At 41, Tom Brady is the oldest non-kicker/punter currently active in the NFL and by far the oldest player on the New England Patriots’ roster.
The Patriots’ next-oldest player, 34-year-old kicker Stephen Gostkowski, is seven years his junior. The majority of Brady’s teammates has yet to start high school when the quarterback was drafted in 2000, including longtime stalwarts Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman.
23-year-old rookie running back Sony Michel was a few weeks shy of his seventh birthday when Brady won his first Super Bowl in 2002.
Yet despite this massive age gap, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said Brady never has had problems relating to his much younger teammates. In McDaniels’ eyes, this ability to connect with fellow players regardless of age or background is part of what makes the surefire Hall of Famer “such a special leader.”
“I think at the end of the day, we all coach and play for the Patriots, and something that Tom has always done very well is we all have things in common,” McDaniels said Tuesday in a conference call with reporters. “Most importantly, we’re all trying to pull in the same direction and help our team win, and he communicates with every player.
“One of the things that’s always impressed me is how he’s one of the first guys in the building to know a new person’s name, which speaks to how important that is to him to introduce himself to somebody and also get to know that person, whether it be a practice squad player, rookie, whatever it is.
“We all have important jobs to do here. We take those very seriously, as Tommy always does. I think one of the big roles that a quarterback plays on the team is just being able to communicate openly with each one of his teammates, which Tom does. And at the end of the day, we’re all different ages. We all come from different places. But we certainly have the same goal in mind when it comes to what we try to do here.
“So I think he does a great job of connecting those dots and really trying to pour himself into his teammates. They know that they can communicate with him and talk to him about anything, whether it’s football or not. That’s what makes him such a special leader.”
Brady and the Patriots will host the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs.
