If there’s a little extra hop in Tom Brady’s step this Sunday, no one would blame him.
The last time the Chicago Bears visited Gillette Stadium on Nov. 26, 2006, Brady nearly broke linebacker Brian Urlacher’s ankles with a shifty juke move on a pivotal 11-yard scamper.
Brady, never known for being fleet-footed, picked up a first down on third-and-9, prolonging a drive that eventually ended with the New England Patriots grabbing a 17-10 lead in the fourth quarter. The Pats won the game 17-13.
“Somehow that always gets brought up, too, when we play these guys,” Brady told reporters Wednesday in Foxboro. “There weren’t many of those (plays) in my career, so it’s pretty easy to count them all on one hand when something like that happens.”
Brady was fired up after juking Urlacher out of his shoes. And for good reason. The shock value was through the roof that fateful night.
“I think I had the benefit of having the ball in my hand, so I kind of pumped it and he got a little off balance,” Brady said. “Yeah, I think it still surprised a lot of guys on my team, and it surprised me, too. It probably surprised him.”
Urlacher, who retired after the 2012 season, was an eight-time Pro Bowler who led some vaunted Bears defenses. The memorable first-down dash — more specifically, the juke — is one more thing Brady can brag about to his children someday.
“They’re probably still too young to know that at this point. To figure out what dad does yet is still kind of confusing for them,” Brady said. “One day, you’re right. He’ll be in the Hall of Fame someday, so it’ll probably be the only time I’ve made a Hall of Famer miss.”
Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@ClassicNFLPic
