Operating in a Tampa Bay Buccaneers uniform, Tom Brady will return to New England to face the Patriots in Week 4 of the upcoming National Football League season.

On the surface, it's yet another legend returning back to his old stomping grounds to play a game of violence on blades of grass. On the other hand, though, it's likely the last time Tom Brady heads to New England to play his former team. That is, ugh, unless he plays another six seasons (the next projected time the Buccaneers will play the Patriots up north).

What does all of this mean? In the grand scheme of things, not much in terms of how the season plays out. The Patriots and Buccaneers have to incredibly different set of expectations entering the season.

Fresh off a Super Bowl win, Tom Brady continued to each his name in NFL lore. As for the Patriots, just because they didn't do amazing in their first year minus TB12, it doesn't mean things are awful.

Anyway, that's not the point of this piece. It's about hoping that New England fans give the most important player in franchise history his flowers while they still can, especially operating under the idea it'll be the last time they can do so while the veteran gunslinger is still an active player.

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It's not really a hot-take, either. It's just that, you know, fans often don't appreciate what they had until well after it's gone. That becomes especially true if what they had is still playing — and playing well — for another team.

Nonetheless, assuming this is it and Tom Brady doesn't end up playing for 50 more years (entirely possible!), whatever hard feelings the Patriots faithful might have needs to be placed to the wayside.

A lot of this presumed and preemptive begging comes with a lot of conjecture on my end. There's no evidence to suggest the fans will do anything other than cheer. But just in case you were on the fence, when Tom Brady runs through that tunnel wearing colors so gross it'll make your nephew vomit, stand up and smack your hands together.

It's the Patriots way.