Tom Brady is going to his 10th Super Bowl at 43 years old. And here is the most impressive part: Is there any doubt he could be in this position next year, too?
Or how about the year after that? Brady has been talking about his desire to play until his mid-4os for a long time, broaching the idea in a 2017 ESPN interview. But that was three Super Bowls ago. Nowadays, it seems feasible Brady could play even beyond then. His longtime trainer and guru Alex Guerrero says Brady now thinks he could play until he’s 46 or 47.
It looks more foolish than ever to doubt him. Bill Belichick got this one wrong.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Green Bay Packers 31-26 in the NFC Championship at Lambeau Field. It was not Brady’s best effort: He threw interceptions on three straight drives in the second half, gifting the Packers numerous opportunities to overcome their three-score deficit. But Aaron Rodgers failed to deliver in the end. The Packers went three-and-out following Brady’s last two picks, and then on their last drive, Rodgers missed two throws to Davante Adams from inside the 10-yard line — despite appearing to have running room.
Then the Packers curiously sent out their field goal unit, even though they were trailing by eight points with just over two minutes left. It was Matt LaFleur’s second confounding decision around the goal line. Earlier in the half, the Packers went for two after a touchdown, even though the game was still in the third quarter. They missed the conversion, and naturally, needed eight points to tie at the end, opposed to seven.
Brady’s greatness is the primary reason he’s two weeks away from playing in his record-setting 10th Super Bowl. But for 21 years, his teams have kept their composure in the biggest spots, while his opponents have often choked. Donovan McNabb seemingly threw up on himself; Russell Wilson threw on the 1-yard line; the Falcons blew a 28-3 lead. We can add the Packers’ late-game blunders to the growing list.
The Buccaneers’ defense picked Brady up on Sunday. They sacked Rodgers five times, including a crucial takedown from Shaq Barrett on Green Bay’s opening fourth-quarter drive.
Tampa Bay showed it’s a complete football team. Brady was wise to become a Florida Man.
It was risky for Brady to leave Belichick and and head to the Buccaneers, the franchise with the lowest winning percentage in NFL history. Last season, Tampa Bay was the most-penalized team in the league, and turned the ball over an astounding 41 times. But the Buccaneers possess the electric playmakers that Brady lacked at the end in New England. He made a bet on talent, and it’s paid off.
With the Patriots limping towards a sub-.500 finish this season, it’s apparent Brady was the driving force of the dynasty. It took him three weeks to win three playoff games without Belichick. In 26 years, Belichick has recorded just one without Brady.
The Belichick-Brady partnership didn’t have to end, but ultimately, Belichick refused to sign Brady to the multi-year deal he wanted. He let the greatest of all-time walk without a replacement. Right now, that looks like an act of hubris, not shrewdness.
Conversely, Bruce Arians says he allows Brady to coach, and provides him with the freedom he desires. He’s clearly taught his teammates how to win. The Buccaneers won three straight road games on their way to Super Bowl LV, which they’ll play in their home stadium. They just went through the gauntlet, beating Drew Brees and Rodgers, two of the 10 greatest quarterbacks of all-time.
Oh, and this is also the first time in Brady’s career he’s reached the Super Bowl without a bye on Wild Card Weekend. He keeps achieving new levels of greatness.
With 40 touchdown passes (his most since 2007) and 4,633 yards (his most since 2015), Brady is still one of the game’s best quarterbacks. He played a tremendous first half Sunday, finding Scotty Miller with a gorgeous 39-yard strike right before halftime.
The turnovers were bad, and the result of an unnecessarily aggressive offensive attack. But Brady’s skills have not eroded. His contemporaries — Brees, Philip Rivers, Ben Roethlisberger — all struggled to find zip on the ball towards at the end of the season. Statistically, Brady just enjoyed one of his most productive years
. The first big feature on the TB12 Method was written by Mark Leibovich of the New York Times in January 2015, just one week before Brady’s sixth career Super Bowl. He wound up destroying the vaunted Seattle Seahawks, throwing for 328 yards and four touchdowns. It was his best Super Bowl ever, until two years later, when he threw for 466 yards against the Falcons.
We can chafe at Brady’s $160 pliability rollers and so-called “immunity vitamins.” But the fact is, he’s outlasting generations of quarterbacks. And now, he’s doing it with his second team. The TB12 Method works. This is not the end, but a new beginning.
The Buccaneers are in position to make another run. Brady’s primary weapons are in the primes of their careers: Mike Evans is 27; Chris Godwin is 24; Miller is 23. Maybe Rob Gronkowski will retire and Antonio Brown will move on. But with Brady under center, and a team committed to surrounding him with talent, there’s little doubt veterans will flock to Tampa Bay. Last offseason it was Leonard Fournette. Who knows who it could be this year? (One potential option is Julian Edelman. The Patriots would save $2.7 million if they cut him.)
Seven years ago, Brady said he’ll retire when he “sucks.” If that’s still the barometer, we’re going to be waiting for a while. Max Kellerman said Brady would “fall off the cliff” in July 2016. As he pointed out on Twitter, Brady’s put together a Hall of Fame career since then. He’s just running up the scoreboard now, and with each triumph, receives more vindication.
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Tom Brady’s 10th Super Bowl Run Is About Vindication - Forbes
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