Category Archives: Ascension

Aspirus to effect name changes Dec. 1

TINA L. SCOTTEDITOR

Area properties formerly owned by Ascension, such as Good Samaritan Hospital in Merrill, will be renamed effective Dec. 1, 2021. All locations will continue using their existing names until Dec. 1, 2021, at which time they will switch to using their new names, a press release from Aspirus said. In the meantime, temporary signage will be added to existing signs to help the community prepare for the change.

Those properties, along with their old and new names, in our area include:

Ascension Good Samaritan Hospital in Merrill will become: Aspirus Merrill HospitalAscension Sacred Heart Hospital in Tomahawk will become: Aspirus Tomahawk HospitalAscension St. Marys Hospital in Rhinelander will become: Aspirus Rhinelander HospitalAscension St. Michaels Hospital in Stevens Point will become: Aspirus Stevens Point HospitalHoward Young Medical Center will keep their name: Howard Young Medical CenterAscension Medical Group in Merrill will become: Aspirus Merrill Clinic E Main StreetAscension Sacred Heart Tomahawk (Clinic) will become: Aspirus Tomahawk Clinic

And in addition, some other facilities, formerly owned by Ascension, will change names, including:

Ascension Good Samaritan Health Foundation will become Aspirus Merrill Hospital FoundationAscension Medical Group will become: Aspirus Medical GroupAscension Spirit Medical Transport will become: Aspirus MedEvac

The rest is here:

Former Ascension properties to get new names - Merrillfotonews

Ascension Wisconsin will open its 33,000-square-foot neighborhood hospital in Waukesha Oct. 13, the third of its three new hospitals, BizTimes reported Oct. 6.

The hospital will have emergency, inpatient and outpatient care. It will also have lab and medical imaging services.

An Ascension Medical Group clinic will be on the second floor, which is for primary care, women's health, cardiology, behavioral health and other services.

"Our goal at Ascension Wisconsin is to provide an exceptional experience to individuals and families in southeast Wisconsin at an affordable cost close to home" said Blake Estes, vice president of ambulatory development for Ascension Wisconsin. "The Ascension Wisconsin Hospital-Waukesha site is easily accessible and provides patients and families access to more comprehensive services in one convenient location. We look forward to serving the Waukesha community."

The first of the three neighborhood hospitals opened Aug. 31 in Menomonee Falls, Wis., and the second opened Sept. 15 in Greenfield, Wis.

Ascension Wisconsin is the Greendale, Wis., branch of St. Louis-based hospital system Ascension.

More:

Ascension Wisconsin to open hospital Oct. 13 - Becker's Hospital Review

ASCENSION - An Ascension Parish homeowner determined to get to the bottom of the delay in flood mitigation for Bayou Manchac has organized a meeting Monday morning.

The resident who decided to take action is John Rosso and he told WBRZ the purpose of the meeting is not for people to complain or argue in a disorderly fashion.

In the past, some similar meetings at other venues have gotten out of hand and that's why Rosso kept Monday's guest list limited.

Rosso said his intention is to step in and organize a way for officials to meet with people who are directly impacted by drainage issues in Ascension, East Baton Rouge, Iberville, and St. James. But he wanted these meetings to be as productive as possible.

He says Congressman Garrett Graves is going to help lead the meeting and provide federal support along with Councilman Corey Orgeron.

The plan is to meet with other local leaders as they're expecting Parish Presidents, Mayors, State Representatives, and Drainage Directors.

Rosso has emphasized that the key lies in uniting the residents, who are the stakeholders, with the people who can do something about it.

This means that during Monday's meeting, the question to be addressed is not, "What's wrong?" but "What's being done to address the problem?"

More:

Ascension drainage issues to be topic of Monday meeting organized by local homeowner - WBRZ

St. Michael the Archangel got off to a fast start in the fifth set to take a 3-2 victory in volleyball over visiting Ascension Catholic on Tuesday.

The Warriors led 5-0 and 10-4 in the fifth set before taking a 15-7 win. St. Michael (10-5) prevailed 18-25, 25-16, 25-15, 23-25 and 15-7.

Ascension Catholic (9-14) had its own fast start in the first set, going up 10 points to gain an early advantage.

