During various investigations while he was in office, Mr. Trump has struggled to find — or retain — lawyers to defend him, and the announcement of Mr. Bowers’s hiring capped weeks of frantic searching.
Mr. Trump’s lawyers from his impeachment trial last year are not expected to be involved this time. They include Jay Sekulow, the former White House counsel Pat A. Cipollone and his deputy, Pat Philbin, and another lawyer who worked in the West Wing, Eric Herschmann.
Rudolph W. Giuliani, who worked as Mr. Trump’s personal lawyer during the special counsel’s investigation into whether the Trump campaign in 2016 had colluded with Russian officials, has made no secret of wanting to defend Mr. Trump in the second impeachment trial.
But Mr. Giuliani is a potential witness because he spoke at a rally of Trump supporters on Jan. 6, hours before hundreds marched to the Capitol and rioted. Almost all of Mr. Trump’s advisers blame Mr. Giuliani, who encouraged Mr. Trump’s desire to find ways to overturn the election results and to call their legitimacy into question, for the latest impeachment.
They also blame him in part for Mr. Trump’s first impeachment, which was driven by the former president’s interest in pressuring Ukraine to investigate the Biden family. Mr. Giuliani repeatedly encouraged Mr. Trump to believe baseless allegations related to Mr. Biden’s son, Hunter, and his business activities in Ukraine.
The second impeachment trial is set to begin on Feb. 9. This week, 45 Republican senators voted in support of a measure brought forward by Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky calling the trial unconstitutional because Mr. Trump is no longer in office. That all but five Republican senators voted to challenge the constitutionality of the trial suggested a likely acquittal for Mr. Trump.
Democrats have pushed back, noting that Mr. Trump was impeached by the House while still in office.
Still, the question of constitutionality is likely to be a key part of Mr. Trump’s defense. And his advisers were buoyed by the show of Republican support for the Paul measure, believing it was an indication that Mr. Trump would be spared a conviction.
Even with a 46-player roster that has the locker room busting at its seams, sixth-year Baylor baseball coach Steve Rodriguez is trying to make his team as flexible as possible.
"With the (COVID-19) virus happening . . . our guys know they're going to have to learn a lot of different positions," said Rodriguez, whose team went through its first full-squad workout on Friday. "Our infielders are learning each spot; our outfielders are learning each spot. We're trying to prepare for some of those things that might arise. Hopefully, they don't. But, if they do, we're going to be ahead of the curve."
Unquestionably his deepest team, Rodriguez has a seasoned pitching staff led by Preseason All-Big 12 pick Luke Boyd returning to the closing role, weekend starters in Hayden Kettler, Jimmy Winston, Tyler Thomas and Evan Godwin, bullpen bulldogs in Ryan Leckich and Logan Freeman and younger arms like Luke Thompson, Zac Childers and Will Rigney.
"The majority of the excess is definitely on the pitching side," Rodriguez said of a roster that includes 23 pitchers and one two-way player in outfielder/left-handed pitcher Cam Caley. "That's a bonus for us, just because it gives us some depth in that pitching staff and into the bullpen. And with those Super Seniors coming back, it makes it pretty nice for (pitching coach Jon Strauss) to know he can rely on some veterans in the back end of the game."
Boyd, who had a seamless transition to the closer role with six saves, one win, a 0.82 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 11.0 innings, said his confidence in the pitching staff is "almost unlimited."
"Leckich and Freeman, their numbers speak for themselves," Boyd said. "If I didn't have them in front of me last year, I wouldn't have had the season I had. With Hayden Kettler, maybe he doesn't have the same velocity he used to have, but he's an absolute vicious competitor. I don't know anyone in the nation . . . that could throw 83 to 85 MPH and shut out Arkansas for five innings. I'll go to war with him any day."
The highlight of a COVID-shortened 2020 season was the Bears (10-6) sweeping Arkansas, LSU and Missouri at the Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic at Minute Maid Park.
