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SPORTS Tuesday 7 January 2020
Next up for Tom Brady after early playoff exit?

Who knows?

By BARRY WILNER ning a lot of games. And
AP Pro Football Writer again, I don't know what it
Teammates and oppo- looks like moving forward,
nents, coaches and NFL so we'll just take it day by
executives, even most fans day.''
recognize that Tom Brady Brady doesn't need foot-
has nothing left to prove. ball any longer from a suc-
There might be one dissent- cess standpoint. Not with a
ing voice: Brady himself. record six Super Bowl rings,
Maybe that's why in the four MVP honors in the big
midst of the disappoint- game, and three league
ment — and some discon- MVP awards. Five years af-
tent — with how the Patri- ter he has retired, he'll be
ots' season ended and how feted in Canton, Ohio as a
he performed in the sec- first-ballot Hall of Famer.
ond half of the schedule, He doesn't need the mon-
Brady came pretty close ey, either.
to guaranteeing he will be What he seems to require,
back for a 21st season. At like so many star athletes, is
age 43. the competition that spices
Asked about retirement fol- his existence. The adrena-
lowing the wild-card loss line explosions. The chal-
to the Texans, Brady said, lenges. The locker room New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady leaves the field after losing an NFL wild-card playoff
``I would say it's pretty un- rapport. The practices. The football game to the Tennessee Titans, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020, in Foxborough, Mass.
likely, but, yeah, hopefully game planning. Associated Press
unlikely.'' Brady surely knows there
Later, to another question are few, if any, replace- two decades not only as took in past negotiations? Brady behind center.
about his plans, Brady add- ments outside of the game the face of the franchise He also would be wise to BENGALS
ed: once he leaves the sport for but for several years the insist on better personnel Brady could play and tu-
``Again, I don't want to good. Unlike the man he is face of the league is most around him after the drop- tor Joe Burrow. Nah, he's
get too much into the fu- most compared to among logical. Or is it? off in talent level at receiv- not likely to touch the NFL's
ture and stuff. I mean, this his contemporaries, Peyton Maybe Brady would like to er and on the offensive line worst team.
team has fought hard. We Manning, Brady doesn't fit try replicating his New Eng- this season. BEARS
battled every day, we tried the off-field celebrity role land successes with anoth- CHARGERS Brady at 53 might be
to get better, we worked Manning has embraced so er coach. In part to show Brady is a California guy; more reliable than Mitch-
hard to improve, and I was well. So, barring physical ail- he can reach the top in a sure, it's NoCal, but he and ell Trubisky was this season.
proud to be a part of this ments — and few football different system and a dif- his wife, super model Gisele And, like New England,
team. Not only this year, players ever have taken ferent city. In part to display Bundchen, would seem a Chicago has a top-shelf
but every year. care of themselves the way that the Patriots' dynastic perfect fit in SoCal. defense.
``Again, I just don't know Brady has — another year run was built on his bril- Philip Rivers comes off one COWBOYS
what's going to happen at the helm of the Patriots liance more than anything. of his worst seasons and the Maybe Dak Prescott isn't
and I'm not going to pre- or another team appears Should he return to Fox- Chargers could be ready the answer to America's
dict it. No one needs to doable. Here's a peek into borough, Brady can name to move on from their long- Team's nearly quarter-cen-
make choices at this point. I which uniform Brady could his price. Does anyone time QB. Plus, what better tury Super Bowl drought.
love playing football, I love wind up in for 2020. see owner Robert Kraft way to move into their new We all know how much
playing for this team. I've PATRIOTS balking? Especially after home? They will be over- Jerry Jones likes to create
loved playing for this team Obviously, remaining some of the "hometown shadowed by the Rams in headlines. What a doozy
for two decades and win- where he has spent the last discounts" Brady allegedly SoFi Stadium — except with that would be in Big D.q

LA Rams fire veteran defensive coordinator Wade Phillips

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. modern NFL history. Phil- points against the Patri- above-average unit. its bad games were stink-
(AP) — Veteran defensive lips provided leadership ots, and its fall from the Phillips has coached in the ers. Los Angeles gave up
coordinator Wade Phillips and veteran perspective league's elite continued NFL during every season a combined 144 points in
has been fired by the Los to McVay while running a this season. but one since 1976, work- losses to Tampa Bay, Balti-
Angeles Rams after three defense that backstopped Phillips' defense remained ing for 11 franchises. He more and Dallas while the
winning seasons. the Rams to 33 regular- largely solid this season, was a head coach at Den- Rams missed the playoffs
Phillips announced Mon- season victories, two NFC as it had been for his en- ver, Buffalo, Dallas, New by one game.
day on Twitter that the West titles and two playoff tire tenure in Los Angeles. Orleans, Atlanta and Hous- "I want to thank them for
Rams are not renewing his berths in three seasons. Led by Aaron Donald, the ton. the opportunity to be a
contract. The 72-year-old The Rams won the NFC Rams finished near the He coordinated the de- part of their success the
says he wants to stay in championship last season, middle of the league this fense with which the Bron- last 3 years," Phillips wrote.
coaching. and Phillips' defense held season in points and yards cos won the Super Bowl "Most of all I want to thank
Phillips teamed up on the New England to 13 points allowed, but the defense's four years ago. the players who I loved
Rams in 2017 with Sean in the lowest-scoring Super bad games were glaring The Rams' defense consis- working with. I still want
McVay, who became the Bowl ever. But McVay's of- debacles that inflated the tently outplayed McVay's to coach and feel I can
youngest head coach in fense scored only three statistics of an otherwise offense this season, but contribute."q