"We didn't play well in the first match," St. Michael coach Robert Smith said. "We've started slow a lot this year, and we've been up and down. I challenged the girls to play with energy, and we got it righted in the second set. Ascension Catholic is tough and did a good job of digging balls and making us earn it. I'm glad we got the W."

Ascension Catholic's Allie Griffin fired a serve that hit the net and dropped for an ace to cut the St. Michael lead to 11-7 in the second set. St. Michael went on a 7-2 run to pull ahead 18-9 on a cross-court shot by Julia Coffey.

The fourth set was the most competitive with the teams switching leads 12 times. St. Michael led 6-4. The Bulldogs scored three straight. St. Michael led 22-20.Ascension Catholic pulled ahead 23-22 with Karlie Chaney serving, but St. Michael tied it at 23-23.Ascension Catholic scored the next two points for the 25-23 win.

"We lost that fourth set and had a chance to win," Smith said. "Some teams give up in that situation and can't find momentum. We walked on the court for the fifth set, and it was like the fourth set never happened. I found out some things about my team in that fifth set."

Mindy Jones (eight kills, two blocks), Coffey (nine kills, two blocks) and Audrey Doming (six kills, four blocks) provided the power for the Warriors. Julianna Ghetti directed the offense with 31 assists and added 12 digs.

Ascension Catholicwas led by Katie Brooks (10 kills, four blocks), Allie Griffin (nine kills), Emmie Lambert (28 digs) and Chaney (22 assists).

"I'm proud of the girls for going five sets, but we didn't play our best,"Ascension Catholiccoach Janelle Leonard said. "We didn't adjust to the tips. St. Michael was taller and more physical than us. We played a number of freshmen tonight. We lost a lot of players from our semifinal team last year.

"We need to work on our passing and communication."

St. Michael opens district play Thursday at 5 p.m. at Belaire. Smith said he will challenge his team to keep improving.

"We've got a lot of ground we need to cover and clean up," Smith said. "We blocked OK tonight, but we need to touch more balls at the net. Starting district is like a new beginning to the season. We need to treat it as such. We've got some good teams in district like Brusly and West Feliciana."

Excerpt from:

St. Michael asserts itself in fifth set vs. Ascension Catholic - The Advocate

Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford broke ground on its $25 million, 32,000-square-foot microhospital in Murfreesboro, Tenn., Main Street Nashville reported Sept. 29.

The hospital is an extension of Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford's main campus. Although the facility is administered by the main campus, it will act as a freestanding satellite hospital with its own outpatient facility.

Construction is expected to be completed in 2022 and will include eight private inpatient beds, an emergency department with eight treatment rooms, diagnostic imaging and laboratory services, and outpatient services on the second floor.

"Together we are building the future of healthcare," said Gordon Ferguson, president and CEO of Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital. "It is an honor to work for an organization that invests in our community so we may continually serve the health care needs of our population."

Ascension Saint Thomas beat out Nashville, Tenn.-based Vanderbilt University Medical Center's proposal for a $134 million, 48-bed hospital, The Nashville Post reported last August.

See the original post:

Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford begins microhospital construction - Becker's Hospital Review

GreyNoise Intelligence, the anti threat intelligence company, announces its selection today as the Most Innovative Security Solution of 2021 by the Tech Ascension Awards.

The Tech Ascension Awards are innovation-centered, selected from a pool of more than 500 applicants. The criteria include technology innovation, market research, and competitive differentiators. Best-in-class vendors that receive recognition from the Tech Ascension Awards solve critical industry challenges differently. As the Most Innovative Security Solution of 2021,GreyNoise has developed technology that collects, analyzes and labels data on IP addresses that scan the internet and saturate security tools with noise.

We are honored by all of this validation, as it shows that we are making progress toward our ultimate missionto solve the problem of alert fatigue and information overload in the cybersecurity arena, said Andrew Morris, Founder and CEO, GreyNoise Intelligence. Every day, we see a staggering number of internet scans barraging internet-facing computers and software, and generating massive volumes of security alerts. Some of this activity is malicious, but a significant amount is not, and its getting to the point where its tough for security analysts to discern real threats from background noise. GreyNoise enables security teams to focus on the threats that really matter, rather than wasting their time investigating insignificant alerts.

