The TB12 Method is alive and well.
Entering Week 15 of the NFL season, most players understandably are battling through various amounts of ailments, but not Tom Brady. The 41-year-old quarterback appeared on Westwood One Radio with Jim Grey on Thursday night and credited his workout routine for keeping him healthy, saying he feels “100 percent” as the New England Patriots head down the stretch.
“I think so much of playing a physical, contact sport is dealing with the contact,” Brady explained to Gray. “Some people do with it better than others, and I’ve had a long history of learning what to do and what not to do. I think I’ve learned how to deal with it better than most. I’ve worked a lot with Alex (Guerrero), who I’ve talked extensively about. I have a really great disciplined routine that allows me to continue to take the hits and absorb the forces. My body feels great. In the 14th week of the year, I would say I feel 100 percent.
“I go out to practice, I practice as hard as I can and I feel great. I’m ready for the next day and I don’t feel any different from day to day. It’s really encouraging. I know what I do works, and it’s just such a great advantage for me as I move into later parts of the season when I know other guys aren’t feeling as great as I am.”
It’s hard to say whether Brady has just been lucky to avoid injuries through the years or whether his unique routine has been the biggest factor in keeping the future Hall of Famer on the field. One thing is for sure, Brady knows how to take a hit.
“First of all, I’ve been doing it a long time, so your body gets used to the hits. The brain understands the position you’re putting your body into. My brain is wired for contact. In some ways, it’s become calloused to some of the hits,” he said. “Based on all the pliability treatments I do, my muscles just absorb the forces and disperse the forces as well as they ever have. I take hits better now at 41 than I did when I was 25. I train that way; I made it a priority in my life and think about it on a daily basis.
“It’s so important for me because I look around at the locker room, I look around at guys in the league and I realize they’re playing at such a disadvantage because of what I’m able to do and how I’m able to treat my body,” he added. “It actually gives me a lot of confidence. I look at certain hits in the game I see on film, and people go, ‘God, did that hurt a lot?’ and I’ll say ‘No, I didn’t really even feel it.’ It’s just from all the work I’m putting in and understanding the things I need to do to prepare my body. I do it year-round, and it really works for anything.”
Brady and the Patriots will go for their 10th win of the season against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.
