If the New England Patriots truly have their sights set on Kliff Kingsbury, it seems like the former Texas Tech head coach would love a chance to once again work with Tom Brady.
The Patriots quarterback on Monday praised Kingsbury’s football mind, as the USC offensive coordinator has been mentioned as a potential successor to Josh McDaniels, if and when the Patriots current OC takes a head-coaching job.
Brady and Kingsbury go way back, specifically to 2003 after New England drafted the QB in the sixth round out of Texas Tech. Kingsbury spent one season in Foxboro on injured reserve before moving on. He eventually landed with the Jets where he appeared in one career game before eventually getting into coaching.
As Kingsbury flirts with the NFL — some are speculating he’s already resigned from USC — a random video from the Texas Tech Athletics YouTube page seems to indicate Brady left a lasting impression on Kingsbury.
In a behind-the-scenes video from Red Raiders fall camp, a player asked Kingsbury where he fell on the Brady vs. Aaron Rodgers debate.
“I gotta go with my boy (Brady),” Kingsbury tells the player. “Rodgers is like the most talented guy ever, but I’ve gotta go with Brady.”
Earlier in the video, Kingsbury is seen working with one of his quarterbacks and uses Brady as an example within his coaching.
Texas Tech ultimately fired Kingsbury after the 2018 season, but it wasn’t long before he landed the USC job. After accepting the job with the Trojans, he went on “The Dan Patrick Show” where the conversation eventually turned toward Brady.
“When you get there as a rookie and I remember thinking to myself ‘I don’t know if I could ever be close to as good as this guy no matter what happens,'” Kingsbury recalled. “When you get to watch him on a daily basis, the work he puts in, just how in command he is in every aspect of his training and mental approach, it’s just insane. … You could tell on a daily basis that he wanted to be the best ever.”
Kingsbury also told a recent story about Brady from a mutual friend’s recent wedding in Baker’s Bay, Jamaica. With the wedding on Saturday, the old friends gathered for a late night on Friday that left Kingsbury hurting the next morning. Brady, on the other hand …
“I’m taking a golf cart and I see this cat like by himself in this field and I’m like what is going on?” Kingsbury recalled. “And I pull up, and it’s Saturday morning in May and Brady is out there with his assistant doing resistance bands, drops, sprints and throwing. This is no kidding. In this magical resort, post-long night of the pre-wedding party and getting his work in throwing the football and doing all (these things), it’s insane. And this is year, whatever, 18 for him, and he still has that type of discipline and work ethic.”
Sounds like both sides wouldn’t mind a reunion in the not-so-distant future.
