Bill Belichick wants the 2010 Patriots to forget about their championship past, and focus on making their own legacy. With that in mind, he’s scrubbed many reminders to the recent glory days from the walls of Gillette Stadium.
“From what I understand, they’re gutting out the whole place,” Patriots receiver Troy Brown said to Tom Curran at the Comcast Sportsnet football roundtable. “There’s no pictures of Troy Brown, there’s no pictures of Tedy Bruschi, no pictures of Rodney Harrison in the building. It’s all wiped off. It’s [saying], ‘Get your own identity. Get a name for yourselves and don’t worry about what Troy Brown did or Rodney Harrison did for this football team.”
Ever the ultimate team-player, Brown said the move didn’t bother him at all. He understands what Belichick is trying to accomplish.
“That’s gonna be the key to this year is, ‘Can these guys get their own identity?’ Forget about the past and how successful they were let’s be successful in our own way,” Brown said.
This is the type of move that new coaches sometimes make, breaking from the past, inspiring hatred among the tradition-loving locals.
It’s a typically counter-intuitive decision from Belichick to essentially try to erase his legacy, as he and Tom Brady try to forget they are made men so they can transform again to hungry underdogs, desperate for a title.