Patriots Notes: Adam Gase Considers Tom Brady ‘League-Changing-Type Player’

FOXBORO, Mass. — A collection of notes from Wednesday as the New England Patriots prepare for their final game of the 2016 regular season:

— Adam Gase is a big Tom Brady fan. Except when he’s coaching against him.

The Miami Dolphins coach has seen plenty of Brady from his time with the Denver Broncos, and he heaped praise on the Patriots quarterback during a conference call with New England reporters.

“It’s probably right on course for what you would expect when he came back,” Gase said of Brady’s performance since his return from suspension in Week 5. “You knew he was going to come back and do exactly what he is doing — cutting people up and moving the ball and being an impactful leader and finding ways to score points and win games. He has done it his whole career.

“I’ve seen him play so many times being in Denver and unfortunately been on the wrong side of the scoreboard a lot of times. But sometimes when you get to see a guy like that play, people take it for granted, and I was lucky enough to be around a future Hall of Famer and when you look back on it, you really appreciate what guys like Tom and Peyton (Manning) bring to the table, because they’re really league-changing-type players. They make the league better.

“All of those young guys look up to a guy like Tom, and they want to be like him, and they want to do the things that he has done. He has been nothing but the ultimate pro and ultimate competitor. He’s a fun guy to watch play when you’re not playing him. When you’re playing him, it’s a very frustrating thing.”

Gase’s Dolphins host Brady and the Patriots on Sunday.

— For those interested, here’s what Julian Edelman’s mountain-man beard currently looks like:

If the Patriots reach the Super Bowl, that thing might be down to his chest.

— Informed that longtime NFL special teams coach Bruce DeHaven had died of cancer Tuesday night, Patriots coach Bill Belichick took a moment to pay tribute to the veteran assistant.

“Bruce is a great guy,” said Belichick, who spent time as a special teams coach early in his career. “He’s one of the real good guys. I never worked with him, but yeah, he was always one of the — I mean, when I came in there were no special teams coaches really to speak of. He was one of the, I’d say, first wave of lifers kind of at that position. … That’s sad. I always enjoyed seeing him.”

DeHaven coached the Buffalo Bills’ special teamers from 1987 to 1999. During that time, his team was on the wrong end of two of the most memorable plays in NFL history: Scott Norwood’s missed field goal in Super Bowl XX against the New York Giants and the Music City Miracle. Belichick was on the opposite sideline for the former, as he was the Giants defensive coordinator at the time.

DeHaven went on to hold the same position with the San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Seattle Seahawks and, most recently, Carolina Panthers. He also spent another stint with the Bills from 2010 to 2012.

— In a conference call with Miami reporters, Belichick was asked whether he considers former Dolphins great Jason Taylor a Hall of Famer.

“Well, my memories of him weren’t real good,” Belichick said. “We had a lot of trouble with him. He was a great player, had great length, and speed, quickness, tremendous pass rusher. … He’s a tough guy to match up against. A tremendous player, had a great, long career down there. Yeah, he’s one of the better players we’ve played against in the time that I’ve been here in New England. He was a tough matchup. I know (Tom) Brady never liked to see him. Neither did (former Patriots tackle Matt) Light.”

Taylor played 13 of his 15 NFL seasons in Miami, meaning the Patriots had to face him 28 times between 1997 and 2011. The defensive end tallied 14 sacks in those games and recorded three of his eight career interceptions against New England.

Thumbnail photo via David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports Images