The proliferation of ransomware, nation-state threats, and an uptick in cybercriminal activity due to COVID-19 are just some of the factors that have made a strong cybersecurity defense paramount for every business that touches sensitive data, said David Campbell, CEO, Tech Ascension Awards. Were honored to recognize these industry leaders that have demonstrated their ability to defend organizations with unique approaches, innovative technology, and world-class talent.

About GreyNoise Intelligence

This award adds to an impressive roster of accolades earned by GreyNoise Intelligence recently, including:

GreyNoise helps security analysts save time by revealing which events and alerts they can ignore. By curating data on IPs that saturate security tools with noise, GreyNoise helps analysts confidently ignore irrelevant or harmless activity, creating more time to uncover and investigate true threats. GreyNoise is trusted by Fortune 500 enterprises, governments, top security vendors and thousands of threat researchers. For more information, please visit https://www.greynoise.io/, and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

News Summary:

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The Most Innovative Security Solution of the 2021 Tech Ascension Awards is for GreyNoise - Security News - BollyInside

The Ascension Parish School Board has a new assignment after new census data show the parish grew by more than 18,000 residents in the last 10 years: to redraw the districts its board members represent.

While there are 11 board members, there are seven districts. Four of the districts have two members and three are single-member districts that have all served roughly the same amount of residents.

But growth in the parish has come mainly in and around Prairieville, meaning districts in the area are above the ideal population. And other districts, in the southern part of the parish and on the west bank, are below.

"The districts in the north end are gaining and those in the south end are losing population, so the district will have to reapportion," demographer Mike Hefner told board members at an Ascension Parish School Board workshop last week.

State law requires redistricting be completed six months after every census, said Hefner, chief demographer of Geographic Planning and Demographic Services in Duson.

Census data is usually released early in the year but this year was released in August, he said.

The formula for the ideal district population seems simple: divide the 2020 census count of 126,500 by the seven geographical districts.

But that, Hefner said, could pose a different problem as the seven-district plan now stands.

With the new census numbers, "if the geographical districts in the current seven-member plan are used to balance the population, the plan would put minority representation at a disadvantage, in two of the (single-member) districts, District 1 and District 3, that are now majority-minority," he said.

District 1, represented by Robyn Penn Delaney, is on Ascension's west bank. District 3, represented by Julie Blouin, is along the east bank.

"It is allowable under the Voting Rights Act to use multi-member districts up to the point where such a plan would reduce minority voting strength," Hefner said. "In the Ascension Parish School Boards election current configuration, this issue is avoided by having the two traditional majority-minority districts remain single seats, along with a third district."

"The remainder are dual member districts and have no impact on the minority voting strength of the other districts," he said.

The proper way to balance the population, according to Hefner, is to divide the population by the 11 seats that represent the seven geographic districts.

Hefner is presenting two options for the board to study.

One plan would modify the current seven-district plan that would preserve the two minority districts and double the population for those districts represented by two members.

The ideal population for a single-member district would be approximately 11,500. That of a dual-member district, about 23,000.

A second plan presents 11 single-member districts, still preserving the two minority districts.

"We want to make sure the areas are well represented," Hefner told board members. "That's the goal of this planning."

The next Ascension Parish School Board election for those districts will be in fall 2022.

Read more from the original source:

Population growth in Ascension Parish means redistricting required for school board members - The Advocate

Ascension Episcopal Blue Gators dominated the Catholic High of New Iberia Panthers 29-0 Friday night.

Ascension shut out its third straight opponent to improve to 4-1 on the season.

Ascension was a wall Friday night, allowing only 250 total yards of offense and forced a fumble. Ascension senior Maxie Baudoin and junior Evans Dupuis held down the line of scrimmage all game and allowed their team to make plays defensively.

They take on a lot of double teams, Ascension head coach Matt Desormeaux said. We have two senior defensive ends Alex Doga and Alex Clement who are very quick off the edge and then the two big guys in the middle (Baudoin and Dupuis) make it difficult on the inside.

Catholic High could not establish the run game, turning the ball over on downs five times Friday night - three of which were in the fourth quarter. Still, Catholic fullback Marco Austin carried the ball 25 times for 117 yards which led all rushers in the game.

Baudoin left the game with a knee injury he suffered in the third quarter of Fridays game.

