Brady: Pandemic season was ‘like football for junkies’
Tom Brady, speaking on just two hours of sleep after leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a Super Bowl triumph, said on Monday the COVID-19 restrictions in place during the NFL season ultimately provided him with a breeding ground for excellence.
Given the many protocols in place to limit the spread of the virus, Brady took full advantage of the opportunity and ramped up his already tireless work ethic and insatiable dedication to sharpening his craft.
“In a unique way it was kind of like, with the coronavirus situation and all the protocols, it was really like football for junkies,” seventimes Super Bowl champion Brady told a video news conference.
“There was not really a lot of other things to do other than show up to work and play football.”
Brady’s transition to a new team was not made any easier given the absence of an NFL exhibition schedule, but the extra time to study the Bucs’ playbook paid off.
A focused Brady, already widely considered to be the greatest quarterback of all time, turned around the Buccaneers franchise and led them to their first Super Bowl appearance since the team won their first title in January 2003.
“Normally there is a lot of other things that go along with playing football,” said Brady.
“So if you love football, this was the year to be a player in the NFL because that’s all it was. It was like football camp with all your buddies year-round, so I really enjoyed that part.” MAHOMES FINDS MOTIVATION AFTER LOSS >> Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes vowed to get better after his career-worst performance in Super Bowl LV, saying he’ll be “motivated” for the rest of his career. This coming from a player who already has one Super Bowl title on his resume.
“It was a bad feeling in that locker room after the game,’’ Mahomes said. “You don’t want to have that feeling again.
“When you’re a competitor and get so close to your ultimate goal and fall short, it’s something that will motivate you for the rest of your career,” Mahomes said. “We’ll set the tone from the beginning (of next year) that we have to be better.”
ARIANS CONFIDENT BUCS CAN BRING BACK BULK OF SQUAD >> Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians said he is confident the core of his Super Bowlwinning team will remain intact for next season despite a number of key players who will be eligible for free agency.
The Buccaneers will need to get creative in order to hang onto players with expiring contracts while also staying within the NFL’s salary cap.
“I’m very confident,” Arians said during a video news conference when asked if the Bucs will be able to return next season with mostly the same team. “These guys, they have a bond. There will be dollars involved, but I think this group is so, so close that sometimes dollars don’t matter,” he said.
While the bulk of the team’s roster, including quarterback Tom Brady, are already set to return, the Bucs have number of key contributors who are set to hit the open market.
Receiver Chris Godwin, running back Leonard Fournette and defensive starters Ndamukong Suh, Shaquil Barrett and Lavonte David are among the players who will be free to sign with other teams. BRADY APOLOGIZES TO MATHIEU VIA TEXT >> Brady apologized to Kansas City Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu via text message following the Super Bowl win, according to an ESPN report. Brady, 43, and Mathieu had several on-field verbal altercations, with the latter being flagged on one occasion for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Per the report, Brady called Mathieu “the ultimate competitor” as well as a “class act” in his text. He also said he’d like to apologize to Mathieu in person in the future.
“Listen, Tom Brady’s a great quarterback,” Mathieu said after the game. “I never really saw that side of Tom Brady, to be honest. But whatever. No comment. It’s over with. I’m done with it.”
Mathieu, however wasn’t done with it on social media. He said Brady started the verbal issues when he called Mathieu “something I won’t repeat” in a sincedeleted tweet.
CHIEFS HEAD INTO OFFSEASON WITH CORE INTACT, PLENTY OF HOLES >> The Chiefs were so confident in their Super Bowl-winning roster from the 2019 season that they did everything they could to bring it back intact, signing quarterback Patrick Mahomes and defensive tackle Chris Jones to huge deals and reworking other contracts to make the numbers fit in the salary cap.
It almost worked, too. The Chiefs made it back to the big game. Now, the Chiefs will have to take a much different tact if they want to make their third consecutive Super Bowl.
While their core group is signed for the next several years, the Chiefs have a raft of important contributors that are due to hit free agency. That includes wide receivers Sammy Watkins and Demarcus Robinson and four of the five offensive linemen that started in the Super Bowl. As well as the defense, including eight players that were regulars or starters this past season.
“Like all teams, we’ll get busy here going down the road,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Monday. “We’ll still have a good core of players coming back. We’ll have some additions. No team stays in the same in today’s NFL.”
