FOXBORO, Mass. — Quarterback Tom Brady referenced a strange dynamic Thursday as the Patriots launched their preparations for the Super Bowl.
While they're about to play in the most important game of their lives, they're supposed to treat it like any other game. Prepare like it's the Super Bowl while forgetting it's the Super Bowl.
It makes a ton of sense, and it doesn't make any at all. Then again, that's what makes it so challenging, and the team that handles this dynamic with more focus will be better prepared to perform on the worldwide stage.
"Coach [Bill] Belichick prepares the team pretty well," Brady said. "What a lot of the veterans have tried to do is set an example by doing the right thing. It's not so much, 'Hey, this is the way it's going to be.' It's, 'Look, we're going to work hard. It's a football game for us. It might be the Super Bowl for everybody else, but for us, we're going there to try to win a football game, so put all the distractions aside and don't let anything get in the way of our preparation.' That's ultimately what is most important. This game, everyone will remember for their rest of their life. Hopefully, it's a good memory."
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