FOXBORO, Mass. — Tom Brady, who has married a supermodel, had three children, won five Super Bowls and amassed hundreds of millions of dollars in the last 17 years, claims he’s still the same guy he was when the New England Patriots were preparing for the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI.
Now Brady and the Patriots are in the same place just a little over a week away from facing the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII.
“In many ways I’m similar,” Brady said Saturday. “I don’t think in the end that things are that different for me.”
Brady would concede he’s “absolutely” a “little more mature than what I used to be.”
Brady did eventually go deep on the premise of enjoying the moment more now more than he might have when he was 24 years old in January, 2002.
“I was raised by a great mom and dad who were very important in my life, still are, and I think they taught me some really great lessons when I was a kid,” Brady said. “My mom’s — I think some of you guys have met her — she’s probably the sweetest person I’ve ever met in my life. I get a lot from her. My dad is very loving, empathetic and I get a lot from him. My family, my sisters were very competitive growing up. I got a lot from them. And then just being a part of some really great teams, I learned a lot.
“My college experience was really good for me, challenging but great. I learned to grow up a lot, from a kid from California to grow up to be a kid in the Midwest and it was a different level of competition. And then to come to the pros and go be further away from California and to be away from there for 19 years.”
Brady recently realized he’s worked with Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia, running backs coach Ivan Fears, head coach Bill Belichick and owner Robert Kraft longer than he lived at home with his parents in California.
“So many people have been here for as long as I have and really this has become my home,” Brady said. “I can’t say enough good things. I just love it and I love playing. Like I said, many of those things are still the same. I loved playing then, I still love playing now. I don’t take anything for granted, I really don’t. I enjoy it. I think we all work hard at it but to get to this point is really exceptional.
“I’m proud of the guys for making the commitment and it’s certainly not easy. I think everyone at this point is tired and worn down but at the same time, you have one of the great opportunities in your life. This is a memory you’ll have forever and I really hope we can go out and take advantage of it. The Rams have worked equally as hard. They’ve got a great team. They do well in all phases just like all the teams we’ve played in this game. It’s a very difficult game to win. I’m excited for it. I’m going to try to get as much rest as I can and try to go out and play our best game of the year when we need it the most.”
The Patriots fly to Atlanta for Super Bowl LIII on Sunday. They had their final practice at Gillette Stadium for the 2018 season Sunday morning.
