HOUSTON — What a week it has been for New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady at Super Bowl LI, filled with raw emotion, reflection, laughter and appreciation.
What stands out from the nearly three hours in which he answered questions from reporters over four days is how it seemed as if he were wearing his heart on his jersey sleeve more than he usually does. There has been a human touch to it all, which began Monday night with poignant words about his father, Tom Sr.
Meanwhile, one Boston television station ran Brady’s 45-minute Q&A session Wednesday as it unfolded, essentially replacing its regular 5 p.m. newscast. It was unique, a free-flowing chat that had the normally-guarded Brady engaging on a variety of topics as he wasn’’t racing off to the next meeting or practice the way he often is during the regular season. It made for good TV.
Football, naturally, was also a big part of Brady’s week as well. He ripped it in practice, heating up in a two-minute drill as the Patriots have looked sharp in the days leading up to Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons.
“When you play in the Super Bowl, it is once in a lifetime,” Brady said Thursday in his final news conference. “You can’t take these things for granted. We’ve been very blessed as part of this organization, for the guys that have been on these teams, to make it this far. But it’s a very steep mountain to climb.
“When you get to this point, walking off the practice field, there are two [starting] quarterbacks in the world that are preparing for this game. We should feel very privileged to be able to do that. There are a lot of guys that don’t have the chance, and I think you do feel very humbled when you’re walking off the field to say, ‘Wow, we had an opportunity to go out and practice and prepare for a game that’s so meaningful to all of us that we’ll remember for the rest of our lives.’ I’m just very blessed for that.”
The final step, however, must be taken.
“Ultimately how we remember this week will be determined by the score of the game,” Brady said. “There will be great feelings if we win, and I’ve been on the other end of that, too, which are some crappy feelings that I’m sure the Giants fans still love. But that’s just the way it goes.”
Even in those painful times, Brady has said that he’d still prefer to advance to the Super Bowl and lose than not be there at all.
At 39 years old, he is at a point in his personal and professional life where perspective is meshing with top performance to provide him with seemingly the perfect mix to embrace the moment (many smiles and laughs this week), to share his experience with others, while also reflecting on where he has been.
“There are a lot of things that change your perspective on football,” he said. “Over the years, when you’re 23 years old coming into the league, it’s everything. Then it’s still incredibly important because it’s my job, but my family and the relationships I have are ultimately the most important thing. You have a wife, then kids, and that adds so much. It does bring different perspective.
“And injuries. I always say, in 2008 when I missed the whole season and came back in 2009 I was like, ‘Damn, I love this game.’ All those things bring you different levels of perspective. There have been so many positive things that have happened over the course of my football career, and a lot of things have happened in my life over that time that I correlate with one another — certain years, certain seasons.
“This year has been a very challenging year, but a great year, and we’re at this great point and we have to go finish the job.”
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With his mother, Galynn, battling an undisclosed illness, Brady has been hopeful she will be in town for Super Bowl LI. It would be her first game this season, which is why Brady said seeing her would be “a special moment. It’s always been that, but I think this year it would be as special as it’s ever been.
“I always know where my family kind of sits, I scout that out when I have all my tickets. When I got out in pregame and look around, I kind of know where they’re going to be and I try to make some eye contact and let them know I’m looking at them.”
Come Sunday night, Brady knows all eyes will be on him, which is the type of moment in which he often thrives.
“I love this sport and I commit my life to playing it,” Brady said. “There are a lot of decisions that I make based on my lifestyle that help me play at this most experienced age than most. I love doing it and as you get older, it gets 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.
“This has been a fun week to prepare for a great opponent. This will be a great game.”
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