Rodney Harrison wouldn’t be surprised if Bill Belichick, to some degree, uses Tom Brady’s departure as a motivational tool for the 2020 Patriots.
That said, Harrison doesn’t believe that’s something New England’s head coach needs to do. The former safety is sure there’s already a collective chip on the shoulders of this year’s Patriots.
The upcoming campaign will mark New England’s first without Brady since 1999. To make the turning of the page even more unsettling for Patriots fans, it sure looks as though the keys will be passed off to Jarrett Stidham, a second-year pro who’s yet to make an NFL start. New England’s quarterback depth chart is being considered among the worst in the league as the regular season approaches, a notion Harrison believes could be referenced by Belichick.
“(Belichick) might bring up a couple articles … everybody saying it’s over, Brady this, Brady that,” Harrison told the Boston Herald’s Karen Guregian. “Of course he’ll say something about that. But at the end of the day, whether he makes the point or not, he knows the team will be motivated to prove they can win without Tom.”
Harrison continued: “It’s not just talk, not with the Patriots. It’s a chip you carry in the weight room, you carry in the film room, in the dining room, you carry at home watching extra film, it’s a chip that motivates you. It’s motivating for people to say you can’t win without Brady. I know I would be pissed. … So these guys are going to be motivated, pumped up and ready to go.”
Considering the type of competitor he is, we imagine Brady is equally as motivated to prove he can succeed outside of Foxboro.