"It shows that when we execute, we can compete with anyone at any time," said Boyd, who got the save in each of the wins. "It's a great stepping stone. I know that's in the past, I don't know that it helps us this year, but it is a good experience to have under our belt. It lets us know that we should have confidence no matter who we're facing."
Opening this season with a three-game series at home against Jacksonville State (Feb. 19-21), Baylor will get a similar test the next week when the Bears face Texas A&M, Auburn and Oklahoma in the Round Rock Classic at Dell Diamond.
"(Those games are) huge, just because its going to really prepare us to get into conference play," Rodriguez said. "The conference is going to be really good this year, and I think we have a really good team, I really do. Just the depth we have, the overall talent, and this is an interesting group of baseball players. Their skill level is pretty impressive, and their knowledge of the game makes my job really easy."
Catcher Andy Thomas, one of the "Super Seniors," said he gets the "same juice," whether it's the opening weekend or "the seven series against a team that's not very good."
"The talent may be better on the field, but we've still got to play the exact same game," said Thomas, a career .323 hitter who as named to the Preseason All-Big 12 team along with Boyd and freshman outfielder Jared McKenzie. "Whether it's a midweek or Friday night, I get the same juiced-up. That might be a little bit of the fifth year coming out, but some of our younger guys will definitely have some nerves for that Round Rock tournament."
Rodriguez said one of the team's keys for success this season will be having a veteran like Thomas leading the pitching staff behind the plate. Named to the Butch Posey Award watch list a year ago, he took over for All-American and first-round draft pick Shea Langeliers.
"He's just in a very key spot on the field that allows us to really rely on him to work with the pitchers and Coach Strauss and also help manage that bullpen as well," Rodriguez said.
Boyd said Thomas's baseball IQ is "like having another coach on the field."
"It makes it really easy that me and him and (Strauss) are always on the same page," Boyd said. "Having him back there and me focused on whatever he calls with his fingers, it makes me very comfortable in any situation I trust him more than anything."
The conference runner-up to Texas Tech two years ago in the last-completed season, Baylor was picked eighth out of nine teams in the coaches' preseason poll that was released earlier this week.
"We're always underrated, doesn't matter what it is. And we love to be there," Thomas said. "We'd rather be at the bottom and rise to the top than vice versa. It motivates us a little bit, but we don't spend too much time on it. We just go through our process and get the job done."
Before last season was cut short, Baylor had made three-consecutive NCAA regionals under Rodriguez.
"You've got to stay healthy," Rodriguez said. "When you're healthy, you have an opportunity to do some really good things. When you're not healthy, you're usually trying to put Band-Aids on certain things and it doesn't go well."
The Grizzlies finished the first half shooting 50.0 from 3-point range and 60.5 from the field.
Key Run of the Night
After both teams went back and forth to start, the Grizzlies went on a 14-4 run to take a 14-9 lead over San Antonio.
Game Recap
The Memphis Grizzlies won their first of two-consecutive away games vs. the San Antonio Spurs scoring a season-high in points with a 129-112 win on Saturday night inside AT&T Center.
Both the Grizzlies and Spurs found their rhythm from the start of the first quarter and scored on four consecutive trips to the basket. Brandon Clarke scored the first five points for Memphis. After both teams went back and forth to start, the Grizzlies went on a 14-4 run to take a 14-9 lead over San Antonio. LaMarcus Aldridge led the Spurs with 10 points in the first quarter, and with his second 3-pointer of the quarter brought the Spurs back to tie the game 20-20 with (5:14) left to play. Memphis ended the quarter on a 10-2 run and lead the Spurs 35-27 to finish the first. During the first quarter, the Grizzlies shot above 60 percent from both the field and three.
The Spurs fought back in the first few minutes of the second quarter, coming within two points, 38-36 with 9:25 remaining in the first half. The Grizzlies went on a 15-6 run with (1:28) left in the second quarter, extending to a 61-50 lead. Despite eight second quarter turnovers, the Grizzlies led the Spurs 64-56 to end the half. The Grizzlies finished the first half shooting 50.0 from 3-point range and 60.5 from the field. De’Anthony Melton and Kyle Anderson led the Grizzlies with 11 points each.