He got cut by the running back, Desormeaux said. He couldve gone back in but with the score what it was at the time we didnt want to take a chance but I think he will be fine.

Ascension junior defensive lineman J-Paul Guidry and senior defensive lineman Pierson Peebles filled in for Baudoin.

On special teams, Ascension blocked a punt in the second quarter. The blocked punt put Ascension in great field position and led to a score.

Ascension junior quarterback Cade Dardar had a great night completing 8 passes on 12 attempts for 162 yards and two touchdowns. Dardars first touchdown was a 45-yarder to junior receiver Austin Mills and the second was a 69-yard strike to senior receiver Britt Campbell.

Hes (Dardar) a talented kid with a good arm, Desormeaux said. Hes come a long way with his progression and his reads. As long as he puts the ball in a safe place we have a chance to be a really good offense.

Dardar also had 10 carries for 53 yards until suffered an ankle injury late in the second quarter.

Its (the injury) nothing serious, Desormeaux said. He got rolled up last week and the same thing happened this week. So, Hopefully our game plan next week can prevent us from having him run so much.

Dardars injury allowed Ascension senior running back Princeton Cahee to keep the running game steady.

Cahee carried the ball 14 times for 54 yards and two touchdowns Friday night.

Princetons a physical runner, Desormeaux said. Even though he hasnt got a ton of carries the past couple weeks, his pass protection and everything he does other than running the ball has been a huge help for us.

Ascensions next game will be on the road against the Delcambre Panthers. Catholic will be back on its home field next week ready to face the undefeated Loreauville Tigers.

Link:

Ascension Episcopal's defense tosses another shutout in win over Catholic High - The Advocate

The Echo Theater Company world premieres D.G. Watson's ASCENSION October 5, 2021 at the Atwater Village Theatre. Echo's associate artistic director Ahmed Best directs this immersive, interactive, sci-fi mystery thriller featuring Karen Sours Albisua, Leandro Cano, Samantha Cavestani, Elise DuRant, Steve Hofvendahl, Gloria Ines and Charrell Mack.

I had the opportunity to pose a few questions to Ahmed, a black-belted Star Wars innovator.

Thank you for taking the time for this interview, Ahmed!

As Echo Theater Company's associate artistic director, were you instrumental in acquiring ASCENSION for its world premiere?

Yes, Daryl Watson is a fantastic playwright and friend, so when the word was out that we wanted to commission a play from a Black playwright, he was the first person I thought of.

How did you first hear of Daryl and ASCENSION?

I directed a few of Daryl's plays. One was THE TRAGEDY, which was done with Ammunition Theatre Company, and the other was a virtual one act called REMEMBER THE LIGHT RAIL. He and I had been talking about jumping back in as soon as theaters opened. This was a perfect opportunity.

What's your three-line pitch for ASCENSION?

ASCENSION is an on stage interactive sci-fi thriller about questioning reality and surviving through loss. It's something we've all been dealing with the past couple years.

Are all of the ASCENSION cast and creatives members of Echo? Or did you hold auditions for non-members?

They are not all members. But they will soon be.

What was your very first Echo Theater project when you joined eleven years ago?

I don't remember my first. I believe a play called BOB directed by Chris Fields was one of the first.

What was the first thought that came to your mind when you were offered the position and responsibilities of associate artistic director last year?

Theater has always been where I feel the most at home and I hadn't had a physical theater that I could call home since I left New York. So, when I got the position, I wanted to help build that home theater.

What's the good word on the Directors LAB you're directing?

There's a lot about this business that for some reason is a secret. One of those is the process of directing theater and the many things that go into that. The Directors Lab is a place where we can share process and methods as well as mentor those who are interested in directing.

Can you tell us of what's in store for Echo Theater's upcoming season?

Some really great work. The Echo has always been a place that takes risks in the space.

How significant to you was voicing the character of Jar Jar Binks in a number of Star Wars projects?

