FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — From the six gleaming Lombardi Trophies that welcome you the moment you step off the elevator into the team's business offices, to the New England Patriots Hall of Fame that's just outside the main entrance to the stadium, to the massive banners that hang in the south end zone reminding everyone of those half-dozen Super Bowl wins in just 17 years, The Standard is everywhere at Gillette Stadium.
And on Sunday, the physical embodiment of The Standard, Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr., was on hand to be feted for the memories he provided and the wins he was part of and the miracles it seemed he sometimes conjured up.,"one thing that's for sure and will never change is I am a Patriot for life" — these days and believe The Standard is being met.
Time has passed since his last game with the Patriots, but everything about Brady remains familiar to fans, and so many of the things he did here remain familiar to him. As the opening strains of his signature warm-up entry music, Jay Z's"Public Service Announcement," began to play, Brady unzipped a navy blue windbreaker to reveal his now-iconic No.
On Sunday, Jones was tagged with a pick-six on New England's first possession, a pass intended for Kendrick Bourne that was high and a little wide; Bourne batted the ball up, Eagles corner Darius Slay happily caught it, and wove his way downfield for a 70-yard score to put Philadelphia up 10-0. New England did battle back, and for a moment it seemed like Brady's magic was available just by him being in the building — a 6-play, 75-yard drive ended with an 11-yard touchdown pass to a shockingly wide-open Bourne with just under four minutes to play and cut the deficit to five.