The two teams traded buckets to start the third quarter, but with Ja Morant leading the way with eight points in under two minutes, the Grizzlies went on a 19-7 run, extending their lead to 87-69. The Spurs fought back with a 13-5 run of their own, thanks to three consecutive 3-pointers, to pull within 10 points, 92-82, with (3:13) left in the third. After a 36-point quarter, Memphis led the Spurs 100-90.
Defense was the story to start the fourth quarter. San Antonio would pull within five points with (5:02) remaining in the game, but the Grizzlies would then go on their own run with back-to-back 3-pointers, extending their lead 15 with (2:25) left in the contest. Memphis would finish the game shooting 56.0 percent from the field and 48.6 from 3-point range.
Melton led all scorers with a new season-high of 20 points off the bench. Morant finished with a double-double with 19 points and 11 assists, while passing Blue Edwards for 19th on the Grizzlies All Time assists list with 528. Anderson finished with 16 points, shooting 2-of-2 from 3-point range. Gorgui Dieng and Desmond Bane both scored 15 points off the bench and Bane shot 3-for-3 from the 3-point line. The Grizzlies bench scored 60 points and every Grizzlies player that played in tonight’s match up scored. In addition to having 30 or more assists in four out the last five gives with 34 tonight, the Grizzlies also made a new season high in 3-pointers with 17. For the first time in franchise history, Memphis moves to 5-1 on the road and 8-6 for the season.
The Spurs finished the game with seven players in double figures. Derrick White led the Spurs off the bench with 18 points. Dejounte Murray finished the game with 15 points and seven assists. Aldridge finished with 14 points and two rebounds. The Grizzlies held DeMar DeRozan to only five points. Spurs fall to 11-9.
Next Game
The Grizzlies will once again face the San Antonio Spurs on Monday, Feb. 1, at 7:30 p.m. inside AT&T Center. Fans can watch the game on FOX Sports Southeast or listen on 92.9 FM ESPN.
Player Notes
De'Anthony Melton led all scorers with a new season-high of 20 points off the bench
Ja Morant finished with a double-double with 19 points and 11 assists
Gorgui Dieng and Desmond Bane both scored 15 points off the bench and Bane shot 3-for-3 from the 3-point line
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is signaling a tougher line with the Taliban than his predecessor, with top officials warning that a planned U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in May could be delayed if the insurgents fail to live up to their promises.
A flurry of statements and comments from the White House, State Department and Pentagon this week left no doubt that the Biden administration had a skeptical view of a shaky peace process launched by former President Donald Trump and the Taliban's willingness to sever ties with Al Qaeda and other extremists.
The administration, which said it was carrying out a review of the situation in Afghanistan, faces a series of difficult choices that will force officials to weigh the risk of a Taliban takeover. Any delay in a U.S. troop pull-out could trigger an escalation of violence and prompt the Taliban to abandon peace negotiations with its adversaries in the Kabul government, former U.S. officials and military officers say.
Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said on Friday that the administration is "taking a hard look at the extent to which the Taliban are in fact complying" with provisions of a U.S.-Taliban deal signed last year.
The February 2020 agreement called for the withdrawal of U.S.-led troops by May 2021 in return for the Taliban breaking with terrorist groups, sharply reducing violence and entering into peace negotiations with the Afghan government.
Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said on Thursday the Taliban were failing to abide by their pledges under the deal, which was supposed to open the door to a peace settlement between the insurgents and the U.S.-backed Kabul government.
President Joe Biden speaks before signing executive orders on health care, in the Oval Office of the White House on Jan. 28, 2021.Mandel Ngan / AFP - Getty Images
"Without them meeting their commitments to renounce terrorism and to stop the violent attacks against the Afghan National Security Forces, it's very hard to see a specific way forward for the negotiated settlement," said Kirby. "But we're still committed to that."
