008. Ellis was a two-time Pro Bowler who recorded double-digit sack totals in 2003 and 2004. He last played in the league — ironically, with the Patriots — in 2011 but hasn’t caught on with a team since. Peterson became a five-time Pro Bowler — two with San Francisco and three with Seattle.

As for the other picks the Jets received from the Patriots as part of that now-famous Belichick trade, New York selected cornerback Jamie Henderson in the fourth round of 2001 with the 101st overall pick, and then selected defensive tackle James Reed in the seventh round of 2001 with the 206th overall pick. Henderson spent three seasons with the Jets before a motorcycle accident in April of 2004 derailed his career. Reed stuck around in New York for five seasons and then spent two seasons in Kansas City, playing his last game in 2007.

How about the Patriots? We all know the prize they netted, but they also received those draft picks, which is something Belichick likes to have at his disposal. The history of those picks is a little bit more difficult to track, as you’d expect, but it’s still fun to take a look.

The 2001 fifth-round pick the Patriots received turned out to be No. 149 overall. The Pats actually traded the pick, which was used to select quarterback Mike Mahon, to the Lions in exchange for a 2001 sixth-round pick and a 2001 seventh-round pick. The Patriots used the sixth-round pick (No. 180 overall) to select tight end Arthur Love, and then used the seventh-round pick (No. 216 overall) to select kicker Owen Pochman.

Don’t remember Love or Pochman? That’s because neither player ever suited up in a game for the Pats.

The 2002 seventh-round pick is even more tough to track, although the story features a name a little bit more meaningful to Patriots fans. The Patriots traded the pick, which turned out to be No. 234 overall and was used to select defensive end Greg Scott, along with a 2002 first-round pick (No. 32, Patrick Ramsey) and a 2002 third-round pick ( No. 96, Dorsett Davis) to the Redskins in exchange for a 2002 first-round pick. The Patriots used that first-round pick, which was the 21st overall selection, to nab tight end Daniel Graham.

Now, obviously, when looking back, one can’t say that Graham was part of the Belichick trade, as the Patriots parted ways with other parts — including their own first-round pick in that 2002 draft — to land the Colorado product. But it’s interesting to see what picks — or more appropriately, the trading of picks — can eventually turn into. Graham went on to spend five seasons in New England, although he never quite lived up to expectations.

So as we look back on the trade that brought Belichick to New England, it’s easy to come to one simple conclusion. The Patriots did all right for themselves — just as Kraft envisioned.

Have a look at the infographic below for an easier glimpse at the trade’s parts. Then, check out the video above to see what Patriots fans think of the Belichick deal these days.

The New England Patriots may have a bye week, but that certainly doesn’t mean they’re taking time off. The Patriots don’t know who they’re playing yet, but they’re using that as an advantage to get better overall, rather than concentrating on one opponent.

Tight end Aaron Hernandez summed it up best, saying it’s not a week off, it’s a week to get better. First-year Patriots Steve Gregory, Aqib Talib and Chandler Jones have obviously bought in to Bill Belichick‘s ways, because they shared Hernandez’s sentiments — that this is a week to improve.

The Boston Herald’s Jeff Howe kept NESN Daily Extra updated on everything that was going on at Gillette on Wednesday. Watch the video above to catch up on all things Patriots.

After reports came out that Tom Brady was heard yelling at the Patriots’ offense following the team’s close win against the Jaguars, everyone wondered how the team would perform in Week 17. Well, maybe New England’s quarterback should spend more time yelling at his team, because the Patriots came out firing on Sunday.

Kevin Faulk thought that Brady’s remarks may have motivated the team. Faulk said that sometimes as a leader, you have to know how to get every player on the same page, and Brady did just that prior to the team’s win against the Dolphins.

It was a full team win on Sunday, from Danny Woodhead and the Patriots’ offense to the pass rush and the defense. Watch the video above to hear NESN’s Dale Arnold and Faulk discuss the Patriots’ win on NESN Daily.

One of the biggest questions on Patriots fans’ mindson Sunday morning will be “Will he, or won’t he?” Play, that is, in reference to Patriots star tight end Rob Gronkowski.

Shalise Manza Young says she hasn’t heard a concrete answer, and Gronkowski’s status may depend on the results of the Texans’ and Ravens’ games. Young says that if the Texans lose, Gronk may not play, and if the Texans win, then he may.

The decision will ultimately come down to whether Gronkowski is fully recovered from his broken forearm. The Patriots won’t have a clear playoff picture until the end of their game (and the Broncos’ game, which is being played at the same time).

Check out the video above to hear all of Young’s thoughts on Gronk’s status.

If anyone knows how the Patriots’ locker room gets hours before kickoff in Week 17, it’s three-time Super Bowl champion Matt Chatham. The former Patriots linebacker says that rather than spending that time monitoring the rest of the league, the team should be getting prepared to go all out against the Dolphins.

Chatham said the Patriots will be able to watch the 1 p.m. games until an hour before game time. While Tom Brady and the rest of the Pats may not know what’s going on in the Texans’ or Ravens’ games, the coaches will, and they’ll adapt as necessary before game time.

Regardless of the outcome of the 1 p.m. games, Chatham thinks the young New England team should be going all out against the Dolphins. Young teams have a tendency to feed off momentum, he said.

Hear all of Chatham’s thoughts on the Patriots’ ”scoreboard watching” in the video above.

You were expecting Bill Belichick to say something more exciting.

The Patriots’ head coach has long been known as someone to never stray off message, and that wasn’t changing Friday, the Pats’ second-to-last practice before playing Miami on Sunday. The Patriots are facing several playoff scenarios going into their final game, but the only thing the team can control at this point is its performance against the Dolphins, so leave it to Belichick to keep the team’s eyes on the prize.

Check out a snippet of Belichick’s Friday news conference, as well as some analysis from Matt Chatham, in the video above from NESN Daily.