As the VTUG Winter Warmer 2016 event was held in the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, it seemed natural that some football connection beyond the painted players adorning the stadium walls might come into play over the course of the day.

Stu Miniman, a fan of the New England Patriots and cohost of theCUBE, from the SiliconANGLE Media team, had a chance to speak with Troy Brown, a three-time Superbowl Champion from the New England Patriots. The conversation bypassed tech talk in favor of Brown’s football career and his predictions for the rest of the NFL season.

Players and management

The early part of the conversation centered on Brown’s time on the field and his performance. Brown attributed much of his success to the Patriots’ coach, saying, “I think the coach … does a good job of evaluating his people, his players, the people that work for him … The thing about him, I think he never asks an individual to do more than they can handle.”

Brown also noted the importance of hiding weariness and discomfort from opponents, along with effective multi-tasking. “I took a lot of pride in being able to manage and do a lot of different things at one time and really excel at it,” he said.

Longevity and continuity are a rarity not just in football, but in sports at large, according to Brown. “Longevity, I believe, is the key, and you have to build that,” he stated, touching on how the development of rapport between players enables success on the field.

Looking back and forward

Asked about some of the favorite moments of his career, Brown mentioned victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers, playing in the championships, and various Super Bowls, though he had difficulty settling on a single moment to top the heap. “It was all a lot of great and fantastic moments for us,” he said.

On the topic of playoffs in Denver, Brown noted that the Colorado city has not been “a friendly place” to football and its players, traditionally, though aside from a guess at a possible influence from the altitude, he was unsure why this was. Asked to pick a team to stand by for the rest of the season, Brown selected his own Patriots, though he imagined a showdown from Arizona could be a likelihood.

Watch the full interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE and theCUBE’s coverage of VTUG Winter Warmer 2016.

Photo by SiliconANGLE