In another break with the former administration, Biden's team also has made a point of underscoring the importance of human rights and women's rights in Afghanistan. The Taliban, known for their draconian rule and repression of Afghan women during their reign from 1996-2001, made no pledges on the status of women in their agreement with the United States.
In his call with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, Biden's top diplomat, Antony Blinken, said any peace settlement needed to preserve "the progress made over the last 20 years with regard to human rights, civil liberties, and the role of women in Afghan society."
Sept. 12, 202001:00
The shift in tone was welcomed by the Afghan government, which had complained it was shut out of the negotiations between Washington and the Taliban. President Ashraf Ghani said on Friday he was heartened by the new team's approach and what he called its "early, focused, systematic attention."
Although the Biden administration indicated it was prepared to put the brakes on withdrawal plans if necessary, it has chosen to retain Trump's peace envoy to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, at least for the time being.
Khalilzad, the architect of the U.S.-Taliban agreement, has strained relations with the Ghani government. But President Ghani suggested Khalilzad would be working for a new U.S. president, with a more coordinated, predictable approach.
President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani takes part in a panel discussion during the 56th Munich Security Conference (MSC) in Munich, southern Germany, on Feb. 15, 2020.Christof Stache / AFP - Getty Images
"Now Ambassador Khalilzad will be reporting to a very organized decision-making process," Ghani said at a virtual event Friday organized by the Aspen Institute think tank.
"We have two very different functions. I represent the people of Afghanistan. He is an employee of the U.S. government," the Afghan president told Carol Lee of NBC News, who hosted the session.
Ghani added that he and the Afghan-born Khalilzad are old classmates and "we go back a long way."
Both men studied at the American University in Beirut and also crossed paths later in the United States.
May 26, 202001:18
The Afghan-born U.S. diplomat, Khalilzad, faced a difficult mission as he sought to persuade the Taliban to agree to peace talks with their foes while his boss, former President Trump, blindsided him with tweets about pulling U.S. troops out of the country ahead of schedule.
Khalilzad's first job could be to convey to the Taliban that there was no guarantee U.S. and NATO troops would leave the country by May unless the insurgents showed they were delivering on their end of the bargain, former U.S. officials and military officers said.
The Americans will have to persuade the Taliban that the deal is still alive, even if a troop withdrawal is put off beyond the spring, one former U.S. official said.
Related
"On the Taliban side, if there's to be a delay, it's pretty important to get some kind of tacit agreement with them early because it doesn't help anyone if they pull out of the agreement entirely," said a former U.S. official with experience in Afghanistan. "They are going to need time to sell it to their fighters."
Biden, however, has only limited leverage over the Taliban after Trump withdrew the bulk of American troops in his last year in office. It would have been easier to push the Taliban for results if the U.S. could have linked incremental reduction in troops to concessions from the insurgents, the former official said.
Postponing a U.S. withdrawal indefinitely could risk derailing the entire peace process, and the Taliban could revert to an all-out war footing, resuming attacks on U.S. forces, former officials said.
"The options they're facing obviously are very tough," said the former official.
There are now roughly 2,500 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, and more than 7,000 NATO-led forces on the ground. A year ago, there were 12,000 U.S. troops deployed to the country, a number that had dropped to about 8,600 in July.
Related
When NATO defense ministers meet in February, the Biden administration's stance on Afghanistan will likely be at the top of the agenda. As U.S. troop levels plunged in recent months, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg had warned that "leaving too soon or in an uncoordinated way" carried serious risks, possibly allowing the country to become a sanctuary again for terrorist groups.
Retired U.S. Gen. John Allen, who served as commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan from 2011 to 2013, said European allies with troops in Afghanistan would likely be open to a delay in a troop drawdown.
"My guess would be that if the U.S. wanted to slow down, they (NATO) would slow down" the pace of withdrawal as well, Allen said.
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"The president could make the case that the Taliban are in material breach of the agreement," said Allen, an outspoken critic of the U.S.-Taliban deal.
A United Nations report in May concluded that the Taliban have retained close links to Al Qaeda and sought its advice during negotiations with U.S. officials.
