Oct 18, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) calls out at the line against the Indianapolis Colts in the first half during the NFL game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports
During Sunday night's broadcast of the Patriots-Colts grudge match, NBC cut away from Julian Edelman as the Pats receiver was celebrating a touchdown by firing a football into a Colts logo behind the end zone.
But in missing that key moment -- which was confirmed by Patriots reporters on the scene -- the broadcast provided another interesting glimpse into how the Patriots handle revenge by keeping it internal.
You see, a close-up showed Tom Brady watching Edelman's celebration. And just as the thud of the ball against the wall could be heard, a stone-faced Brady, who was looking in Edelman's direction, briefly shook his head and started walking away.
It was a disapproving look from Brady. After a week in which the Patriots' players and coaches refused to take the bait from the media to drum up some old Deflategate feelings, Brady obviously felt it was too soon to gloat after a score. Or perhaps he felt it shouldn't be done at all. The camera cut from Brady to Belichick, who was also watching Edelman from afar without an expression on his face.
For the most part, the Patriots didn't advertise their feelings of revenge. And even on the field, in that moment, they seemed to want to keep a lid on it. But make no mistake, as Edelman's celebration showed, they wanted to beat the Colts -- badly.
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