FOXBORO, Mass. — Some leftover notes and nuggets from Friday’s New England Patriots media availability at Gillette Stadium:
— Before Friday’s practice, which was held inside the Empower Field House, The Camera Guys from NBC Sports Boston captured quarterback Tom Brady breaking out some sweet dance moves — or, more accurately, some Sweet Feet dance moves.
Brady later said he learned the dance from Patriots running back James “Sweet Feet” White, who has used it to celebrate touchdowns in the past.
“That’s his move, so he was trying to teach me something out there,” Brady said. “He’s pretty good at it. I have a long way to go.”
White, who said the dance is called the “Kodak Bop,” agreed with that assessment.
“He’s got a lot of work to do,” White said with a laugh.
It’s been a long time since Brady had an opportunity to bust out a touchdown celebration. He hasn’t rushed for a touchdown since divisional round of the 2015 playoffs against the Kansas City Chiefs.
“I’m going home tonight and going to be working on it,” the QB said. “See if I can get in the end zone and do something special.”
— Given the difficulty the Patriots’ defense has had defending the run this season, it sounds a bit odd to commend the performance of one of their defensive tackles. But Lawrence Guy has been arguably the team’s best player on that side of the ball with standout defensive end Trey Flowers (concussion) sidelined.
“I think Lawrence has done a really good job for us in a lot of ways on and off the field,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. “Run, pass, technique, communication. Yeah, he’s been a really valuable player for us.”
Guy, who signed with the Patriots before last season, enters the weekend as the fifth-highest-graded interior defender by Pro Football Focus. He’s received the fourth-highest grade for run defense, one spot ahead of Los Angeles Rams superstar Aaron Donald.
“He’s a hard guy to block, and he’s big,” Belichick said. “He uses his hands well. He’s an instinctive player. He recognizes blocking schemes and play-action and things like that. He’s done a good job. He works hard, and he’s gotten a lot better.”
Guy’s nine run stops through three games (defined by Pro Football Focus as “an offensive gain on first down that is kept to less than 40 percent of the line to gain, less than 50 percent of the line to gain on second down and any third- or fourth-down play kept without a first down or touchdown”) are tied for second-most in the league.
For more grades, advanced statistics and more at Pro Football Focus, go to ProFootballFocus.com.
