Umenyiora, who retired from the NFL in 2015 and now works for BBC Sport, joked that Sunday’s marquee matchup isn’t between Brady and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. No, according to Umenyiora, the main card is between Brady and Kansas City defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
Spagnuolo was the defensive coordinator for the Super Bowl XLII champion Giants, the team that knocked off Brady and the 18-0 Patriots.
“That 2007 game was one of my least favorite football memories,” Brady said. “You guys had a great defense, you guys were an incredible opponent that day, and you guys deserved to win.”
On Sunday, Spagnuolo will get another chance at stopping Brady.
“The game has changed a little bit from when we played back there in ’07,” Spagnuolo said Tuesday. “The quarterback we’re playing is still the same. He’s still every bit as good.”
So, why is Brady such a challenging opponent? Yes, he threw for 40 touchdowns and more than 4,600 yards this season, but Spagnuolo emphasized his in-game adjustments and praised Brady for his ability to not only identify reads but also communicate them to his teammates.
“He’s a step ahead of everything,” Spagnuolo said. “That’s always a challenge when you go against what I call a cerebral quarterback, and we know Tom is like that. He has total control.
“We’re going to have to be really good on the back end not to show him things or, as we say, don’t let him read our mail. Because if he can read our mail, he knows exactly what to do.”
The Chiefs and Buccaneers also met in Week 12, when Brady threw for 345 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions in a 27-24 loss. But the Buccaneers haven’t lost since, winning their final four regular-season games along with three on the road in the playoffs.
That Week 12 game is likely part of Spagnuolo’s Brady file, which consists of a collection of notes from their previous meetings. That type of document is something Spagnuolo started creating for various offenses, coaches, and players since his first NFL job in 1999.
“Believe it or not, even though I’m not tech-savvy, it’s actually in a computer file,” he quipped.
As far as his approach come Sunday, Spagnuolo stressed the importance of incorporating multiple looks.
“You just have to mix it up,” he said. “You can’t sit in one thing. Tom’s too good. He’s going to figure what you’re trying to do, what you’re trying to take away, and he’s going to expose you somewhere else.”
Well-deserved break
The Patriots may not be playing in the Super Bowl, but their team plane is still headed to Tampa.
The “AirKraft” will be transporting 76 health-care workers to Sunday’s game, as part of an all-expenses-paid trip from Patriots owner Robert Kraft. The workers, who were all vaccinated for COVID-19 at least two weeks prior to their departure, hail from the six New England states.
Among them are eight Massachusetts General Hospital employees: Godfrey Adamu, an overnight shift supervisor for the clinical support services team; Dr. Joshua Baugh, the emergency department’s assistant director of clinical operations/physicians; Catherine Chittick, a nurse in the infusion unit; Dr. Michelle Diop, a second-year resident in internal medicine; Jacqueline Garvey, a respiratory therapist; Lisa Martino, the hospital’s materials management manager; Tyrone Walker-White, a unit service associate for the clinical support services team; and Jairah Zinni, a nurse in the emergency department.
“I believe that many of the people in our health care industries are underappreciated,” Kraft said in a statement. “They risk their well-being to ensure ours. It is what they do every day. During this pandemic, those health care workers have truly been superheroes.
“These eight individuals represent the work of all of our health care workers. We are honored to recognize and reward them with this trip to Tampa for Super Bowl LV. It is nice to care for those who provide such compassionate care for us.”
The health-care workers will board the AirKraft from the same hangar at Logan Airport that received the plane when it delivered 1.2 million N95 protective masks from China last April.
Kraft will be there to greet them in Tampa.
“Last April, when our plane returned with masks from China, we never could have imagined the devastation this pandemic would cause, nor could we have dreamed of the heroic stories and achievements that have come to be as a result, especially the dedication of health care workers on the front lines and the creation of safe and effective vaccines,” Kraft said in a statement.
“Ten months later, it’s an honor for us to celebrate these health care workers by giving them a well-deserved break for a day and an opportunity to enjoy the Super Bowl, a reality that is only made possible because of the vaccines. We hope that in doing so, others are also encouraged to get vaccinated as they are able.”
Last month, Gillette Stadium opened as the first large-scale COVID-19 vaccination site in Massachusetts.
Bieniemy focused
After getting passed over for multiple head coaching jobs, Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy made it clear he is focused on preparing his team for Sunday.
“It’s making sure whatever is taking place with Eric Bieniemy isn’t becoming a distraction in us pursuing our dreams and our goals,” Bieniemy said Tuesday. “I did not ask to be the poster boy of this particular situation I have experienced.”
Bieniemy, 51, was considered one of the top candidates for the league’s seven head coaching openings, although he was not hired. Bieniemy, who played nine seasons in the NFL as a running back, is in his eighth season on the Chiefs’ coaching staff, third as offensive coordinator.
He said he has not had an opportunity to reach out for feedback on his interviews but will do so after Sunday.
“At the end of the day, the only thing that you want to do is be recognized for all the things that you’ve accomplished,” Bieniemy said. “For whatever reason, that has not happened. And that’s OK. Because the only thing that I know what to do is to just go back to work and continue chopping wood.”
The Steelers are turning to former Patriot Adrian Klemm to help turn around their underachieving offensive line, promoting the three-time Super Bowl champion to offensive line coach.
Klemm, 43, replaces Shaun Sarrett, who was let go last month following a season in which the Steelers finished last in the NFL in rushing yards and yards per carry.
Klemm, who spent the past two years as Sarrett’s assistant, takes over a unit that’s on the verge of major change. Left tackle Alejandro Villanueva and left guard Matt Feiler are free agents, and perennial Pro Bowl center Maurkice Pouncey and right guard David DeCastro are on the other side of 30 and nearing the end of their contracts. There also figures to be turnover at running back with leading rusher James Conner heading to free agency in March.
Klemm spent six seasons in the NFL, winning three Super Bowls with the Patriots. He coached collegiately at SMU and UCLA before joining the Steelers.
Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.
Nicole Yang can be reached at nicole.yang@globe.com.
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