Al Qaeda, which carried out the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the U.S., continues to operate in 12 provinces of Afghanistan, with 400 to 600 operatives and a training camp in the eastern part of the country, according to the report issued to the U.N. Security Council.
Nov. 22, 202004:25
The Treasury Department recently found that "Al Qaeda is gaining strength in Afghanistan while continuing to operate with the Taliban under the Taliban's protection," according to a Jan. 6 memo to the Defense Department's inspector general.
The Taliban quickly rejected the Treasury Department's account and alleged all the terror group's fighters have left Afghanistan. "The report has been compiled by partisan and warmongering circles based on false information," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said.
A Taliban leader who led the negotiations last year with the Trump administration said on Friday that the insurgency was offering "safe passage" for U.S. troops leaving Afghanistan.
"In the history of Afghanistan, no one ever gave a safe passage to foreign invading troops. So, this is a good chance for the Americans that we are giving them safe passage to go out according to this treaty. We hope that when they are reviewing it they will come to the same positive [conclusion]," Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, deputy Taliban peace negotiator, said Friday during a visit to Moscow.
MSG analyst Dave Maloney received a text from his daughter this week: "What is wrong with the Rangers?"
It's the same question most Blueshirts fans are asking after the team kicked off the season with a 2-4-1 record. Such is the nature of the NHL's unforgiving 56-game schedule, where a slow start can feel insurmountable and a losing streak of five or six games could derail all playoff hopes.
Maloney texted his daughter back: "The expectations got a little beyond where they are reality-wise."
As Maloney, a Rangers defenseman in the 1970s and '80s, points out, it was a completely new approach for New York management. "They had never tried to build this way," he says. The Rangers, especially over the past two decades, notoriously boosted their team by going after glitzy free agents and trade targets.
Management never assigned a timeline to the current rebuild, but expectations heightened when the Rangers won the No. 2 pick in the 2019 draft lottery (to land Kaapo Kakko), and the No. 1 pick in 2020 (Alexis Lafrenière). Things also accelerated when they landed one big free agent prior to the 2019-20 season, Artemi Panarin, and he was so outstanding in his debut season, he finished in the top three in league MVP voting.
There's no question the Rangers had legitimate postseason expectations this year -- or, at least to take a step forward. A thrilling win against the Sabres on Thursday -- which saw Lafrenière score his first NHL goal, in overtime -- quelled some of the panic, but there are some fundamental issues with this team preventing them from being a true contender. Here's a look at what has gone wrong, and what aspects are fixable.
Is it the goaltending, or the defense?
The simplest place to start with Rangers is their goaltending, which ranks 24th in the league in save percentage (.894) through seven games.
"Those of us who have been around in the [Henrik] Lundqvist generation, were treated to spectacular goaltending night in and night out, and that was the outlier," Maloney says. "There weren't many franchises that got that goaltending. So it's not as much what's wrong with [Alexandar] Georgiev and what's wrong with [Igor] Shesterkin. It's that this franchise was accustomed to goaltending that was out in his own universe, relative to the rest of them."
It's a fair point, but the Rangers chose to buy out Lundqvist this offseason -- in large part because they had so much faith in the 25-year-old Shesterkin, long viewed as one of their best prospects. Management also had firm belief in the 24-year-old Georgiev, and prioritized re-signing him as a restricted free agent this offseason.
Kevin Weekes, the longtime NHL goaltender (including two seasons with the Rangers) and NHL Network analyst, says it's too early to push the panic button on Shesterkin, given his track record.
"I think it's more of an 'everybody relax' situation, because this is uncharacteristic of him," Weekes says. Shesterkin had a .953 save percentage in his last season in the KHL, before coming to North America. He was so good in the AHL as a rookie last season that the Rangers called him up in January, and he posted a .932 save percentage through his first 12 NHL starts.