What's important to me about Jar Jar and my place in Star Wars is that Jar Jar was the beginning of a new way to realize movies. I was not only the voice, I was the actor, the movement, and the design creative collaborator to the FIRST CGI MAIN CHARACTER IN CINEMA HISTORY as well as the voice. What needs to be emphasized is my contribution to a brand-new method of performance that was created by George Lucas and all of us on the design team. I was a large part of that. Often times Black artists are left out of the credit for the work that we were instrumental in creating. I was the first actor to do what is now in every blockbuster motion picture. I am also the LAST BLACK ACTOR to ever have a leading CGI role in motion picture.

Tell us some of the fond memories you have of performing in STOMP.

STOMP was as much me as I have ever been on stage. However, the fondest memory by far is performing with and falling in love with my cast mate and now wife, Raquel Horsford.

What gives you more gratification: acting onstage? Or being one of the creatives behind?

I love both equally.

You have a black belt in Machado Brazilian, Jiu Jitsu and Filipino Escrima. How often do you currently take the mat?

As much as I can. I'm mostly passing down what I know to the younger generations. But, I'm still dangerous for about a minute thirty seconds, LOL!

What's in the near future for Ahmed Best after ASCENSION?

I would love to mount ASCENSION in spaces like THE SHED in New York City and build out a fully immersive interactive experience. There's a space between traditional plays and movies that I believe plays like ASCENSION can live. The ticket price is just as much as a movie ticket, and you get live action and extended reality virtual elements. I think this is a wave of theater that will be accessible and excite audiences that love stage, screen, gaming and virtual reality. There's so much potential for ASCENSION. I'm looking forward to more iterations of it.

Thank you again, Ahmed! I look forward to experiencing your ASCENSION.

For tickets for the live performances of ASCENSION through November 18, 2021; log onto http://www.EchoTheaterCompany.com

Excerpt from:

BWW Interview: The Echo-ing ASCENSION of Ahmed Best - Broadway World

Behind closed doors, how did Tom Brady approach his first NFL start for the 0-2 Patriots as they prepared to take on Indianapolis and Peyton Manning?

Editor's note: This is Part III of Tom E. Curran's three-part series revisiting the rise of Tom Brady from sixth-round pick to seven-time Super Bowl champion. You can read Part I hereand Part II here.

Dave Nugent, defensive end and Brady's roommate:Leading up to that point he was always very professional. He still watched game film and practice film like he was preparing to be the starter. But I remember from that moment, he took it to a different level. He became laser focused because this was the moment that he had been preparing himself for. He always told me that all he can do is focus on the things that he can control so that when his moment came, he'd be ready for it. And I remember when he got that opportunity he was not going to let it go and he became just obsessively just laser focused with his job at hand.

I didn't see him in the morning because he got up that much earlier to go to the stadium. I didn't see him at night because he'd be in our basement watching film. I just remember he was just intentionally and intensely watching film but there was no nerves. He didn't seem uncomfortable at all during the week. Just like he was built for that moment, you know, it's like he's been preparing for this moment. And he just seemed ready to me, that's what stood out of my mind.

BILL BELICHICK FIELDED A SLEW OF QUESTIONS THAT WEEK ABOUT BRADYS FITNESS TO BE AN NFL STARTER. THIS IS A PORTION OF BELICHICKS PRESS CONFERENCE ON MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 AFTER CONFIRMING BRADY WOULD BE STARTER.

Q: If you have to begin your preparation for the Colts right now, you obviously can not prepare with Drew playing, who is your quarterback?

BB:Tom Brady.

Q: Where does he fall in the parameters for arm strength to be a successful NFL quarterback?

BB:I think his arm is good.

Q: Obviously he doesn't have a cannon and a lot of guys who do have cannons couldn't hit the side of a barn, but ...

BB:I don't think we are talking about John Elway here, but I don't know how many of those there are. I think he has got an NFL arm, he has got a good NFL arm.

Q: Tom isn't exactly an established NFL quarterback as of yet, so how much quicker would you be to make the change with him?

BB:I can't put any timeframe or parameters on that. Tom will play and we expect him to play well.

Q: Is his leadership a reason why expect him to succeed?

BB:Yes. I really don't think that I am going to be standing here week after week talking about all of the problems that Tom Brady had. I have confidence in him, I think the team has confidence in him and I think that he will prepare himself well and he will go out there and perform at a good level.

