The one play that broke him: Tom Brady’s dark confession about the Eagles’ ‘Philly Special’

Tom Brady has more Super Bowl rings than any franchise in the NFL. Therefore, you should assume he doesn’t have much regrets or bad memories. In the end, he is the undisputed G.O.A.T of the sport. But, if you know Tom Brady, you also know he always has a chip on his shoulder, and he revealed one play lives rent free in his mind thanks to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Brady is a FOX Sports analyst nowadays. In a segment called ‘Storytime with Tom‘, he revealed that Super Bowl LII, and the ‘Philly Special‘ specifically, still give him nightmares. “That was a crushing defeat for a lot of reasons,” Brady said. “Any time I see a trick play from the Eagles, I get PTSD... And that’s not fun when you’re a broadcaster calling a game.”

Brady wasn’t responsible for that Super Bowl loss, though. During Super Bowl LII, Brady completed 28/48 passes for 505 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions and a 115.4 passe rating. It’s arguably one of the best games in his career individually.

The actual blame falls on someone else

Nick Foles was the quarterback for the Eagles. He also had a pretty good game, having 373 yards, three touchdowns and one interception for a 106.1 passer rating. Now, as weird as it sounds, it was Patriots’ head coach Bill Belichick the one who helped Foles have that kind of game. Why? He benched cornerback Malcolm Butler.

Belichick had a personal issue with Butler, and he benched him. Butler was New England’s second-highest-rated CB that season according to Pro Football Focus. Not only that, he was a clutch player who already won Super Bowls with the team and actually played a big part in those victories. ESPN’s Seth Wickersham said Butler was benched due to a screaming match he had with Matt Patricia in practice. Belichick’s ego got in the way of a probable Super Bowl win.

Brady will return to Minnesota

Super Bowl LII was the last time Brady played in Minnesota. Now, he will be back as a broadcaster for the Bears vs. Vikings game. For a guy as competitive as Brady, reliving all these moments must be a bittersweet moment.

While he still loves talking ball, it’s inevitable for him to just forget or ignore all the memories he lived as a player. It’s one of the more challenging things for him in his new duties as an analyst.