"One thing that is different right now is he's allowing goals through his body," Weekes says. "Like [opponents are] finding holes, which most goalies in the NHL don't do -- unless you're going through a rough patch. But everyday NHL goalies don't allow them very often. For that reason, he looks smaller in the net, even though he's not a small guy. I think it's a confidence thing. I know from putting myself in the spot in terms of positioning, and you know you're in the right spot, and somehow the puck can find a hole. If that happens once, you shrug it off. If it happens two, three times you start second-guessing yourself, and the next thing you know you're misplaying pucks that would hit you routinely in your body."
Weekes played under Benoit Allaire, who is still the Rangers' goalie coach.
"Benny has always been a big advocate of, you have to stop the first [shot]," Weekes says. "Don't worry about the second or third one yet, but you have to stop the first one. He works a lot on guys' ability to react to the first shot to be able to make a save on the first shot. And for whatever reason, that hasn't been the case for Igor so far."
According to Weekes, Allaire also is "one of the best in the business" at getting goalies extra practice time to do goalie drills -- which has been challenging due to the condensed schedule. "It's just a very different setup this season," Weekes says. "And then someone will say, 'Well what about John Gibson [who has thrived so far this season]?' Well I know for a fact John Gibson was skating with [Ducks goalie coach Sudarshan Maharaj] early. That's paying a lot of dividends for him. I'm not suggesting that Igor hasn't been skating early, but I do know that has helped John Gibson."
Defense is the next issue of concern for the Rangers. The blue line was shaky all of last season, and their only offseason fix was trading Marc Staal and replacing him with Jack Johnson (who was bought out by the Penguins). Things are looking up, and the biggest pleasant surprise of New York's season thus far is the emergence of rookie K'Andre Miller. The 21-year-old looks poised and plays confidently, mostly playing with Jacob Trouba on the first pairing.
Johnson has become a target of negativity for fans, especially when paired with Tony DeAngelo. Both players have been healthy scratches on occasion so far.
"Johnson has been around for 14 years, and he has a certain style," Maloney says. "The question is: Does it work with Tony? Is he Marc Staal with Tony? The reality is, he likes to move around, he likes to be perhaps a little too aggressive at times, and it's just figuring out where it all fits."
More changes ahead?
The Rangers have shuffled around their line combinations so often, it sometimes feels like coach David Quinn is treating the regular season like an extended preseason -- which teams weren't afforded in this accelerated season.
"It's a little bit of the chicken or the egg. If you're winning, you don't have to change anything," Maloney says. "There's a valid argument to letting things grow a little bit, and develop. [Quinn] is looking for that combination that's going to work, but there just hasn't been enough consistency to stick with a set of lines."
Last season, Panarin and Ryan Strome were a magic combination, and the Rangers outscored the opposition by 23 goals at even strength when they were on the ice together. This season, Quinn has kept the duo mostly intact, but he has tinkered with their third linemate nearly every game, and puts the rest of the lines in a blender regularly.
Yet outside of Panarin (eight points in seven games), the top veteran players -- Strome, Mika Zibanejad, Kreider -- have not been producing at a high level, and it's hard to pinpoint exactly why.
"It is an obvious question and the obvious answer is, 'Yes, we're not getting enough from our top six,' for sure," Quinn said after Tuesday's frustrating loss to the Sabres.
Weekes, who attended last week's game at Madison Square against the Devils, put it bluntly.
"I don't really know what their identity is this year," Weekes says. "Last year, as the season went on, they established their identity and how they wanted to play. Even with Mika out, they still played well. And obviously 'Breadman' [Panarin] was the best athlete in New York sports last year and Zibanejad was a game-breaker. You knew what you were getting from them as the season went on.
"This year, they haven't established their identity: Are we a pressure team? Are we a forecheck team? Are we an off-the-rush team that attacks? Are we a shutdown defensive team -- well, we know they're not that. Are we a physical team? Well, there's some elements of physicality with Trouba, [Brenden] Lemieux and Kreids, but as a team they just look disjointed to me."
There's no doubt the Rangers have high-end skill players, and they should be a team that relies on its own energy, but they haven't been able to sustain it through full games -- and have often lost confidence and looked dejected when adversity hits late.
