It's pretty clear the New England Patriots are aware of Max Kellerman's criticism of Tom Brady and the team as a whole.
Patriots linebacker Kyle Van Noy told 98.5 The Sports Hub's "Zolak & Bertrand" show Wednesday that the ESPN "First Take" co-host should stick to boxing analysis. And even the Patriots' own Twitter account posted a video Monday where the team hit back at Kellerman's and co-host Stephen A. Smith's predictions/takes on the Patriots entering last weekend's AFC Divisional Round playoff game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Former Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi, who currently works as an NFL analyst for ESPN, roasted his colleague Kellerman during Thursday's "First Take" episode for his opinions on Brady. Take a look at the hilarious exchange in the video below.
All of this started in 2016 when Kellerman said Brady was "going to fall off a cliff." Brady then won Super Bowl LI in dramatic fashion, and took home another MVP award the following campaign. He has another great opportunity to win a Super Bowl this season as the Patriots prepare for Sunday's AFC Championship Game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Brady let his guard down a bit after beating the Chargers, admitting in an interview with CBS that he hears the criticisms. The Patriots hear the noise and clearly are motivated by it. When you combine that, along with the Patriots being underdogs for Sunday's AFC title game, it's easy to see why this Patriots team is embracing a nobody-believes-in-us mantra.
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