The baseball world and beyond was stunned in the wake of the death of Pedro Gomez, an ESPN correspondent for the past 18 years and a former Mercury News reporter.
Gomez died unexpectedly Sunday afternoon at his home in the Phoenix area at age 58. He worked for the Mercury News from 1990-95, covering the A’s in his last four years. No cause of death was given. Gomez is survived by his wife Sandra sons Rio and Dante and daughter Sierra.
Among the outpouring of grief and memories came from the Athletics, Giants and the Boston Red Sox, where Gomez’s son Rio is a left-handed pitcher in the minor leagues after a college career at Arizona.
“We are saddened by the passing of our friend Pedro Gomez.” the A’s tweeted. “Our hearts go out to his family and friends during this difficult time. We’ll miss you, Pedro.”
Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford noted the positivity of Gomez.
“Always had a smile on his face and such a positive person to be around,” Crawford tweeted.
Alex Wood, a Giants lefthanded pitcher who signed in January, called Gomez “one of the kindest and most genuine people you’d ever come across in our game.”
Gomez also worked for the Sacramento Bee, The Miami Herald, San Diego Union and The Miami News. He was a member of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America and was a Baseball Hall of Fame voter.
— Jerry McDonald JUICE TAKEN OUT OF BASEBALLS >> Major League Baseball has slightly deadened its baseballs amid a yearslong surge in home runs.
MLB anticipates the changes will be subtle, and a memo to teams last week cites an independent lab that found the new balls will fly 1 to 2 feet shorter on balls hit over 375 feet. Five more teams also plan to add humidors to their stadiums, raising to 10 of MLB’s 30 stadiums expected to be equipped with humiditycontrolled storage spaces.
A person familiar with the note spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the memo, sent by MLB executive vice president of baseball operations Morgan Sword, was sent privately. The Athletic first reported the contents of the memo.
A four-person committee of scientists commissioned by MLB concluded after the 2019 season that baseballs had less drag on average than in previous seasons, contributing to the power surge. Their report blamed the spike in part on inconsistencies in seam height.
MLB RENEWS 7-INNING DOUBLEHEADERS, NL DESIGNATED HITTER GONE >> Seveninning doubleheaders and runners on second base to start extra innings will return for a second straight season under an agreement for 2021 health protocols reached between Major League Baseball and the players’ association.
The deal did not include last year’s experimental rule to extend the designated hitter to the National League or expanded playoffs.
Spring training opens Feb. 17 and the season starts April 1.
After allowing 16 teams in the postseason last year instead of 10, MLB had proposed 14 for this year before withdrawing that plan last month.
BRAVES BRING BACK OZUNA >> Marcell Ozuna is returning toAtlanta,withorwithout the designated hitter. The Braves reclaimed Ozuna’s power bat for the middle of their lineup by signing the slugger to a $65 million, four-year contract.
The Braves made the major commitment to Ozuna despite having no assurance there will be a DH in the NL in 2021. He flourished in the role in 2020, helping the Braves win the NL East and come within one win of advancing to the World Series. The Braves lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 7 of the NL Championship Series after leading the series 3-1.
The 30-year-old Ozuna signed an $18 million, oneyear free agent deal with Atlanta last year, and then put together his best offensive season. He batted .338 with 18 homers and 56 RBIs, narrowly missing out on a Triple Crown.
ANGELS SIGN OHTANI TO TWO-YEAR, $8.5M DEAL >> Shohei Ohtani agreed to a two-year, $8.5 million contract with the Los Angeles Angels, avoiding arbitration. The two-way player will make $3 million in 2021 and $5.5 million in 2022.
CUBS ANNOUNCE DEALS WITH OF PEDERSON, 2 PITCHERS >> Joc Pederson joined the Chicago Cubs, finalizing a $7 million, one-year contract with the NL Central champions.
The Cubs also completed a $2.75 million, one-year deal for pitcher Andrew Chafin and a $2.5 million, oneyear agreement for pitcher Trevor Williams on Friday. The contracts for Pederson and Chafin include a mutual option for 2022.
Chicago had just three outfielders on its 40-man roster before the addition of Pederson, who hit .190 with seven homers and 16 RBIs last season for the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.