Tom Brady should know better than anyone that the winners get to do the talking.
The New England Patriots quarterback has done more winning than just about any player in the history of sports, but that wasn’t the case Sunday afternoon in Nashville where the Tennessee Titans battered the Patriots 34-10.
After the game, former Patriots running back Dion Lewis let his old organization have it, saying the Patriots went “cheap” in not re-signing him, and when you go cheap, “you get your ass kicked.”
Lewis clearly was riding the high of a big win for the Titans, so Brady said he wasn’t offended or anything by his former teammate’s comments.
“It’s an emotional thing,” Brady said Monday morning during an interview with “Kirk and Callahan” on WEEI. “I think people have different emotional feelings. Dion had a great career here. It’s hard to see great players go and I know it’s not the first time it’s happened, it has happened to a lot of guys. I am sure when they go to different places they want to beat us, absolutely. I can understand that emotion. We’ve had guys come from other teams and they have wanted to beat that team. It’s just part of the sport.
“I give them credit; they beat us. When you win, you can say a lot of things. That is the reality of winning. We’ll just take our lumps and try and learn from them. And come out here and do a lot better job in the next six weeks.”
Lewis did have a rather pedestrian day for the Titans on Sunday, rushing 20 times for just 57 yards. He also caught a pair of passes for a meager 11 yards.
New England really hasn’t missed a beat without Lewis, who signed a four-year, $28 million deal with Tennessee in the offseason. James White has filled the role admirably, although he arguably had his most ineffective game of the season Sunday — as did most Patriots.
So even if Lewis’ comments are slightly misguided, it’s easy to understand how someone could get caught up in the moment after a big win. Brady certainly understands that, too.
