FOXBORO, Mass. — Nobody likes to lose. But Tom Brady hates it more than anyone else.
For a guy who has only experienced 45 losses, including the playoffs, in 12 NFL seasons as a starter, Brady doesn’t have to deal with the feeling nearly as often as others. But given his heightened competitive nature and his utter disdain for losing, the sting seems to last a little longer for the Patriots’ quarterback.
“I don’t think you ever get over any loss you’ve had. I probably remember every single one,” Brady said during his weekly news conference on Wednesday.
Brady even referenced the Patriots’ seven-game winning streak heading into Sunday night’s showdown with the 49ers — but only to again explain how much he hates losing.
“We had a pretty good streak there going of wins, and it feels pretty good when you’re on those winning streaks, and then when you lose, it feel like you haven’t won a game in three years,” he said.
That sense of disgust and disappointment after a loss is definitely part of Brady’s mental makeup, and although he dreads the feeling itself, Brady also said he understands the value a loss can bring.
“When you lose, it sucks. There’s no question about it. It’s not fun for anybody. It makes for a long week. It makes for long seasons when you lose,” Brady said. “But part of the mental toughness that we need to have is to be able to move on and understand why we lost the game and why we win games and what we need to do better the next week.”
This week, the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars (2-12) are on the Patriots’ schedule. They could be in for a beatdown with all the frustration that’s boiling over in the Patriots’ locker room.
While Brady and his teammates clearly hate the thought of losing, the understanding of its impact is huge for this team. The old adage says that you must be willing to suffer in order to succeed, and if it means a trip to New Orleans for the Super Bowl come February, then Brady and Co. are likely more than willing to take a few more on the chin ahead of the playoffs.
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