I am sure that like every other young player there will always be something in the game that you would like to do differently. People say that about every player young or old. It is always going to be that way. Everybody will make a mistake in the game, but I think overall that he will perform within the framework of the offense that we have designed for him and he will make plays that he is capable of making. That is what my expectations are and I think Tom will work hard to respond to that opportunity.

Patriots Talk Podcast:Love In! To get into Brady's head, Patriots need to go through his heart|Listen & Subscribe| Watch on YouTube

Nobody ever likes to see a teammate go down especially a warrior like Drew, just to go back in the game in that situation and the condition that he did shows the kind of toughness and grit that he has and what he is respected for, but at the same time every player likes to play, every player wants to take advantage, of an opportunity and I know that Tom has prepared hard and that is what a backup quarterback's job is. To be ready when the opportunity arises.

ACROSS THE COUNTRY IN SAN MATEO, CALIFORNIA, BRADYS PARENTS --TOM SR. AND GALYNN --WERE CONFIDENT BECAUSE THEIR SON WAS CONFIDENT.

Tom Brady, Sr.:We did talk to Tommy and he said, yeah I think I'm going to be it. I'm ready to go. We were never concerned about it.

He had so many comebacks, very opportune times in his college career, that nothing frankly seemed to amaze him. And for us, the biggest amazement, Frankly, and I think our biggest news is when he called us and he made the team the first year. He said he made the team that kind of overwhelmed us because they had had John Friesz and Michael Bishop, I mean it was in, so he was, he was fourth on the depth chart.

I didn't have any doubt that he would do very well. One thing that he always had under his control is he's been very well aware of game situations. When he was a kid, wed watch games and we'd say, That was a good move or That was a bad move or Whyd they call a timeout or whatever. He always was a little bit distressed (when teams did things that didnt make sense situationally). Hed keep saying, You don't do this, you don't do this, you don't do this. He had a very good sense of what to do during various situations in the game.

It was a very happy time for Galynn and I with Tommy getting the chance to play, but I certainly felt badly for Drew on that (and the injury).

WHEN GAME TIME CAME, OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR CHARLIE WEIS FELT GOOD ABOUT BRADY. AND HE FELT GOOD ABOUT THE TEAMS PLAN FOR HIM AND THE OFFENSE.

Weis:He's kind of awired-up guy on game day when he comes out the tunnel, hitting helmets and the other stuff. But as far as composure, I mean, he was excited. But always, always composed. Great composure.

Remember we had a good defense. So we understood, Tommy understood that we're a complementary team at that time. Our defense was better than our offense. ...We had a good methodical team that could run the football and we're going against a team, as I recall that wasn't very good against the run.And I know we ran theball about 40 times that day (39 for 177 and three TDs). Antowain Smith ran over 20 times (22), and I know Kevin (Faulk) got another 10 touches (nine carries, two catches). We completed like 13 passes. The most important thing is, he didn't turn the ball over. He took care of the football. Everyone was saying, All they do is dink and dunk and he can't throw a ball down the field. What we're doing is playing complimentary football, and I think that we got off to a good start that day.

It wasn't a question whether you could throw long it was, Let's take what they give you right now and well go in that direction. And that's how you play winning football.

Scott Piolo, Director of Player Personnel:We knew that there weregoing to be bumps and that it wasnt going to be perfect. His first start was a mixed bag. You go back and he started out and he didn't look so hot (Brady airmailed an open David Patten with his first third-down throw). Charlie did something which wasn't very Charlie-like. He was trying to get Tom to push the ball with a few passes that were downfield whereas later in the game, in the second half,Charlie ran a couple more draws. Antowain Smith established himself as the good back that he was going to be that year. There were a little more checkdowns, using (tight end) Jermaine Wiggins, using Kevin Faulk and the pattern changed with the play calling but the key was that the defense played lights out that day.

That was a big part of the story. Tommy got a lot of help from a lot of people. And most importantly, Tommy didn't do anything to lose the game.

THE GAMES PIVOTAL PLAY --ARGUABLY, THE SEASONS PIVOTAL PLAY --CAME ON THE COLTS FIRST POSSESSION. IT WAS SECOND-AND-6 FROM THE COLTS 37. MANNING HIT WIDE RECEIVER JEROME PATHON FOR 5 YARDS AND LINEBACKER BRYAN COX OBLITERATED PATHON A YARD SHORT OF THE STICKS. ON THE NEXT PLAY, THE PATRIOTS DEFENSE JAMMED UP EDGERRIN JAMES FORCING A COLTS PUNT. THAT STYLE OF DEFENSE WOULD HOLD FOR THE NEXT FOUR MONTHS.

