Super Bowl LI
Who: New England Patriots (16-2) vs. Atlanta Falcons (13-5)
When: 4:30 p.m. today
Where: NRG Stadium, Houston
Line: Patriots -3
TV / Radio: KDVR-FOX (31); 104.3 FM
HOUSTON — New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick shed the hoodie for a suit and tie, and if you looked closely, if you peered through the horde of reporters surrounding his podium and waited,
you may have witnessed a smile.
A small one, but a smile no less.
The attention and questioning from media, the screaming of fans inside Minute Maid Park, the full-on circus of “Opening Night” at the Super Bowl last Monday was everything Belichick is not. Or was not.
“I can’t tell you how much of a highlight it is,” he said, maybe or maybe not telling the truth. “This is where you want to be at the end of the year.”
About 10 feet away, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady sat before his own swarm of cameras and lights and answered his own set of questions about his season, his records, his legacy and his return to the NFL’s biggest stage. Then he began to tear up as he talked about his father and thought about his mother.
“It hit me today (at) the pep rally,” Brady said. “When I saw those fans out there, you realize this is different and this just is special. It’s a special experience.”
Something changed for the Belichick and Brady. Or maybe it was just that night, this past week, this season that was simply unique, even though they had been in the same seats six times before and returned to New England victorious in four of them.
Belichick and Brady are back in the Super Bowl — and this time they’re on the brink of history. They will be the first quarterback-head coach duo in the Super Bowl together seven times, and could be the first to hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy five times.
“I remember when I came into the league originally and I learned that when you have division from within, that’s the biggest enemy that gets in the way of winning,” said Patriots owner Robert Kraft. “I can really say that these guys put team first all the way. No one gives excuses when things don’t go right. They’re all together as a unit.”
A new appreciation
Outside of Foxborough, Mass., or Atlanta, Super Bowl LI is missing something, a buzz or a feeling or maybe just the absence of everyone else’s favored team.
The Patriots have always been loved or hated — mostly hated — and this season did them few favors. Their arrival in Houston was met with questions about Kraft’s relationship with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell after Deflategate and Brady’s four-game suspension and whether Goodell would “be welcomed back” to Foxborough.
“Listen, we have a disagreement about what occurred,” Goodell said, his frustration building Wednesday after a fifth question about Deflategate during his annual Super Bowl news conference. “We have been very transparent about what we think the violation was, (and) it went through a very lengthy process. We disagree about that.”
The focus of Super Bowl No. 7 for Brady and Belichick has centered more on politics and discord than on football. But inside the Patriots’ hotel, a literal and figurative shield from the madness that follows them, the feelings differed.
For Brady, the health of his mother, who has dealt with an undisclosed illness for the past 18 months, has weighed on him. For Belichick, the stoicism gave way to appreciation.
New England has become the emotional favorite to some. But to many others who roamed the halls of Houston’s convention center last week, bouncing from radio station to radio station, news conference to news conference, New England’s starring duo is much more, the quarterback especially.
Troy Aikman, Hall of Fame quarterback: “Anyone who wants to make a case for Tom Brady being the greatest of all time, they certainly can do that regardless of whatever happens Sunday.”
Shannon Sharpe, Hall of Fame tight end: “I’m not one of these guys that holds my era so sacred that I’m not going to say other guys can’t pass what we did. Joe (Montana) did what he did in his era. John Elway and some of the other greats did what they did in their era. But for Tom Brady to do what he’s doing in this era, with the advent of free agency … you will never — and I hate saying never — but it’s my belief that you will never see what you’re seeing in New England ever, ever again.”
Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons quarterback: “He’s certainly one of the greatest of all time, for sure. There have been some great quarterbacks, and Tom’s in the that one, two or three category.”
And Falcons linebacker Vic Beasley Jr., Brady’s worst enemy Sunday as the NFL leader in sacks: “I’m blessed to be on the same field, be in this position and be on the same field as Tom Brady.”
Patriots are gold standard
The Broncos’ final days as reigning NFL champions faded as a new coaching staff was finalized just days before Super Bowl LI. A new scheme would soon follow, and another quarterback competition after that.
Ignoring Brady and the Patriots (16-2) and the crowning of the next NFL champion could easily be ignored amid the overhaul. But the changing of the guard — in both Denver and Houston — offered reminders of what was as Brady, the 39-year-old, hoped to do what Peyton Manning did at age 39 a year earlier.
After four title rings and 17 seasons, talk of retirement for Brady — Belichick too — was regular and often came with thoughts of Manning, the other half of their storied rivalry that ended last March.
“There’s a lot of decisions that I make based on my lifestyle that help me play at this more experienced age than most,” Brady said. “I love doing it as you get older. It gets actually, I think, easier because you have priorities. If one of my priorities is to try to be a great quarterback, everything else kind of falls in line. When I was younger, there were different priorities.”
And after one season in Denver with a pair of young quarterbacks, Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch, talk of Super Bowl LI’s quarterback showdown created pangs of envy. What Broncos management sees as potential and an opportunity for development, fans see only as lagging star power.
“If you don’t have one of those guys, you don’t have a chance,” said Kurt Warner, who set an NFL record with 414 yards passing in Super Bowl XXXIV. “In this day in age, with the way the game is played, if you don’t have one of those top-tier quarterbacks, you’re below everybody else and you have to be really good in every other phase. And it’s just really hard to do that consistently.”
Siemian and Lynch could evolve into one of those top-tier quarterbacks. Someday. The hope by the Broncos is they will. But on Sunday, mixed feelings will set in as Brady and Belichick take the field and try to solidify their place among the all-time greats.
Belichick may crack another smile. Brady may shed a few more tears. And in Denver, Broncos fans may let out a collective sigh of disgust, hoping better days are ahead.
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