Mum’s struggles inspire the champ
Tom Brady doesn’t want to talk about “Deflategate”. He’d rather reflect on a night he will never forget and how much it meant to his mother.
The New England quarterback called the overtime victory over the Atlanta Falcons a “hell of a game” for his mother, who has been dealing with an undisclosed health issue and was not able to attend any other games this season.
“It was great. She’s been through a lot,” Brady said. “Way harder than I went through last night. Way harder than everyone on our team went through last night. My dad’s been there every step of the way. They set such a great example for me.
“All families go through challenging times personally. But she has a lot of support and a lot of love. I’m just happy last night to be able to celebrate with her.”
What was missing from the celebration was Brady’s game jersey, which he said disappeared from the locker room.
Brady joked that he expects to spot it soon in an online auction.
He would not say whether his fifth championship meant more to him than the others because of his fourgame suspension stemming from the Deflategate scandal.
Coach Bill Belichick said it would be “inappropriate” to suggest that Brady put in more effort this season for any reason.
“To insinuate that this season was somehow different, that this year he competed harder or did anything to a higher degree than anything he has in the past, I think is insulting to the tremendous effort and leadership and competitiveness that he’s shown for the 17 years that I’ve coached him,” Belichick said.
Two years ago, Brady gave the truck he received for winning the game’s MVP honours to Malcolm Butler for the rookie cornerback’s game-saving interception in the Patriots’ Super Bowl win over the Seahawks.
He hinted that he may not keep the vehicle he was awarded this week either.
“I think James White deserves it. It would be nice for him,” Brady said of the team-mate who made the winning carry in overtime. “It took a real team effort. We faced a lot of adversity this year and overcame it with a lot of mental toughness.”
That said, he is definitely keeping the trophy.When the news conference concluded, Brady looked down and grasped the silver football and cradled it under his arm as he walked off the stage. “I’m taking it home,” Brady said.
— AP him and knocked him to the turf, and he betrayed no physical diminution. He threw an inexcusable pass that swung the game in Atlanta’s favour by three touchdowns, and he showed no mental weariness.
He knew how to fix the problem, and he knew he could do it. He kept coming.
The Falcons pushed Brady to the limit with a fearsome pass-rush, the only reliable way to threaten him. They almost never blitzed, mixing coverages with quicksilver linebackers and a fleet of defensive backs. He hung tough long enough to decipher the Falcons’ scheme, and as the pass-rush tired, he picked them apart.
In the fourth quarter and overtime, Brady completed 21 of 34 passes for 234 yards. Mostly, he shredded Atlanta’s secondary with short passes, advancing the chains with little resistance. Once the Patriots fell behind by 25 points midway through the third quarter, Brady only faced six plays that would either kill a drive or keep it alive: one fourth down and five third downs.
He took a sack on one of them, keeping the Patriots in line for a field goal rather than risking an interception. On the other five, Brady passed for 17 yards on fourth and three; ran for 15 yards on third and eight; passed for 25 yards on third and one; passed for 12 yards on third and 11; and passed for 16 yards on third and 10 from his own 9-yard line.
On those five conversions, he scrambled once and passed to five different receivers for first downs. In the most crucial moments of the game, over and over, Brady diagnosed what he needed to do and had the nerve and skill to do it.
Brady, like the rest of us, has his flaws. He can be teased for underinflating footballs, dogged for evading questions about his pal Donald Trump and doubted for decisions in his personal life made when he was younger. But he is an impregnable competitor. He took a beating and faced certain doom and, at that moment, at age 39, played quarterback at a level rarely attained before.
“We’re all going to remember this for the rest of our life,” Brady said.
So will everybody else.