Pioli:Truly, I felt the energy in the entire placechange when Brian Cox had that hit on Pathon. It changed the energy in the building. I mean, (linebackers coach) Pepper Johnson is always a little bit off the hook on the sidelines. He took it next level.

B. Cox was a new dude to that team. He was a Jet. He was a Jet that Patriots people and Patriots players hated until he showed up. He showed up at our place and it was different but similar to when Rodney Harrison showed up. (Cox) brought this energy, this tension, this intensity that wasdifferent. He wasn't initially a locker room favorite. But people realized, Hey, man, that stuff when I was with the Jets, that wasnt personal that was business. I was doing the best for my team. And that became part of the collective understanding of our locker room that once you're in that locker room, you're one of us. Yeah, that other stuff happened, but once you know about Brian Cox, everything he's going to do is for our collective greater good.

Our defense that day, Anthony Pleasant, Bobby Hamilton, Roman Phifer, Ted Johnson --they all played well. Otis Smith --I mean, Otis had a 70-yard, interception return for a touchdown in that game. I remember, right before the half, they're driving. And we put 10 more points on them in the last two minutes because Otis intercepts the ball, runs it back for a touchdown. Then we get the ball back, a three-and-out. We get a chunk drive. And thatto me, that's one of the things I remember about that. How well Brady, and our offense and our team, our defense, and offense were prepared. Chunk passes, use the sidelines, use timeouts, just the efficiency of the coaching, and then the performance by the players. And then three more points to make it 20 nothing at the end of the half? That was pretty special stuff.

I trusted in Charlie in that game. Charlie and Bill and Ernie Adams (Belichicks do-it-all advisor) knew what we had to do with the kid and they did it.

I always go back to one of the great lessons I learned early in football having grown up a Giants fan and listening to how Phil Simms was put together and how they took this young guy from Morehead State and evolved him. (Bill Parcells) and (Giants offensive coordinator) Ron Erhardt made sure that they did a lot with the short and underneath and sideways passing game, to build the confidence of the quarterback and get him comfortable. To get the line comfortable to figure out what's going on in front of them. And then to also get the ball in the hands of people who are getting paid to have the ball in their hands and be out in space and work against other people.

That's what Charlie started to do. I cannot overstate the importance and the work all of the skill players --not just the guys catching the ball that day --but Mark Edwards doing his job at fullback, Antowain Smith, Kevin Faulk on the draws, Kevin Faulk picking up the blitz. It wasn't perfect that day. I'm not saying it was. But there were signs of things coming together. There were moments of certain things where youd say, Damn, that's good and smart football.

I remember Kevin Faulk, getting out of bounds, getting himself to the perimeter, getting out of bounds, run after catch, draws, there were things happening with the team. People were focusing on the low-hanging fruit. To me that game, that situational football at the end of the half, to get the game from 17, then to get those extra three points at the end of the half what that did for that team, mentally and emotionally? But also, I think, for them to understand all that Bill is teaching them? It comes together and they say, This stuff might work! This stuff makes sense! That three points may matter! Wow! This stuff might work!

IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE PATRIOTS 44-13 WIN IN WHICH BRADY WENT 13 FOR 23 FOR 168 YARDS WITH NO TOUCHDOWNS AND NO PICKS, A TEAM-WIDE SPARK WAS KINDLED.

I think my greater focus was that I was excited to see how our defense played against Peyton Manning. And I knew how we were going to play. We were going to be as physical as you could possibly be up to the line and maybe, on occasion, across the line.

Its a new quarterback, we get it. That's the news. But how is our special teams gonna play? But how did the defense play? Because, in addition to wondering about how your quarterbacks going to play, how are you going to slow down No. 18 on the other side of the field? He's about to become the best quarterback in the National Football League. You know what this man is going to be. It was excitement, knowing that your team had been prepared right. That the coaching staff had done the right thing to prepare the defense, to prepare the big-picture team, and that the offense was ready. As the game started, I, I felt great about the defense because I saw some of the energy I had seen. I mean, again, we had some dogs, man. All those guys with the jersey number in the 50s (Mike Vrabel, Cox, Johnson, Larry Izzo, Tedy Bruschi, Willie McGinest, for example). You see that they're evolving. We brought a bunch of them in the offseason but they fit exactly what we were trying to do and exactly how Bill and Romeo (Crennel) wanted that defense. They were ready.

