- I want to apologize in advance for one of the most awkward Media
Day reports in the long and storied history of ESPN 360. After the festivities were complete inside University of Phoenix Stadium, a nice young man handed me a mic and asked me to introduce a video package.
As I began talking, a member of the stadium's rather aggressive security staff placed his finger across his throat. This seemed like a perfectly good time to wrap up my report, so I started talking as quickly as possible. If anyone is interested, I'll try to link to the report later.
- I'm afraid the Spanish-language networks are taking this thing too seriously. A reporter from TV Azteca wore a wedding gown and asked seven different Giants players to marry her. A Telemundo reporter dressed as a fortune teller predicted rain for Sunday's game.
- Patriots coach Bill Belichick was as relaxed as I've ever seen him. On Monday, he was blowing off a reporter who asked about football's "global impact." But today, he was giddy by his standards. He talked at length about Tom Brady's development as a quarterback.
"His rookie year he did not play at all. He was basically the fourth quarterback, but he did a great job on the scout teams. We were a very young team with about 23 rookies and we had him keep those guys out for practice and they would run our plays and go through our game plan so everybody knew their assignments. You could really see some of Tom's leadership taking over at that point even though it was with other rookies."
"You could see him handle the team, handle the call, getting people lined up and making sure everybody knew what to do. The following year he had a good offseason and a good training camp and he beat out Damon Huard for the backup quarterback spot. Then he had the opportunity when Drew Bledsoe got hurt against the Jets. He improved as a player significantly in about a calendar year."
- Randy Moss took some time to discuss his future with the Patriots. He admitted that the only reason he talked was because he didn't want to receive a fine from the league.
"As a New England Patriot, I would love to finish my career just for the fact of they have everything that you want in a football organization. They handle things from the top all the way to the bottom, and they do a good job of that. With coach Belichick and his coaching staff, we have a lot of fun. The fun that we have is not on the field, it's outside the locker room. For me to be able to say that I would love to become a New England Patriot and finish my career here, that is something that I can really believe in."
- We hope you enjoyed our Media Day coverage. We had about eight writers, photographers and editors pitch in. Thanks to everyone who joined us.
- Giants GM Jerry Reese has become one of my favorite guys in the league. Incredibly humble and always available. OK, I'll check back a little later. It's time for "Tuesdays With Mosley" to begin.
