Byron Cowart of the Patriots: Tom Brady returns as opponent, no ceremonies for him

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When Tom Brady and the Buccaneers visit New England in week four it will be one of the greatest regular season games in NFL history, with a player widely regarded as the best of all time returning to where he won six Super Bowl titles. But not everyone will be impressed.

Patriots defensive tackle Byron Cowart, whose rookie year was Brady’s last in New England, said he would treat Brady like he would treat any other opponent.

“He’s done a lot of things for this organization,” Cowart said on the Way of life of the patriots Podcast. “He’s coming back, but he’s coming back as an opponent, so I’m going to treat him like any opponent.”

Cowart also said he didn’t want the team to do anything special to welcome Brady back.

“We don’t welcome it, we just have to play it. There won’t be any damn ceremony for him or anything like that, ”Cowart said. “They might clap for him, but there won’t be a – brother, he’s our opponent. Brother, what? We love to win.

Cowart is wrong about that, as the Patriots will certainly host a pre-game ceremony to honor Brady’s contributions to the franchise. Once the game begins, however, Cowart is obviously right to treat Brady the same way he would treat any opposing quarterback.