Laith Agha of the Monterey Herald writes that 30 Stevenson School football players received a first-person account of what it took to become Tom Brady, NFL superstar. Brady addressed the students and spoke of a path to the top that wasn't covered with a red carpet. He described how nothing was handed to him, from the time he was a backup quarterback on a freshman high school team in San Mateo that didn't win a game, to being seventh on the depth chart his freshman year at the University of Michigan, to being drafted by the New England Patriots with no guarantee that he would make the team, let alone have a chance to take over as the starting quarterback. But it wasn't his success that Brady focused on sharing. "The message I try to get across to them is that the only thing you can control is your attitude," Brady said. "If your attitude isn't good, then you're going to have a tough time with a lot of things -- whatever you choose to do. Hopefully they got the message."
Mike Reiss of the Boston Globe offers his Patriots offseason primer, a multimedia presentation which discusses the Patriots areas of need, free agency and the draft.
Susan Bickelhaupt of the Boston Globe writes that ESPN, which is taking over the Monday broadcast, will have the same name and the same music that viewers have come to know over the past 36 years. But the crew in the booth will be drastically different.Play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico will be joined by Joe Theismann and Kornheiser as analysts. Suzy Kolber and Michele Tafoya will be the sideline reporters.
Mike Reiss of the Boston Globe offers his daily sports blog with Patriots notes. Reiss is reporting in his blog that the Patriots have hired South Dakota Tech defensive coordinator Josh Boyer as a quality control coach, according to the school. Boyer served as defensive coordinator at South Dakota Tech last season, and he previously coached at Kent State, where new Patriots defensive coordinator Dean Pees was head coach (1998-2003). A quality control coach is often responsible for breaking down opponents' film, scouting preparations and practice assistance.
Tom Curran of the Providence Journal offers his NFL notebook. Curran reports that two days after the Steelers beat the Seahawks, 21-10, in the NFL title game, the league said Tuesday that no mistakes were made by the game officials, although Seattle coach Mike Holmgren might disagree. "The game was properly officiated, including, as in most NFL games, some tight plays that produced disagreement about the calls made by the officials," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said in a statement.
Tom Curran of the Providence Journal offers his daily sports blog with Patriots notes and commentary.