A spotlight is on Lafrenière as the No. 1 pick. Asked what he sees in Lafrenière, who scored his first goal with an overtime winner Thursday night, Maloney said: "A 19-year-old that's still feeling his way around. A little bit nervous."
It should be noted that the 2019 No. 1 pick, Jack Hughes, also didn't have a standout rookie season in New Jersey, but looks much improved as a sophomore.
"A lot of times this generation, a top player who is a top pick is deemed to be the next one," Maloney says. "Like, [Lafrenière] is the next [Sidney] Crosby because he won back-to-back player of the year awards [in the CHL] just like Sid. Or Kakko is going to be the next [Mikko] Rantanen in Colorado; he took two and a half years until he was strong enough, or whatever. Not everyone is Sid, and not everyone is [Connor] McDavid."
Kakko, Maloney noted, is also still figuring it out. NHL personnel folk often say it takes about 150-200 NHL games to know who a player truly is; neither high draft pick is even close to that number. According to The Athletic, the Rangers' average age this season is 25.6, the lowest in the league. New York has just four players over age 27.
"If you look at the Islanders, Washington, Boston, they're all heavy teams," Maloney says. "I wouldn't consider the Rangers a heavy team. As your young guys get older, they'll be heavier. Not as much weight as much as they'll be heavier on their ability to know how to play. You're a different guy at 19 than you are at 21 and 22 let alone 23 and 24. So there's so many things here; if you take an honest, not-panicked assessment of where you are, there's a lot of things in place here, it's just not there yet."
So maybe it's not about "fixing" what's wrong, as much as it's about easing off the panic button after a bad stretch that unfortunately happened at the start of the season.
Tom Brady isn't the first quarterback to join a new franchise after a decade-plus with the team that drafted him, but no other quarterback who has done it before him has the same kind of resume. Brady has won six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots -- the most in NFL history -- while throwing for 2,838 yards and 18 touchdowns in nine starts (also the most in Super Bowl history). Brady's legacy with the Patriots may never be matched by any quarterback with any franchise, as the GOAT took his legendary status to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and led them to the Super Bowl in just his first season with the team. While Brady is enjoying his new chapter with the Buccaneers, he still has a special place in his heart for New England.
"I had an incredible 20 years. I wouldn't change anything over the course of 20 years that were magical and all the relationships that I developed," Brady told reporters earlier in the week. "Those shaped me into who I am as a person [and] as a player. My kids were born in Boston [and] I have great affection for the city and everything that Boston has meant to me and my family. All of New England – not just Boston.
Growing up in California and playing football at the University of Michigan, Brady never experienced the East Coast until getting drafted by the Patriots in 2000. The uniqueness of the Northeast and the New England region tricked Brady.
"I didn't even know where New England was when I got picked by New England – that was always a funny story," Brady said. "They called me and said, 'You've been picked by New England.' I was like, 'That's amazing! Where is New England?' I landed in Providence [Rhode Island], which really screwed me up because that's not even in Massachusetts. It was a great 20 years."
Brady has made his mark with the Buccaneers in just his first season with the team. He set the single-season mark for passing touchdowns in a season (40) and snapped Tampa Bay's 13-year playoff drought by taking the Buccaneers to the Super Bowl. Brady has the most postseason touchdown passes in Buccaneers history and is tied with Brad Johnson for the most wins by a starting quarterback in Buccaneers playoff history.
No matter how Super Bowl LV turns out, Brady made the right decision.
"I evaluated different opportunities and just tried to make the best possible decision for myself and my family," Brady said. "I chose Tampa and it's just been an amazing experience. The only thing that's been difficult is just haven't been able to meet [a lot of people]. There's a lot of people in here that I never really had a chance to get to know. Certain players on defense that I just don't know very well [because] we're not able to be together in certain rooms, we're not able to eat together, we're not able to travel well [and] we don't get the normal camaraderie that you have on a normal team.
"Under the circumstances, we're all doing the best we can do and it's been a tricky year in that sense. Going to try to go do my best like I always do to try to finish the job this coming week."
