Every quarterback can throw a ball, every running back can run, and every receiver is fast; but that mental toughness that you talk about translates into competitiveness.”
– Tom Brady, Quarterback, New England Patriots
Eight Super Bowl appearances, five Super Bowl wins, four Super Bowl MVP awards, two NFL MVP awards, 12-time Pro Bowler, fourth all-time in both career passing yards and touchdowns, and the guy is not finished yet. That’s Tom Brady for you. At age 40 and at the peak of his game—the way he has been for so many years—Tom Brady appears in his eighth Super Bowl this Sunday.
Many consider Super Bowl as the greatest show on Earth, and Tom Brady is probably its greatest hero. Watching him do the impossible over and over again is becoming the norm. Many consider Brady as the greatest quarterbacks of all-time. And with Brady featuring in the Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, it’s a game no one wants to miss.
All this from a sixth-round draft pick in the year 2000 who got the opportunity because the starting quarterback was injured. It’s been a rollicking journey demanding sacrifices, tons of hard work, perseverance and relentlessly striving to excel and succeed.
“I was the kid that was the 199th pick that never had the body for it. People didn’t think I’d play one year in the NFL, and now I’m going on my 17th year,” says Brady.
Achieving Success Early in His Career
New England Patriots drafted Tom Brady in the sixth round of 2000 NFL draft. Chosen as a backup quarterback behind the starter Drew Bledsoe and backups John Friesz and Michael Bishop, Brady played just one game in 2000 season. The very next year, Brady was MVP at Super Bowl XXXVI. When opportunity came, Brady wasted no time grabbing it with both hands. He led his team again in 2003 and 2004 to win Super Bowl, grabbing the MVP award a second time in 2003.
The Tide Turns Against Him
Tom Brady was going strong, winning games for his teams. In 2007, Patriots again made it to the Super Bowl—undefeated—meeting New York Giants in the face-off. Patriots lost in a close game, 17-14. The margin of three points was exactly the same margin with which Patriots had won their three Super Bowl championships. Brady said, “Usually, we are on the better side of those 3-point wins.” His counterpart for the Giants, Eli Manning was the superstar of that night’s game, completely overshadowing Brady.
Brady had played that game with an ankle injury. By the start of the 2008 season, Brady’s injuries had multiplied, especially with a nasty knee injury. Multiple surgeries followed and recuperation forced Brady to sit out the entire season. It’s not easy when you want to be out there and perform, and are instead forced to sit and watch the games on TV. The doubters had already dropped the word how Brady might never be the same player again. However, Brady worked rigorously on his recovery and made a strong comeback the following season.
In 2011, he again led Patriots to the Super Bowl championship game against arch-rival New York Giants. Unfortunately, Patriots lost again. Brady was heartbroken. That, however, made him even more determined to bounce back and have a go at future Super Bowl championships.
The Infamous Deflategate Controversy
In 2015, Brady found himself at the center of a storm. Patriots had allegedly used under-inflated footballs in their AFC Championship game against Indianapolis Colts. Brady, it was alleged, had some sort of prior knowledge about this. Patriots were fined $1 million, and Brady was suspended for four games. The federal court removed the four-match suspensions. That enabled Brady to participate for the rest of the season. However, another court reinstated Brady’s suspension that Brady had to undergo for the 2016 season.
All through the controversy, Brady maintained he has never cheated and that he had no inkling about the under-inflated balls. With media lapping up every bit of the controversy and constant twists and turns of the scandal, Brady remained focused. With the entire controversy revolving around him, like a true winner, Brady never had it play negatively on his mind. His focus was always the next game. He accepted and served his suspension and led Patriots to LI Super Bowl win. He was the MVP yet again.
This speaks volumes about Brady’s leadership qualities. With so much negativity around him, he never let that affect him and his team.
Super Bowl LI: The Tom Brady Show
Super Bowl LI witnessed one of the greatest football games ever. It showed the true meaning of never-say-die spirit and proving it isn’t over until it’s over. New England Patriots took on Atlanta Falcons. At one point, Falcons lead Patriots by 25 points—a huge lead by any standards. A lot of people, including Patriot fans, had given up. The pressure of Super Bowl, millions of pairs of eyes fixated and scrutinizing every piece of action was enough to mentally shut down the lesser mortals. Brady and the Patriots had other ideas, though.
In the second half, what Brady unleashed on the field had critics’ jaws dropping in awe and delirious fans screaming. Led by Brady, Patriots had turned the game on its head and scripted the biggest comeback in the history of the game. The final score read 34 – 28 in favor of the Patriots, and Brady was the MVP.
When almost everyone gave up, Brady had belief in himself and his team. Even with the odds stacked strongly against his team at halftime, Brady demonstrated perseverance and zeal to win to emerge a champion once again.
Achieving Supreme Fitness
Brady’s work ethic has been exemplary ever since the 2008 injury. Apart from niggles here and there, he’s never had any serious injuries to date—even at 40. “I love working hard. I love being part of a team and working toward a common goal.”
That has been possible because of a highly restrictive diet and his fitness regiment. He goes to bed by 8:30 at night and is up by 5:30 in the morning. He gives up a lot every single day to become a legend that he is. Before going to bed, however, he makes sure he reads to his kids.
His diet excludes dairy, gluten, sugar, white flour, caffeine, tomatoes, iodized salt, peppers, mushrooms, and so on. He eats lots of veggies. He has also released a cookbook containing 89 recipes.
Further, Brady has created, in collaboration with Alex Guerrero, his TB12 Method for fitness. He has also released a book titled The TB12 Method: How to Achieve a Lifetime of Sustained Peak Performance. The book contains Brady’s secrets to achieve supreme fitness even after your prime years.
40 and Going Strong
Brady is always under the lens. There’s no quarterback in the history of the game that has played at the top level at 40. Even a minor dip in performance is magnified many times over and critics again start asking the retirement question. Recently, Jonathan Kraft, owner of the Patriots, was asked this question. He replied, “I think Tom Brady has earned the right to have that be a decision he makes when he wants to make it.”
“Why does everyone want me to retire so bad?” Brady questions. “I don’t get it. I’m having fun. In fact, Brady has plans to play well into his 40s. And with his amazing spirit, there’s no reason why he can’t play many more years. And a few MVPs as well!
