BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — How wide is the age gap between the New England Patriots’ starting quarterback and his top wide receiver?
Consider this: Brandin Cooks doesn’t even remember Tom Brady’s first Super Bowl championship — which came after the 2001 season — because he’d yet to play his first game of organized football at the time.
“I was 8 years old, so I have no clue,” the 24-year-old wide receiver said Tuesday when asked to recall Brady’s epic victory over the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI. “I wasn’t playing football yet. I didn’t start playing football until 9. So I don’t remember watching that game.”
All these years later, Brady remains one of the NFL’s elite signal-callers. After celebrating his 40th birthday in August, he went on to lead the NFL in passing yards and rank in the top five in completion percentage (fifth), yards per attempt (fifth), touchdown passes (third) and passer rating (third), likely securing him his third career NFL MVP Award.
Cooks, who was a rookie the year Brady won his fourth Super Bowl in 2014, said nothing the quarterback does surprises him.
“I’m not surprised,” he said. “The way that he goes about his game, I respect it, and I’m not surprised at all by what he’s doing.”
Brady will play in his eighth Super Bowl this Sunday — Super Bowl LII against the Philadelphia Eagles at U.S. Bank Stadium. It will be the first for Cooks, who failed to even reach the playoffs in three seasons with the New Orleans Saints before being traded to the Patriots last spring.
“It’s a blessing,” Cooks said. “It really is. To play for this team and to be in the Super Bowl, what more can you ask for as a kid who dreamed of playing in the NFL, period, let alone playing in the Super Bowl on the biggest stage in your life and your career. It’s a true blessing.”
