New England Patriots - NESN.com
Tom Brady showed more love to the New England Patriots after a narrow Week 9 win.
In his latest power rankings, the legendary quarterback moved his former team up two spots to No. 6. Brady dusted off an old moniker to celebrate the success of his ex-teammate, head coach Mike Vrabel.
“The Pats have all the intangibles dialed in and look like a classic New England football team. We haven’t seen that in a few years,” Brady said. “We need a name for this kind of thing. What are we calling it? The Vrabel Way? Kind of catchy, isn’t it?”
The Patriots jumped to 7-2 with a 24-23 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. They’re drawing more recognition as a legitimate contender with a strong chance to make the postseason.
There are no clear-cut Super Bowl favorites in a wide-open NFL landscape, which Brady made apparent by dragging the Indianapolis Colts to No. 10 a week after giving them his top spot. He instead awarded the No. 1 position back to the Philadelphia Eagles, who rebounded from back-to-back losses with wins over the Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants.
The Patriots could make a strong case to infiltrate Brady’s top five by defeating his other former team this Sunday. Vrabel takes his surging squad on the road to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, whom Brady ranked third behind the Eagles and Buffalo Bills amid a 6-2 start.
“The Bucs come off their bye week at No. 3, setting up a huge showdown with the Pats in Tampa,” Brady said. “We’ve got two teams who might feel like they have something to prove. You got to like that, and that usually results in a great football game. Just don’t ask me to pick any sides here.”