Nugent:I remember coming back to the condo, and it's so funny because during the week he was so business-like, but after the game, he was like a kid in a candy store. It's like he could finally let loose, and he was just a kid, he was a 24-year-old kid, and he just, you know, he was enjoying the moment and that's what I remember about him the most.

THE PATRIOTS FOLLOWED UP THE WIN OVER THE COLTS WITH AN UGLY LOSS IN MIAMI. BRADY THREW FOR 86 YARDS AND WAS SACKED FOUR TIMES IN A 30-10 LOSS. BUT THE PATRIOTS WON FOUR OF THEIR NEXT FIVE AND BRADYS CONFIDENCE AND PRODUCTION GREW. THE TEAM LOOKED DIFFERENT. WITH BLEDSOE ON THE MEND AND READY TO RETURN, BELICHICK BROKE THE NEWS TO THE FRANCHISE QUARTERBACK THAT THE JOB WAS NOW BRADYS.

Weis:We never had the conversation (about sitting Brady down when Bledsoe was healthy). We never worried about when 11 was gonna play. We figured we'll deal with that when that time comes. You're worried about that week. We never talked about it. Not once did we talk about it. We talked about it when the doctors came to us and said, Hey, Drew can play. That's when we talked about it.

It was uncomfortable. Because now we were on a little winning streak. We had some mojo going, which was the main reason why we didn't make a change. You know we didn't make a change because we had that going. And chemistry is one thing that very often is undervalued. And there was good chemistry. The defense and RAC (Romeo Crennel) had rallied and picked up the pace when Drew went down. Not disrespectful to Drew but out of respect for Drew. They felt that they had a bigger responsibility to pick up. The offense, as the year went on, we grew and got better at giving us opportunities to do more things.

Nugent:I'm going to be 100 percent honest, I never remembered Tom ever once talking about anything that wasn't positive in regards to Drew that year. It wasn't like, Oh my gosh, what's gonna happen when Drew gets healthy? Or, I'm better than Drew. There was none of that. There was concern for Drew's health, and he was just more focused on his task at hand than anything else. Not once (did Brady mention it) and that waswithin the walls of our home. I mean, he could have said it to me if he wanted to, and he could confide in me but he never shared that with me.

That just tells me that, going back to when he first told me, All I can do is focus on what I can control, he's always had that mindset. And looking back, had he not had that mindset for his moment, I mean the history of the franchise would have changed forever. But because he had that kind of mindset that, All I can do is focus on the things I can control. I can't control what they're going to do with Drew, when hecomes back healthy, it helped him succeed.

THE REST OF THE SEASON WAS HISTORY IN THE MAKING. WE KNOW NOW HOW THAT TURNED OUT. THE SUBSEQUENT 20 YEARS WHICH CULMINATEAND COME FULL CIRCLE TONIGHT AT GILLETTE STADIUM AS BRADY AND THE BUCCANEERS PLAY THE PATRIOTS IN WHAT WILL CERTAINLY BE HIS FINAL GAME IN FOXBORO HAVE ONLY BEEN ONE OF THE GREATEST STORIES IN PRO SPORTS HISTORY. I ASKED WEIS IF HE FELT A CERTAIN PRIDE IN ALL THATS HAPPENED SINCE THE LAST WEEK OF SEPTEMBER, 2001.

There's a bus full of people that have a small part in it. You do feel pride in the fact that you were one of the people that was involved. But I think that the number one person who deserves the credit for Tommy Brady is Tommy Brady.

I think that his intestinal fortitude is what separated him. There are a lot of great football players who have intestinal fortitude, but the guy was just different. He just had a chip on his shoulder, and I find humor in the fact that --at 44 years old --he still has the chip on his shoulder.

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An oral history of Tom Brady's ascension to the greatest QB in NFL history, part 3 - NBC Sports Boston