49ers v Patriots - Brady goes back home

In the NFL, the media don't get much when it comes to the inside track. One of the most common heard is 'how every game is important and how each week must be treated like any other'. Although, it is a bit special for star QB Tom Brady.

The New England Patriots’ quarterback, who grew up in San Mateo waving foam fingers at Candlestick Park and “banging pots and pans on the El Camino” when the 49ers won Super Bowls, will play his hometown team on its turf for the first time in his 17-year career. The only other time New England visited over that span was 2008, when Brady was out because of a knee injury and Matt Cassel started in his place.

Brady spoke to the Sacramento Bee:

His homecoming means Brady, 39, had to procure a lot of tickets – “more than ever,” he said – for all of the aunts, uncles, cousins, coaches and boyhood pals who want to see him play in person.

“I’m happy to do it,” he said. “I may never get the opportunity again. So it’s nice to have all the support. And I’ve had a lot (of support) from the Bay Area over the years, my high school, my elementary schools. I still have so many friends from growing up.”

Brady described his boyhood self not as a someone who merely followed the 49ers but as a breathless superfan, or in his words “part of the 49er faithful.”

The quarterback worshipped the likes of Montana, Young, Roger Craig and John Taylor but when the 49ers invited him to workout in 2000 before the draft they weren't impressed. I bet they regret that decision now.

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