Published
5 years agoon
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — He’s 41 now but the joy is still there for Tom Brady, who was named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player for a third time last season.
“It’s a blessing to be able to do it,” the New England quarterback said Friday as he awaits his 19th NFL season with Sunday’s home game against the Houston Texans. “I love playing football. I love the sport and I’ve been doing it for a long time so I’m not sure what life would be like without it.”
Patriots running back James White says Brady comes ready to work every day.
“Competitor, from eating (right) to studying, to getting to know his teammates, he knows who everybody in this locker room inside and out,” he said. “Just the way he works, you just want to emulate a guy like that — all the success that he’s had in this league. He’s a great leader for us and there’s no better example that you want to follow.”
Brady, who recently said he’d like to play until he’s 45, says his experience is a true asset as he seeks a sixth Super Bowl title and ninth appearance in the NFL’s biggest game.
“I think you can use it to a real advantage if you do things the right way,” he said. “I feel like I have a lot of experience, a lot of knowledge and I plan to use it. I mean, football’s fun for me. I feel like I can go out there, I can anticipate a lot of things. I’ve seen all the coverages — we have a lot of answers to the test. Now you just got to go do it.
“Most athletes, by the time you get to a certain point you start to figure it out mentally and physically it becomes really hard. So, trying to be my best physically and be my best mentally and that’s a good place to be.”
As for his conditioning, Brady says he is comfortable with his situation concerning his personal trainer, Alex Guerrero. Guerrero was removed from team flights last season but has reappeared as a sign of some sort of understanding involving coach Bill Belichick.
“We work together,” Brady said. “I don’t want to bring on any drama this year — just focus on what I want to do and be a great football player for this team and try to be a good example in the locker room and provide great leadership. That’s where my focus is — I know we want to often times talk about a lot of other things, but I just really want to stick to football.”
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