Tom Brady puts winning first, but eager to entertain, too
"We’re reality TV stars in our own right.’’
ATLANTA — Tom Brady doesn’t just view himself as a football player.
“We’re entertainers,’’ the Patriots quarterback said at Super Bowl Opening Night on Monday evening. “We’re reality TV stars in our own right.’’
Brady and the Patriots certainly have put on quite the show throughout his 19-year career. The three-time league MVP has led 44 fourth-quarter comebacks and 56 game-winning drives, including the memorable Super Bowl LI victory in overtime just two seasons ago.
While overcoming that 28-3 deficit is hard to top, the feat is certainly not an anomaly for Brady. That season, he also overcame a 10-point, fourth-quarter deficit against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Championship. In the 2014-15 divisional round, he and the Patriots edged the Baltimore Ravens, 35-31, after trailing by 14 in the third quarter.
“We get a chance to go out there and entertain people and they wanna see great games and we wanna be a part of great games,’’ Brady said. “When you’re behind in games, if you want to be a great clutch quarterback, you got to come from behind. You can’t do that if you’re ahead all the time.’’
Brady, of course, acknowledged the Patriots would prefer to get off to a hot start against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. But there’s a particular thrill that comes from leading his team down the field during crunch time.
“What better opportunity than to go do something special,’’ he said. “That’s what people remember.’’
Sure, the comeback route is a tad more nerve-wracking for the fans in the stands and viewers at home, but Brady said he doesn’t let his mind wander. In those final moments, he credited “a belief in [his] teammates’’ and “a belief in the situation that [the Patriots] will get it done’’ as the fuel for his will to win.
If history tells us anything, New England’s upcoming bout against the Rams will be another close one. The 8-point differential in the 41-33 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in last year’s Super Bowl was the largest in the franchise’s eight prior Brady-led appearances. Four, three wins and one loss, were decided by three points.
So, what does Brady hope to see?
“We just want to win,’’ he said. “We just care about winning and that’s what it’s all about.’’
