HAMPTON ROADS, Va. - Quarterback Tom Brady might have left New England a year ago to pursue a change in scenery with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but local Patriots fans are still rooting for their former golden boy as he prepares to face the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl.
"I want to follow him wherever he goes," Virginia Beach Patriots fan Cheryl Powell said. "I commend him for his passion, his dedication, his talent. I love watching him play the game and I don't care where he goes, I'll watch him."
"I'm a huge Patriot fan and I'm a huge Tom Brady fan," Virginia Beach Patriots fan Joe Belec said. "He did a lot for us in 20 years and I wish him well. I actually went down to Tampa two weeks ago to watch a playoff game with the Tampa fans and we all had a good time and we were cheering for Brady, so go Brady!"
The decision to root for the Bucs isn't easy for all Patriots fans, though. After 20 years in New England and six Super Bowl titles, seeing Brady in another team's uniform can be a tough pill to swallow.
"[Fans are] torn between rooting for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, rooting for Tom Brady or rooting for the Kansas City Chiefs, as am I," Chesapeake Patriots fan Toby McGovern said. "I'd like to see Brady win specifically because that'll keep the Kansas City Chiefs from winning back-to-back Super Bowls, and having us be the last one to do it 2003-04.
"The guy's shown that he's proven to be the GOAT. He's slinging it just like he did back in 2001 when he came in for Drew Bledsoe. He's shown that he's still got gas in the tank and he's probably gonna go another year or two."
Brady and the Buccaneers face the Chiefs Sunday afternoon at 6:30 p.m.
